Cemetery Walks Rescheduled

Yes, we WILL conquer winter...sometime.  There's no guarantee we won't have to reschedule some of our programs again, but we're going to keep at it until we win!

The walks through some of the oldest cemeteries in Buncombe County have been rescheduled for Sunday, March 7 at 2 pm, WEATHER PERMITTING!  Historian Robert Goodson and private cemetery owner Tom Jones will share the stories of two historic burial grounds and some of the early pioneers who are buried there.

The Tabernacle cemetery was established in 1837 or before. The Tabernacle community was a self sufficient community prior to the coming of the railroad in 1880, with a church, school, justice of the peace, grist mill etc.  The church was known as "The Meeting House".  The cemetery was the main burying place for the entire Black Mountain community until the mid 1920's.  Interesting stories of these early pioneers will be shared.

The Ingram cemetery was set aside as a family burial spot by Bobby Ingram about 1820.  Bobby landed at Charleston, S.C. in 1785, arriving from County Down Northern Ireland.  He first went to Virginia, then came to the Swannanoa Valley and acquired 1122 acres along the North Fork of the Swannanoa River in 1799.  The cemetery has marked and unmarked graves of both family and others along the North Fork River.

Cost for these Sunday afternoon walks is $10 for Museum members; $20 for non-members.  Please call the Museum, 828-669-9566, or send an email to Swannanoavalleym@bellsouth.net to make reservations. 

Lower Catawba Falls Hike Set

Come all of you who are sick of being cooped up inside, who suffer from cabin fever, or who simply want to join a fun group for a fun hike!

The Swannanoa Valley Museum is sponsoring a hike to the Lower Catawba Falls on Saturday, March 6th, WEATHER PERMITTING! 

One of our regular monthly hikes, this one is moderate, about 2.5 miles round trip.  However, there is a river crossing, so hikers are advised to wear wool socks and bring a dry pair for after the hike.  The hike will convene in the parking lot of Black Mountain Savings Bank at 9 a.m.  Bring lunch, water, and dress for winter weather. 

Cost for this hike is $10 for Museum members; $20 for non-members.  Please call the Museum, 828-669-9566, or send an email to swannanoavalleym@bellsouth.net to make reservations.  For a complete list of all hikes planned for 2010, visit our website.

Photo courtesy of Catawba Falls Campground.

New Documentary Series Highlights History & Heritage

Seven Sisters Cinema, a new film series focusing on documentary films of regional interest for Western North Carolina, will present Tobacco Money Feeds My Family, at 7 pm on Thursday, March 18, at White Horse Black Mountain.

Tobacco Money Feeds My Family focuses on  tobacco growers, farm workers and tobacco-dependent communities struggling with the decline of domestic tobacco production. Unlike many tobacco films that question the morality of pursuing the crop, this film offers a comprehensive look at the realities of working tobacco families for a rarely seen view of their struggles and triumphs.

Shot over a period of five years Tobacco Money Feeds My Family is a wistful yet clear-eyed portrait of a centuries-old North Carolina culture in crisis.  Filmmaker Cynthia Hill will answer questions and discuss the film after the showing.  Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for students with ID.

Seven Sisters Cinema launched in January of 2010 with a screening of the documentary film, The Last One. A standing room only crowd of over 250 people enjoyed the documentary about moonshiner Popcorn Sutton.  Thesecond screening, The Mystery of George Masa, also played to a full theatre.

For more information visit series website: www.sevensisterscinema.com.

"A Flood Runs Through It"--Museum's Opening Exhibit

The Swannanoa Valley Museum will open for its 21st season on Saturday, April 10, at 10 am with a dynamic new exhibit, "A Flood Runs Through It."

The Swannanoa River watersheds at the far eastern end of Buncombe County have a major impact on Asheville and the entire county.  As most people know, they are the source of Asheville City Water.  What many don’t know is what happens in the Swannanoa Valley when a heavy rainfall occurs at Mount Mitchell and along the Black Mountain Range. 

That’s when “a flood runs through it” and on into the more densely populated City of Asheville.

Each year the Swannanoa Valley Museum participates in a region-wide themed exhibit in collaboration with Friends of Mountain History and Museums In Partnership.  This year's theme is "Our Natural Scenic Beauty,” but the Museum is doing a variation on the theme with an exhibit titled, “Protecting Our Natural Scenic Beauty: A Flood Runs Through It."  

The exhibit includes visual, hands-on, and take-away components focusing on historic floods and storm tracks in the Swannanoa Watershed (with special emphasis on the 2004 flood caused by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan), as well as potential projects that would decrease future flood damage.  The exhibit is brought to the Swannanoa Valley Museum by Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, the Town of Black Mountain, and RENCI at UNC Asheville.

The Museum is located at 223 West State Street in Black Mountain, in the former Black Mountain Fire House, designed by Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect at the Biltmore Estate, and built in 1921.  

 It is open April through October, Tuesday - Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday noon to 4 pm and Sunday 2 to 5 pm.  Closed on Mondays. Admission $2, Museum members and children under 12 are free.