Victor H. Ring may not have coined the phrase “driving while black”, but he understood first-hand the various roadblocks and bumps in the road for black travelers 80 years ago. The first issue of The Negro Motorist Green Book was published in 1937. In fifteen pages, Mr. Green offered a guide to New York
Situated along the French Broad between Weaverville and Leicester is Alexander. The unincorporated community has a storied history connected directly to tourism, the Buncombe Turnpike, and the Zebulon Vance’s older brother, Robert. Today, Alexander remains one of the most rural sections of the county, characterized by steep terrain on either side of the French Broad
There is nothing like a memoir to learn the history of a place, and the Albemarle community is lucky that the children (of which there were 10) of William and Mary Wadley Raoul wrote about their family and the development of Albemarle. The Family of Raoul: A Memoir by Mary Raoul Millis, contains Mary’s writing
36 Montford Avenue is now the location of Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. But it wasn’t always so. On that site local builder and architect O.D. Revell erected what would commonly be referred to as the Coleman House at “the head of Montford” named for the owners John Kennedy Coleman and his
This month’s program will be one you won’t want to miss. We’ll be featuring a dramatic reading of Civil War letters and journals held here in the North Carolina Room. The letters and diaries were written by James M. Henderson and his wife Maria. The couple hailed from Haywood County, just west of Buncombe. Deborah
Welcome to Katherine Calhoun Cutshall Katherine Calhoun Cutshall joined the staff of the North Carolina room last week, and she’s excited to put her skills and knowledge of local history to work at Pack Memorial Library. A Buncombe County native and lover of all things western North Carolina, she is thrilled to be downtown,
Wednesday July 25, 2018 from 6:00 to 7:00 Asheville’s Movies: The Silent Era Frank Thompson Author and film historian Pack Memorial Library, Lord Auditorium, lower level 67 Haywood Street, Asheville NC 28801 All events are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. “The Conquest of Canaan,” a movie filmed in Asheville and
Mention Paradise Chinese Restaurant, The Hot Shot, or The Silver Dollar and folks of a certain age (including yours truly) can wax eloquent on southern-fried chicken at the Paradise or after-the-bars-closed biscuits and gravy breakfasts at the Hot Shot. I think I might have enjoyed the menu in the paneled interior of Jimmie’s Waffle Shop