Several years ago while researching Appalachian rustic for a lecture and exhibition at the Asheville Art Museum I came across two intriguing photos in the NC Collection. They are from the Caldwell collection of glass plate negatives given to the library in 1944. John D. Caldwell came to Asheville in 1903 to take the position
Rolling through the microfilm one day I came across a small notice in the Asheville Daily Citizen of July 26, 1894 which said: ”Chinatown’s inhabitants are delighted over the return of Hop Wo, the laundryman, after an absence of several years. Hop Wo has been, since leaving here, in New York, Chicago and Cincinnati and
We depend on our patrons for donations. This 1897 J. M. McCanless portrait of a black nurse midwife was loaned for scanning by Dianna Hays. We also receive valuable information from patrons. Ms. Hays told us that the baby was her grandmother Pauline Moore Bourne, daughter of clothing store owner M. V. Moore, and that Pauline
Uva Shipman aka Uva Kimmey aka Uva Minners aka Bobbie Kimmey Daredevil! Stunt Pilot! Wing Walker! This article appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times in July of 1930. An image of a woman pilot standing on the wing of a plane in a skull and crossbones sweater…anachronism anyone? Did Uva succeed at her solo trip across the
By 1900 the thriving Jewish population of Asheville already had two congregations: Beth Ha Tephila (founded in 1891) and Bikor Cholim (founded in 1899; name changed to Beth Israel in 1950). However there was always one single Jewish community which needed a place for meetings and events. The Jewish community held its functions at a variety of
There are enough interesting manuscript collections, maps, and images here in the North Carolina Room to keep me entertained for years to come. Having the privilege to archive some new collections or perform patron requested searches, I inevitably find some interesting tidbit jotted down on the back of a photo, or an intriguing newspaper headline,
The article will have to stand for itself, as we know nothing more about the work-house. You would have thought mopping up the jail house would have been justice enough. The thought was to post this article along with a photograph of the City Hall. But what City Hall? The city of Asheville was incorporated in
The growth of our collection depends on the generosity of donors like Gary Logan, who recently shared his extensive collection of family photographs. His great grandparents William Erwin Logan (1860-1916) and Rose Addie Deaver Logan (1865-1943), lived at 124 Logan Avenue in West Asheville, fondly called “The Big House” by the family. In the photograph above,