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Buncombe County Special Collections

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The Buncombe County Special Collections Library (formerly the North Carolina Room) is a medium-sized archival facility located on the lower level of Pack Memorial Library in Downtown Asheville. Buncombe County Special Collections specializes in the social, cultural, and natural history of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Western North Carolina.

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Featured Photographer: Andrea Clark

Date: 1968 Before acquiring these photographs, the Pack Library NC Collection included only a few photographs of the vibrant Valley Street neighborhood, now just a fading memory. Thanks to Andrea Clark's photographs, the people and places of that community live again. [View Full Collection]

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Please email us at packnc@buncombecounty.org

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Latest Posts

Read more +22 September 2023 By packnc in Asheville History, Technology

Ringing in Asheville’s First 10,000 Telephones, 1885-1925 

This is the second post in a series on the history of communication technologies in Asheville & WNC, from telegraphs to the Internet. Read on to learn about the first 40 years of telephone service in Asheville.
Read more +22 August 2023 By packnc in African Americans, Architecture, Local Heroes and Heroines

Portrait of a brick artist: Celebrating the legacy of James Vester Miller

Join Buncombe County Special Collections for a reception to celebrate the completion of a mural honoring James Vester Miller, African American community leader and brick mason. Miller is responsible for some of the most iconic brick buildings in downtown Asheville, and undoubtedly shaped the built environment of the city. Born in Rutherfordton, NC in 1860,
Read more +28 July 2023 By packnc in Asheville History, Technology

Tapping into Modernity: The Telegraph Comes to Asheville 

This is the first post in a series on the history of communication technologies in Asheville & WNC, from telegraphs to the Internet. Read on to learn about Asheville's telegraph era, which began July 28, 1877.
Read more +21 July 2023 By packnc in Buncombe County History, Community Member Posts

One Man’s Grapes

John Hoyt, whom many know from his famous Engadine Estate, once claimed his fame in growing grapes on his western Buncombe County property. Guest post by Adam Coulter.
Read more +14 April 2023 By packnc in Friends of the NC Room, Local Heroes and Heroines, Quirks & Kerfuffles, Woo-Woo Moments

The Case of the Missing Eggs

 “Collection…one of the best in existence” “…one of the treasures of our State” “… invaluable!” These accolades referred not to a collection of precious gems or rare artwork, but instead to one of bird eggs collected by renowned local ornithologist, John Simpson Cairns (1862-1895) of Weaverville. Cairns’ research contributed significantly to the field of modern
Read more +01 November 2022 By packnc in News

Event Reminder: Lecture and Lunch+Learn

As part of the community efforts to help raise local consciousness of racial history Buncombe County Special Collections, in partnership with Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County and the Equal Justice Initiative, is preparing to mount a permanent exhibit about racial terror violence in Buncombe County. The central focus of the exhibit is soil
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