The Swannanoa Valley Museum is always looking for new exhibits to display:

“Beans, Butter, & Bacon: Early General Stores in the Swannanoa Valley"; when the railroad came through the Swannanoa Valley in the late 1800s, it brought new residents and tourists. To cater to the needs of a growing population who paid more in cash than in trade, grocery stores began to pop up near the railroad stations. This new exhibit will feature original items from W.J. Parks' General Store across from the Swannanoa train station and the Blue Ridge Grocery and Soda Shop in Black Mountain.

“Brother, Brother, Brother, War is Not the Answer” will be new this year as a Museums in Partnership themed exhibit. It is part of a national commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Although there was no battle action in the Swannanoa Valley, many men from the Valley served in the war, and they will have letters from them and their families as part of the exhibit.

“Pathways from the Past, Pathways to the Future” is an update of the Museum’s permanent exhibit and will interpret the collection and the story of the development of the Swannanoa Valley since prehistory along the theme of “Pathways.”