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FEATURED COLLECTIONS

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville Records -  Nearly 130 linear feet (129 cartons) of administrative records of Asheville’s Redevelopment Commission dating from c. 1958 to 1970, as well as the official records of Asheville’s Housing Authority from the late 1940s to the 1990s.  The records in this collection pertain primarily to several significant redevelopment projects undertaken by Asheville from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s.  Also represented to a lesser extent are smaller development and redevelopment projects, as well as several housing projects and bridge projects.  The project records include standard planning documents such as project area maps, a survey of the existing structures in the project area, the redevelopment plan, appraisal reports, and ownership data.  Also included are general project administrative documents such as correspondence, contracts, reports, news clippings, and summary documents.  In addition to general administration files and planning documents are several series pertaining to the acquisition, disposal, or rehabilitation of individual parcels, as well as the relocation of individual occupants.  

Biltmore Industries Archive  a virtual collection of photographs and documents for an early craft industry located in Asheville, NC that derived its mission from the international Arts and Crafts Movement. Original materials are held by the Grovewood Gallery, Inc., Asheville, NC. The collection also includes materials related to the Grove Park Inn and its architect/builder, Fred Seely. An extensive finding aid with photographs  is available as well as an historical overview and various scrapbooks and web exhibits.

Carolina Mountain Club Archive  Established in Asheville, North Carolina on July 16, 1923 the hiking club is active in promoting and protecting the mountains of North Carolina. This collection details the activities of the club and includes administrative records, hiking records, correspondence, membership lists, publications, documents, and photographs related to the activities and the  environmental initiatives of the club.

Catalogue des meilleurs livres ... pour composer une bibliotheque ecclesiastique - Included as an appendix to Dom Jean Mabillon's Traite des etudes monastiques (Treatise on Monastic Studies) this "Catalogue of the best book, with the best editions, for forming an ecclesiastical library," was designed for the young ecclesiastical scholar and is reproduced here in facsimile.
 [Note: Users will need the DjVu plugin to view images.]

Choosing to Remember : from the Shoah to the Mountains .  Stories of Asheville Jewish families who witnessed, escaped and survived WWII and the Holocaust collected by the Center for Diversity Studies, Asheville,NC. See also:  Jewish Life in Western North Carolina. 

Speculation Lands Collection (1795-1920) - Papers, patents, maps, warrants, and correspondence related to the activity of Tench Coxe and the subsequent owners of various western North Carolina lands. The approximate 850 items comprise a virtual unbroken record of land speculation over a one-hundred and twenty-five year period. The collection also brings together many of the papers of the Justice family who acted as both agents and surveyors for the area known as the "Speculation Lands". Some items require  DjVu Plug-in . to view. Donation and processing of this historically rich collection has been enabled by the generous contributions of Joe and Steven Kimmel, Asheville, NC

U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Photographs
A collection of 3,249 photographic prints that document the work of the U.S. Forest service in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee, from 1897 through 1952. Special web pages for the Bent Creek Research Station, African Americans in logging and a Forestry Bibliography for resources on regional forestry and forest history, are also included.  100% supported with federal LSTA funds made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources and shared by collaborating partners NC State, Biltmore Estate, and  Duke Forest History Society.

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival and Shindig on the Green - The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival is the nation's oldest folk festival. It grew out of the local Rhododendron Festival and by 1930 it was an independent festival in Asheville, North Carolina. Today the annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival continues to feature musicians and dancers who characterize the music and dance of the Southern Appalachian region.  The "Shindig on the Green,"  the subsidiary entertainment venue, is a summer program that features many of the entertainers identified in the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Administered by the Folk Heritage Committee, a subcommittee of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, this collection archives the records from the committee and both music events from the late 1960's to the present. 

North Carolina Jazz Musicians - A resource guide and exploration of the lives of North Carolina's Jazz notables compiled by Bryan Sinclair, UNCA library faculty. The web resource includes some of the most influential jazz artists in America such as Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Nina Simone ( an Asheville native), Billy Strayhorn, and others. Portions of the guide are also published in the Fall-Winter issue of North Carolina Libraries, pp. 121-25.

Heritage of Black Highlander's Collection African Americans in western North Carolina 1888-1972. The most comprehensive collection of materials on African American cultural heritage in the western part of the state. Covers churches, schools, hospitals, social organizations and civic leaders.

WWII Mountain  Memories: Home Front to the Front Line  Photographs and oral histories of local soldiers who fought in World War II from the Center for Diversity Education.

Jewish Life in Western North Carolina
Includes several key collections of material pertaining to synagogues, businesses, the Holocaust, and the people who have helped to shape life in Western North Carolina. Collections include the following: 

• Beth-Ha-Tephila Congregation (Asheville, NC 1891-1976)
• Aaron Blomberg Family Papers
• Louis Blomberg Family Papers
• Choosing to Remember: From the Shoah to the Mountains
• Joseph Dave Family Papers
• Leo Finkelstein Oral History
• Golden Book of Memories, Fiftieth Anniversary of Congregation Beth Ha-Tephila
• Lipinsky Family Collection
• Lou and Ada Pollock Collection
• Samuel Robinson Papers
• Sol Schulman Collection
• Schandler Family Papers
• Jewish Businesses in Western North Carolina Oral History Collection

Lou Pollock
Sol Shulman in his store

Louis Blomberg papers

Women In Western North Carolina
A collection of biographical sketches of women who have directly contributed to the history of the region. All these women, the traveler, the dweller, and the native born, have contributed in a variety of ways to western North Carolina. All add to our understanding of the nature of women, their accomplishments, their dreams, their talents, their mystery, their mischief, their meanness, their dedication and determination to be their own person. This biographical list does not claim to be exhaustive. If you wish to present other women to be added to the list you may do so by submitting their  names and biographies to the curator. SUBMIT A BIOGRAPHY

HERITAGE OF WESTERN North Carolina
Information in these pages is derived, in part, from the early cooperative grant, Western North Carolina Heritage, but has been expanded and revised. The collection is a  thematic listing of topics of local interest with brief clips from literature (fiction and non-fiction) about the region. Coverage is largely early nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. Topics are not intended to be covered in a comprehensive manner, but are intended to stimulate further exploration. Work on the material is ongoing. Contributions and recommendations are invited. If you wish to submit material or to amend material in this collection, contact hwykle@unca.edu.

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