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
Celebrating Archives Month Every October archivists around the country celebrate American Archives Month. During this time (and, honestly, all the time) special libraries around the country work to raise awareness about public records, archives, and special collections. Buncombe County and Western North Carolina host several archives and special collections libraries that are accessible to the
Want to get involved? Now is the time! We’ve been hearing from many of you over the last few months looking for ways to get involved with Buncombe County Special Collections. Since the pandemic changed our lives, including the way we work and volunteer, BCSC staff have been thinking about ways to re-invigorate our volunteer
Have you heard tell..? Did you see our recent announcement that HeardTell will now be open to community submissions? Since 2013 our blog, HeardTell, has engaged lovers of Buncombe County history by sharing stories about and found in our archive. Over the years, HeardTell has become a tremendous resource and outreach tool, reaching more than
Buncombe County Special Collections is now accepting community member submissions to our HeardTell Blog! Since 2013 our blog, HeardTell, has engaged lovers of Buncombe County history by sharing stories about and found in our archive. Over the years, HeardTell has become a tremendous resource and outreach tool, reaching more than half a million views. The
Black Asheville History Project Relaunches! After two long years of near stagnation, the Black Asheville History Project reignited during an event at the East Asheville Library on May 20. Together with the Buncombe County Communications and Public Engagement (CAPE) team, BCSC staff hosted an informational luncheon. The luncheon brought together a wide variety of community
Back in the Spring of things… As we settle into spring here at BCSC, work continues on our new archive-safe Fire Suppression system. Throughout our partial closure staff have been working hard behind the scenes to provide our community with greater access to our resources. Beginning Tuesday May 3, 2022, BCSC will resume our regular
On September 29, 2021 the Buncombe County Library system celebrates the 60th anniversary of integration. The 828 Digital Archives for Historical Equity Project has been working closely with Buncombe County Special Collections to digitize documents from the Asheville-Buncombe Library Collection and research the history of segregation and integration in the libraries in order to commemorate
The Woodfin community, like many other Buncombe County communities is named for a man who enslaved human beings. If you’ve followed along in this series, you’ve probably recognized that to be a common theme among communities; they’re named for people of extravagant wealth. Wealth earned on the backs of enslaved black people. Indeed, our county