Hurricane Helene: Appalachian History

Asheville: an architectural gem of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Known for its architectural diversity and intriguing Art Deco style, Asheville has been fortunate in attracting brilliant architects who have created lasting testaments in brick and stone with imaginative foresight and design expertise. Local architectural enthusiast Richard Hansley recounts the history behind dozens of Asheville's most prominent buildings and historical neighborhoods in Asheville's Historic Architecture. Discover how Douglas Ellington, Richard Sharp Smith, James Vester Miller and Tony Lord influenced this busy metropolis, as landmarks like the Jackson Building, the Grove Park Inn and the Art Deco City Building were constructed along the city's thriving streets. These buildings have stood the test of time and remain as breathtaking in concept and appearance today as when first completed.

Shallow Ford, the natural rock path across the Yadkin River, served as the gateway for pioneers to the western North Carolina frontier and as a stage for history.

The ford was the site of the Battle of Shallow Ford in the Revolutionary War and Stoneman's Raid during the Civil War. The eye of the needle for General Cornwallis in the Race to the Dan, it was also the silent witness to the Great Wagon Road and the trans-Appalachian migration led by local son Daniel Boone. Bypassed for the last hundred years, Shallow Ford faded from view but remains a landmark of another era.

Local historian Marcia D. Phillips recounts the history of a time when safe passage across the river provided the way to reach the American future that lay beyond.

Few locations in South Carolina have figured as prominently in the early history of the state as the old town of Ninety Six. As a witness to two Revolutionary War battles, two Cherokee War battles, a trading post, three forts and two towns, the site is perhaps one of the richest archaeological sites in the South. In recognition of its rich history the Ninety Six National Historic Site became part of the National Park Service in 1976.

The unusual name that was given to the site is believed to have taken root in the early 1700s. English traders estimated the distance to the Cherokee village of Keowee in the upper South Carolina foothills to be ninety-six miles. By the 1770s, Fort Ninety Six and the adjoining village--located at the crossroads of twelve roads--reached its peak as an important backcountry outpost, boasting a growing population, a newly constructed courthouse and jail. However, the onset of the American Revolutionary War would end this progress and the first land battle south of New England was fought at Ninety Six in 1775. The fort and town would change hands many times between those fighting for independence and those still loyal to England, leaving the town in shambles by the close of the war.

Old Ninety Six: A History and Guide, by Robert Dunkerly and Eric Williams, is a well-researched and highly accessible work, which underscores the important contribution of Ninety Six to the early history of South Carolina and guides the reader through the well-preserved fort that stills stands at the site today.