Appalachian History

The poet who penned “the fog comes in on little cats’ feet” moved to western North Carolina for the sake of the little goats’ feet. Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sandburg and his wife Paula had lived for 17 years on Chicago’s foggy shores by Lake Michigan, but left it all behind in 1945. Flat Rock, [...]

“The T. stands for Taliaferro. I was named after Booker T. Washington. My people came from Sherrill’s Fort in Catawba County, NC. I was brought up by my mother, but in 1920, came to Asheville to live with my father. I went to high school at Bennett in Greensboro, NC and two years at Livingston [...]

The following family history was written by Joshua Salmans of Greenville, SC. If given the opportunity to meet anyone from the American past, some may be attracted to the likes of Presidents George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Though I do not deny the extravagant appeal of being present as Washington crossed the Delaware River or [...]

“[My father] started one trend that horrified all the old friends. He put the kitchen on the front of the house. This was a thing unknown, inconceivable to the local populous. You didn’t put the kitchen on the front of the house. People built houses on Montford Avenue where there was a superb view in [...]

If you’re a lover of classical chamber music living in Asheville, NC, you can thank the efforts of Jeanette and Joe Vanderwart for helping make that performing art available locally. This couple moved to the area in the 1950’s, and Joe’s work in the lumber industry provided a good living. They were able to introduce [...]