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The Digital Heritage Project is a part of The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
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Land Archive
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Hanging Dog
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsThe Hanging Dog community in Cherokee County got its colorful name when a Cherokee Indian’s hunting dog barely escaped getting hung up in a mass of jammed logs and vines in a flooded creek. Nearby, European settlers found important deposits of iron. . . -
Cradle of Forestry
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsIn 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. . . -
Woolly Worms
Posted on April 19, 2011 | No CommentsNot too many generations ago, before snow plows, central heat, and supermarkets, winters in Appalachia were a much different experience than they are today. Many basic necessities such as mobility, heat, and food were not taken for granted. -
Appalachian Trail
Posted on October 20, 2010 | No CommentsAs undeveloped land shrank in the East, the desire to preserve a wilderness experience intensified. In 1925 a forester, Benton McKaye, organized a conference in Washington, DC. . . -
Chimney Rock
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsIn 1885 Chimney Rock began its long history as a tourist attraction when the first stairway to its 315-foot granite summit was completed. Missouri native Lucius Moore purchased the spectacular rock outcropping overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge in 1902. -
Cold Mountain
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsCharles Frazier’s acclaimed novel Cold Mountain presents geography as symbolic of human conditions. To his central character Inman, the mountains represent healing and salvation and are the goal of his trek homeward. -
European Wild Boars
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsIn the long history of invasive species in Appalachia, no story is more striking that that of the European wild boar. Often called Russian boars. . . -
Extinct Species
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsThe Appalachian region is the home of more species of plants and animals than any other temperate forest on earth. Through the long stretch of geological time, life forms have come and gone. -
Flat Rock
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsFlat Rock, North Carolina, the home of one of the nation’s top ten summer theaters, is a wonderful place to enjoy a play. Begun in a tent by actor/director/producer Robroy Farquhar in 1953, it presents about ten Broadway musicals, dramas, and comedies each year. -
Floods of 1916 and 1940
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsMany people in the mountains of Appalachia vividly remember September, 2004. During that month, the rains and winds of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan combined to swell the French Broad, Catawba, and Pigeon Rivers to record flood levels. Several fatalities and millions of dollars of damage resulted. But few residents recall an earlier event of similar proportions that devastated our region. -
Ghost Towns
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsTowns do not survive forever. Western North Carolina has a number of its own lost towns. They disappeared for a number of reasons. -
Grandfather Mountain
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsOver 700 million years ago two gigantic plates within the earth’s crust slammed together. Among the results was the creation of one of the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountain range, Grandfather Mountain. At 5,964 feet, the mountain is one of Appalachia’s most visited attractions and one of its most unique natural wonders. -
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsAmerica’s first National Parks were created out West. By the early 20th century, Easterners who feared the loss of nature... -
Lake Logan
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsThousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, Native Americans, particularly the Cherokees, inhabited the mountain region now known as Appalachia. Within the boundaries of present-day Haywood County, the Cherokee were scattered throughout several villages. -
Little Switzerland
Posted on August 17, 2010 | No CommentsThe Grassy Mountain area of Mitchell and McDowell counties was long a traditional settlement of Scotch-Irish families. In the summer of 1909, Charlotte lawyer Heriot Clarkson discovered the Alpine-like setting and laid plans for a resort colony.