Stecoah Valley Center, 2011

  Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center (Organizational Recipient) Built of native rock with the skill and labor of many local residents, Stecoah Union School in Graham County opened to its first students in 1926. After 68 years of serving as a center of the...

Rob Tiger, 2012

Mountain Heritage Award, 2012 Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Awards for 2012 were presented Saturday (Sept. 29) to Rob Tiger, a Hayesville community leader who has led numerous efforts to preserve that town’s historic and cultural heritage, and the...

Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, 1999

  Mary Jane Queen and The Queen Family Receive 1999 Mountain Heritage Award CULLOWHEE — Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, performers who have played a major role in helping maintain the folk music traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are the 1999...
Black Mountain College

Black Mountain College

In 1933, Black Mountain College opened near Black Mountain, North Carolina. Dedicated to the arts, it marked a radical departure from most colleges of the time. It was an experiment in progressive education and communal work.

Penland School of Crafts

Penland School of Crafts

The widespread poverty that the Great Depression brought to Appalachia led to the founding of one of the area’s most valuable treasures: the Penland School of Crafts. Nestled deep in the hills of western North Carolina’s Mitchell County is the small community of Penland. . .