Culture
Mace Chairs
The Mace family of western North Carolina became famous for their comfortable chairs, called “settin’ cheers.” Beginning after the Civil War, several generations of Maces
Catamounts
Cougar–Courtesy Western North Carolina Nature Center, Asheville, NC Catamount, short for “cat of the mountain,” is a generic name describing any of a variety of mid- to large-size American wild cats. It is most often used to refer to cougars and lynxes. In Southern...
Economy
Mace Chairs
The Mace family of western North Carolina became famous for their comfortable chairs, called “settin’ cheers.” Beginning after the Civil War, several generations of Maces
Catamounts
Cougar–Courtesy Western North Carolina Nature Center, Asheville, NC Catamount, short for “cat of the mountain,” is a generic name describing any of a variety of mid- to large-size American wild cats. It is most often used to refer to cougars and lynxes. In Southern...
Land
Cradle of Forestry
In the early 20th century, the Appalachian forest was subjected to devastating large-scale commercial exploitation for the first time. At the same time, pioneering conservationists were devising reforms for forest management. In 1889, George Vanderbilt hired a young...
Linville Falls Trails
Linville Falls is home to many beautiful, scenic trails. All offer a good hike and most also reward you with a spectacular view. Here are a list of trails in the Linville area. 0.3 miles one direction from Vistors' CenterDugger's Creek Trail is one of the...
People
Mountain Heritage Award Winners
[slideshow_deploy id='5857'] Western Carolina University created the Mountain Heritage Award in 1976. According to then Chancellor, H.F. Robinson, the award recognizes “outstanding contributions to the preservation or interpretation of the...
Douglas James Ferguson, 1982
Western Carolina University’s 1982 Mountain Heritage Award went last Saturday to Douglas James Ferguson, a potter of international reputation and a native of Possum Trot in Yancey County, for “creating works of art that preserve in sculpture, pottery, and tile...
Institutions
Craft Guild
In 1892, Frances Goodrich, a New England educated Presbyterian Missionary, moved to the Madison County community of Allanstand. Her goal: to improve the quality of life for mountain families. Her means was the promotion of traditional crafts to a growing American market for authentic handicrafts. . .
Highlander Folk School
The Highlander Folk School was founded in 1932 in Monteagle on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. Its founders envisioned an adult education center where mountain people could tackle community problems. . .