Archives and special collections as kitchen reference materials? Why not! This past September, the staff of Buncombe County Special Collections went on a search through the historic cookbooks in our collection for recipes to try out and share. Here’s the “reading list” that inspired our potluck, and the recipes we shared. The Carolina Housewife by
In recognition of October’s American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, Thomas Wolfe’s birthday, and the publishing of his first novel, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the complex history between Pack Memorial Library and Look Homeward, Angel. On October 18, 1929, just a few weeks after Thomas Wolfe turned 29,
As part of the community efforts to help raise local consciousness of racial history Buncombe County Special Collections, in partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County and the Equal Justice Initiative, is preparing to mount a permanent exhibit about racial terror violence in Buncombe County. The central focus of the exhibit is soil
Celebrating Archives Month Every October archivists around the country celebrate American Archives Month. During this time (and, honestly, all the time) special libraries around the country work to raise awareness about public records, archives, and special collections. Buncombe County and Western North Carolina host several archives and special collections libraries that are accessible to the
Want to get involved? Now is the time! We’ve been hearing from many of you over the last few months looking for ways to get involved with Buncombe County Special Collections. Since the pandemic changed our lives, including the way we work and volunteer, BCSC staff have been thinking about ways to re-invigorate our volunteer
Buncombe County Special Collections is now accepting community member submissions to our HeardTell Blog! Since 2013 our blog, HeardTell, has engaged lovers of Buncombe County history by sharing stories about and found in our archive. Over the years, HeardTell has become a tremendous resource and outreach tool, reaching more than half a million views. The
On September 29, 2021 the Buncombe County Library system celebrates the 60th anniversary of integration. The 828 Digital Archives for Historical Equity Project has been working closely with Buncombe County Special Collections to digitize documents from the Asheville-Buncombe Library Collection and research the history of segregation and integration in the libraries in order to commemorate
The Woodfin community, like many other Buncombe County communities is named for a man who enslaved human beings. If you’ve followed along in this series, you’ve probably recognized that to be a common theme among communities; they’re named for people of extravagant wealth. Wealth earned on the backs of enslaved black people. Indeed, our county
The Creation of a Public School System for the City of Asheville, 1887-1888 Setting Up the System and Hiring the Teachers Asheville Times, July 29, 1887: “Graded School Carried: Asheville Keeps to the Front By a Very Close Squeeze” “We need not multiply words to express pleasure at the result of the election yesterday on