When I went searching our database for sources to write this edition of 52 Weeks, 52 Communities I had one thought when the results came back: “This cannot be it.” Alas, this seems to be the only historical image of the Shiloh Community in the North Carolina Collection here at Pack Memorial Library. "Shiloh Baptist … Continue reading The only historical image of Shiloh? 52 Weeks, 52 Communities.
A DRAMATIC READING James M. Henderson, Company F, 25 N.C. Regiment wrote to his wife Maria Henderson and little son, William Henry Drayton Henderson. Henderson was killed August 23, 1864 at battle of Weldon Railroad, Petersburg, Va. The Henderson family was from Pigeon River, Haywood County. From the NC Room Collection MS024. IN OBSERVANCE OF … Continue reading Event: CIVIL WAR STORIES BETWEEN HAYWOOD COUNTY SOLDIER JAMES M. HENDERSON AND HIS WIFE MARIA HENDERSON
Map of a Subdivision within the Montford Neighborhood. MAP402. Montford is one of Buncombe County’s most iconic historic neighborhoods. In this installment of 52 Weeks, 52 Communities, we could take almost any angle on Montford; there is just so much to talk about. So instead of trying to pick just one thesis, I decided that … Continue reading A Montford Bibliography: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
“[Jupiter] received its name in about 1885 or 1888, by Old North McCLean (sic), he being the first post master. His theory for naming the settlement Jupiter was that it is of a very high altitude and from the post office you could gain a very plain view of the Jupiter star that rose in the north east. There was about three or four men present at the time… they agreed and it was called ‘Jupiter Post Office.’”
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
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
Many of our 52 Weeks 52 Communities posts have been about rediscovering the origins of the names of our communities in Buncombe County. This week is no different. Deaverview, a community in West Asheville seemed straightforward in this regard: figure out who Deaver is, and call it a day. But, sometimes it’s not that easy. … Continue reading Deaver’s View//Deaverview, A Peek into the Process: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
The voices of our community members are one way we learn about our past. Eleanor Newcomb Rice knew this, and made it her work to collect the voices of "Old Candlertown" for many years. Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1924, but when she was young, her parents moved her and her three older … Continue reading Voices from Old Candlertown: 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
