Zoe Rhine - Hidden History of Asheville

I hear tell theyve filled a real book with HeardTell posts. A publication you can heft and smell and otherwise enjoy. Whether you use them for research or just plain fun, these columns will surprise and delight. If you are interested in where Asheville and Buncombe County came from, this books for you.

Wayne Caldwell, Asheville native, family business owner
and author of Cataloochee and Requiem by Fire

The bedrock of Asheville is found in its history, and one can easily hear that history at HeardTell. Named for an old and endearing Appalachian colloquialism, HeardTell is a treasure-trove that explores our mountain hollers, cricks and the cosmopolitan city that has long been dubbed the Land of the Sky. That we as citizens and visitors have such a resource available to enhance our understanding of the people and places that came before us is a treasure and true delight.

Jack W.L. Thomson, executive director,
Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County

Usually its the historians and writers who seek out the librarians and archivists for information to tell their stories, but what happens when the librarians become the historians and writers? Thats what this book is all about. Whether spurred by a puzzling inquiry from a patron or by a recently unearthed rare photo in the collection, the librarians and staff of the North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library have used their vast collection of regional books, documents, maps, photos and architectural drawings to tell their own unique stories of Asheville.

Dale Wayne Slusser, author of In the Near Loss of Everything:
George MacDonalds Son in America and The Ravenscroft School in Asheville:
A History of the Institution and Its People and Buildings

I always look forward to the HeardTell blog posts from Zoe Rhine and the folks at Pack Librarys North Carolina Room. As an Asheville archivist, Im consistently impressed by how they use items from their archives to bring little-known aspects of Ashevilles rich and diverse history to light. Its great to see these treasures collected in this volume.

Gene Hyde, head of D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections
and University Archives, University of North CarolinaAsheville

Asheville is well known for being a unique town. Hidden History of Asheville is full of gems that help us understand how this town became the eclectic place we know and love. It contains wonderful insights and short stories you wont find anywhere else.

Drew Reisinger, Buncombe County Register of Deeds

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Zoe Rhine

All rights reserved

Front cover: Peggy Walker Photograph Album, 1908, donated by Chan Gordon. MS283.001A image 3.

First published 2019

e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.715.6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019935356

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.221.2

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is dedicated to the Friends of the North Carolina Room for their continued support of the work of the North Carolina Room located in Pack Memorial Library, Buncombe County Libraries.

This book is also dedicated to every single person who has ever donated to the North Carolina Room. We thank you for entrusting your materials with the North Carolina Room.

Local History is, at its heartas is history itselfthe study of the human condition in and through time.It begs for studies of how we have lived in the past, in this particular place.

Carol Kammen, On Doing Local History:
Reflections on What Local Historians Do, Why & What It Means

Activism! Its engagement which I think is the hallmark of our community, of what has been our success.

Leslie Anderson, former and first director
of the City of Asheville Downtown Development Office

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

A sheville has a reputation for being both a little weird and a lot delightful. As the lead archivist for the Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina, I see thousands of researchers each year. All of them are seeking something of interest, something informative and oftentimes hidden. Thats what makes Hidden History of Asheville so important. While it is impossible to include every story or solve every mystery (Im keeping my fingers crossed for more volumes), my colleagues in history have managed to unearth some of the most fascinating and insightful accounts about Asheville for this book. From high-flying history with pilot Robert Morgan or wing walker Uva Shipman to stopping to smell the roses with flower woman Emily Jones, these stories make the past more relevant and give us a better understanding of the community and society of yesteryear.

The mysteries and histories presented here help reveal why this place is so charming and captivating. Where else can you find world-renowned architects like Douglas Ellington and Anthony Lord sharing the same pages with Big Boy, the worlds largest hog? Any place that can boast stunning examples of Art Deco architecture on the same block where a coiffed and powdered hog squealed with delight for the glory of pigdom and Western North Carolina definitely sparks some curiosity and wonder!

Ive known Zoe Rhine for years and recognize that she has a knack for investigating the past in the most relatable way possible. Without a doubt, these writers have culled countless articles and document boxes, spending copious amounts of time and energy devouring text, scanning images and probing the past to find the best accounts and stories for this volume. The result of all their hard work and research is this rich compilation of diverse, notable and sometimes bizarre glimpses into Ashevilles storied past.

The best part is that Zoe and the rest of the writers have done the hard work for us. Theyve mined these gems of the past from the impressive manuscripts in the Special Collections at Pack Library, polished and curated them into this anthology ready for us to easily enjoy. I am especially grateful for their efforts and continue to learn so much from their work. I know you are going to be as enchanted by Hidden History of Asheville as I am.

Heather South
Lead Archivist
Western Regional Archives

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The staff of the North Carolina Room is most grateful to a group of 150 people, the Friends of the North Carolina Room. You are our ambassadors. You all are the reason for our work. Your support, financial and otherwise, helps us to do our work better. Were also grateful to the rest of Asheville who just dont know about us yet.

This book contains photographs that, for the most part, have never been published before. How is that? The photographs are recent additions and donations to our collection. Donations are the lifeblood of our collection, and this book would not be what it is without them.