Asheville Museum of History

 

On This Day

About the Posts

What happened today in western North Carolina history? Scroll through the posts below to find out.

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Jan
04

January 4, 1839: Cherokee County Established
Jan
06

January 6, 1787: Rutherford County Expands
Jan
07

January 7, 1922: Bicycle Trip for the KKK
Jan
16

January 16, 1849: Polk County Repealed
Jan
20

January 20, 1964: Martin Luther King Visits WNC
Jan
21

January 21, 1926: Buxton Hill Demolition
Feb
01

February 1, 1889: Asheville Streetcar Opens
Feb
06

February 6, 1928: Lunsford Records “Good Old Mountain Dew”
Feb
10

February 10, 1874: Rumbling in the Hickory Nut Gorge
Feb
17

February 17, 1917: The Life of Tempie Avery
Feb
21

February 21, 1828: The Cherokee Phoenix Debuts
Feb
22

February 22, 1894: Cornerstone of St. Matthias’ Episcopal Church Laid
Feb
23

February 23, 1911: NC’s Last County Created
Feb
27

February 27, 1890: Nantahala River is Full of Logs
Mar
09

March 9, 1965: Appalachian Regional Development Act Signed
Mar
15

March 15, 1952: WNC Historical Association Founded
Mar
17

March 17, 1756: Cherokee Reach Agreement With British
Mar
22

March 22, 1941: Enka Mill Strike
Mar
26

March 26, 1865: Stoneman’s Forces Enter WNC
Mar
27

March 27, 1911: First Forest Service Purchase in WNC
Apr
03

April 3, 1924: Forest Fires Ravage WNC
Apr
06

April 6, 1865: Battle of Asheville
Apr
11

April 11, 1954: Billie Joe Patton’s Special Run at the Masters
Apr
17

April 17, 1985: Cherokee Beloved Woman Lula Owl Gloyne Passes
Apr
17

April 17, 1832: Rumors of Enslaved Laborer Insurrection
Apr
19

April 19, 1784: Morganton, First WNC Town, Chartered
Apr
21

April 21, 1924: McCormick Field Opens
Apr
24

April 24, 1955: Wilma Dykeman’s The French Broad
Apr
30

April 30, 1988: MerleFest Begins
May
01

May 1, 1893: WNC Forestry on Display at Columbian Exposition
May
07

May 7, 1929: Lucy Morgan and the Penland School
May
11

May 11, 1961: Sit-in Protest in Rutherfordton
May
18

May 18, 1916: Kiffin Rockwell Downs a German Aircraft
May
27

May 27, 1973: Doc Watson Receives Honorary Doctorate
Jun
04

June 4, 1906: Edison Travels WNC
Jun
06

June 6, 2006: First Marion Livermush Festival
Jun
11

June 11, 1957: Levern Hamlin Integrates Western Carolina College
Jun
16

June 16, 1956: McCormick Field’s First Stock Car Race
Jun
17

June 17, 1991: The Last of the Mohicans Begins Filming
Jun
18

June 18, 1884: NC Teacher’s Assembly Convenes in Waynesville
Jun
19

June 19, 1865: Juneteenth
Jun
27

June 27, 1857: Elisha Mitchell Dies Measuring Mountain
Jul
04

July 4, 1844: James Smith Applies for His Father’s Pension
Jul
10

July 10, 1915: George Masa Arrives in WNC
Jul
13

July 13, 1962: New Asheville Speedway Opens
Jul
16

July 16, 1916: The Great Flood
Jul
19

July 19, 1898: Black Men from WNC Muster with NC 3rd Regiment
Jul
27

July 26, 1827: Cherokee Nation Adopts Constitution
Jul
30

July 30, 1943: The Road to Nowhere
Aug
02

August 2, 1881: The Mountain Lily Steamboat is Christened
Aug
06

August 6, 1985: The “Flower Lady” of Asheville
Aug
08

August 8, 1913: Chestnut Blight
Aug
13

August 13, 1940: The Second Great Flood
Aug
27

August 22, 1776: Watauga Petition
Sep
01

September 1, 1929: Beaucatcher Tunnel Opens
Sep
08

September 8, 1946: Asheville Blues Win Pennant
Sep
09

September 9, 1730: Cherokees and British sign Treaty of Whitehall
Sep
11

September 11, 1987: Blue Ridge Parkway Completed
Sep
16

September 16, 1896: William Jennings Bryan Campaigns in WNC
Sep
18

September 18, 1924: The 2nd Battery Park Hotel Opens
Sep
22

September 2, 1940: FDR Dedicates the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Sep
25

September 25, 1933: Black Mountain College Opens
Sep
26

September 26, 1923: Spruce Pine Mob
Oct
02

October 2, 1929: The Marion Mill Massacre
Oct
02

October 2, 1866: Second Freedmen’s Convention
Oct
03

October 3, 1880: First Passenger Train to Asheville
Oct
07

October 7, 1780: Josiah Brandon at Kings Mountain
Oct
13

October 13, 1976: O’Henry’s Opens in Asheville
Oct
17

October 17, 1941: Marian Anderson Performs in Asheville
Oct
21

October 21, 1898: Senator Pritchard’s Letter
Oct
31

October 31, 1919: Pandemic and Halloween
Nov
03

November 3, 1868: Asheville Election Riot
Nov
05

November 5, 1827: The Vance-Carson Duel
Nov
11

November 11, 1924: WNC Ag Exposition and the Farmer’s Federation
Nov
14

November 14, 1972: TVA Drops Dam Plans
Nov
23

November 23, 1893: Waldensian Arrivals in Valdese
Dec
14

December 14, 1804: The Walton War Turns Deadly