If you live in Asheville, you’ve probably taken a drive through it many times. Say, you’re headed to the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary for a Sunday stroll after a brunch downtown. It is a section of Merrimon Avenue that begins descending in elevation starting somewhere about the time you reach Brookstone Church (formerly Merrimon Ave.
For this week’s edition of 52 Weeks, 52 Communities we’re reaching back into the HeardTell archives for two posts about Grace, a community in North Asheville. These posts were originally authored by NC Room Staff Zoe Rhine and Ione Whitlock. Grace, A Community that got absorbed by an avenue A View of Grace, Then and
North Asheville Neighborhood History Program Finale Date: Wednesday October 25, 2017 Time: 6:00-7:30 PM Place: Pack Memorial Library, Lord Auditorium, lower level Pat Fitzpatrick, a North Asheville resident of 40 years, and an interviewer extraordinaire, will tell about some of the most interesting and surprising stories uncovered through the 2017 North Asheville History Project.
“My parents went to the Beaver Lake Restaurant every Thursday because that was the maid’s night off. We always had a maid when I was growing up. Everybody in that area did.” [Jean Moore interview, MS338.003A] The Beaver Lake Drive-In was operated by Tom Vlahos and is the current site of Nick’s Drive-In at 1461 Merrimon Avenue.
“One of the most popular bands in the sixties in Asheville was Bee Bumble and the Stingers. They were a garage band that the whole neighborhood in Lakeview Park near Robinhood, used to hear practice in their garage. A lot of Asheville’s finest were raised in North Asheville.” [From an oral interview with Nancy Alenier
The North Asheville History Project (NAHP) The NAHP is being conducted by the North Carolina Room, Pack Memorial Library through the North Asheville Library branch. 1030 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28804 TEL: 828-250-4752 The purpose of this project is to preserve the unique characteristics of living in North Asheville. This is a pilot program which