Wanderlust could be my middle name. I have a bucket list of nerdy places I want to visit to the point of it being a quest. Logistically I can’t just take off on the history hop across America I’d like right now. So in the meantime I made it a goal to get out and explore more history related spots in my area. I’ve lived in Asheville 5 1/2 years and I have spent most of that working. It’s time to get a little more acclimated. In my defense, half of the time we were in a pandemic!
During a not so recent anymore Spring Break in April 2022, I set a goal to visit at least 2 local history related places. Contrary to what my son thinks, history is a hobby! My first visit was the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center. Turns out it’s actually in Black Mountain, not Swannanoa. Black Mountain is a beautiful town about 15ish minutes from Asheville. I believe I’ve seen it on those Southern Living lists of small towns.
Here is a link to the website for the museum: Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center – Est. 1989
As always, research operating hours ahead of time. Many museums and historical sites have limited hours. This was the case with the museum. I went in April and it was open 10-5. I got there just after opening. It’s the kind of place you only need about an hour to go through so research some other sites nearby if you are coming from out of town. There is an art museum next door I didn’t have time to check out. My plan was to go to the history museum and then head to my supplemental job.
Admission to the museum is free, but I always do my part to support places like this. I didn’t have any cash so I added a few dollars to my gift shop purchase on the way out. What’s so cool is that the building it’s housed in is an old firehouse and the view out the window is magical! I told you the town is beautiful! I follow the museum on social media and am happy to see that they host scout troops and field trips. As a former elementary teacher and scout mom, this makes me happy. They also offer history related hikes in the area.
The museum has two parts. The bottom level has some geographical information about the area and a cool topographical map when you first enter. There is also info about the fire house itself and a tiny jail cell. Creepy, but cool. There is also an exhibit about basket weaving in the area as part of Native American culture. The museum does a wonderful job of including diverse voices and stories.
One thing I loved is that the upstairs of the museum is organized by people’s stories and character traits they demonstrated. I feel strongly that you can find inspiration from people of the past and I sure loved reading these displays. I didn’t grow up in Buncombe County so I learned a lot of new facts about the area. Once I got to the upstairs I really geeked out. There are all kinds of historic artifacts, great for a scavenger hunt type activity for kids. You can take a teacher out of the traditional classroom, but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher.
There is a really powerful exhibit on enslavement in the area. I think it’s important to acknowledge the darker parts of a community’s past and the Smith-McDowell House and the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center don’t shy away from this. It’s important to keep it real that history isn’t all flowers and rainbows.
There are so many different eras of local history represented by the museum. Over the years since I visited the museum, the area has undergone extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. The exhibits have changed as well. Please enjoy this look back on my 2022 visit and stay tuned for a follow up visit. Black Mountain needs our support!
