Oakley School, abt. 1952, image scanned from the Oakley Oak school annual. M055-DS. Oakley, like all of the communities we’ve featured this year, has seen significant changes over time with the ebb and flow of Asheville and Buncombe County’s real estate, industrial, and tourism economy. Throughout the years, the section has developed from rolling farmland … Continue reading The Name Game, Oakley : 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
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
Portion of an advertisement for Malvern Hills, Asheville Citizen, 1925. Pleasant Alexander Calhoun lived most of his adult life in a place Horace Kephart described as the “back of beyond.” Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was so remote that few outsiders had ever ventured into the isolated community nestled deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. It's not probable that … Continue reading Becoming a “Townie” in Malvern Hills: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
A Residential Street Scene, Kimberly Heights. Postcard. AC615. We’re over halfway there, folks! Here we are on community #34/52. And a few times throughout this series, we’ve taken the opportunity to teach you a little bit about how to most effectively use your time in the archives or navigate our public database, Presto, to do … Continue reading Historical House Hunting in Kimberly: 52 Weeks, 52 Communities
"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
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
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
“On the west side of Asheville between Patton and Haywood/A community holds on, tries to create a sustainable model, /Relationship-building between people/What can I say: Burton Street?” -DeWayne Barton “Burton Street Working Together” from 27 Views of Asheville, Eno Publishers, ed. We have discussed the Burton Street Community a few times this year, especially highlighting … Continue reading Working Together on Burton Street: 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
