"View of the Mountains from a Villa in Kenilworth, Asheville, NC" Postcard Of all the communities on our list, one of the most photographed besides Downtown Asheville, may be Kenilworth. This Asheville Suburb in the southeast part of the city sprung onto the scene in the late 1910's and rose in popularity into the 1920's … Continue reading A Kenilworth Research Album: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
hominy: n. hulled Indian corn, coarsely ground or broken, used as a cereal and as a vegetable. OR Hominy: two townships in Buncombe County--Upper Hominy and Lower Hominy--are collectively referred to as Hominy Valley. Hominy Creek runs from the Haywood County line and meanders through the valley until it joins the French Broad River at … Continue reading Hommoney, Hominey, or Hominy? : 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
Edwin Wiley Grove had a grand vision. After striking it rich in the patent medicine business he began to invest in real estate, a hot market in the Southern United States throughout the 1880s and into the 1920s. Grove purchased property in a number of major cities, including Atlanta. And although his famous tasteless chill … Continue reading A Model Letter from a Model Village, Grovemont on Swannanoa: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
One of the resources hiding away in the North Carolina Room reference stacks are various church histories and minutes. Most of the time, these valuable records sit around on the shelf and do not see much use. If you think about it, it’s easy to understand why. On the surface, it may not seem like … Continue reading “We found all in Fellowship” at Flat Creek: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
Hiding away in the Five Points neighborhood of Asheville are some of Asheville's stories of philanthropy and heroism. The neighborhood, though it was officially established and named only fairly recently, was developed much earlier. Most of the extant homes were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century, the bulk of them in the … Continue reading A Couple of Folks from Five Points: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
Emma is a small community in western Buncombe County that sits nestled between Dryman Mountain and the French Broad River. If you wanted to put a pushpin on a map, you’d place it on the crossroads at North Louisiana and Emma Road (SR 1338). Today, the intersection maintains some character of the old and the … Continue reading Cousin Caney the Corrupt Commissioner and the Brand New Emma-Leicester Road: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
Today's blog is slightly different than other 52 Weeks, 52 Communities posts. This week, the author chose to write an essay about her personal connection to the East End Community. When I was very small, my Uncle Boozer was the biggest man I had ever known. When we gathered for family suppers, Thanksgiving, Christmas, funerals, … Continue reading A Garage, A Block, A Door…The East End: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
If you were taking a trip to Burnsville from Asheville between 1847 and 1890 there was, for the most part, only one way to get there. Along the road, there would be a few choice places to stop, but the most famous was Carter’s. It was, like most other Stock Stands along the various turnpike … Continue reading A Trip to the Store in Democrat, 1876: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
When you think of Biltmore Forest the first thing that comes to mind is probably a sea of early 20th century wealthy white golfers. In this week's edition of 52 Weeks, 52 Communities we're sharing an Oral History from our archives that sheds light on the construction of Biltmore Forest by African American workers. Take a look … Continue reading Building Biltmore Forest: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
