June 2018
The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »July 2018
The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »The War From Above: William Barnhill and Aerial Photography of World War I
Exhibit runs March 19 - July.
Find out more »August 2018
Appalachian Evenings: Music & Food (Susi Gott Seguret)
Music & Food: The Double Essence of Appalachia with Susi Gott Seguret Food and music in Appalachia have always been intertwined, as illustrated in the titles of a multitude of fiddle tunes and ballads: “Bile ’em Cabbage Down”, “Groundhog”, “Old Joe Clark”, “Mountain Dew”, “Cornbread, Molasses & Sassafras Tea”, “Shortenin’ Bread”, “Walkin’ in My Sleep”, “Leather Britches”, “The Crawdad Song”, and endless others. Music and food are two elements we will always need for survival, whether we live in Appalachia…
Find out more »September 2018
Reel Appalachia: Look & See: Wendell Berry
Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry, dir. Laura Dunn, 80 mins, 2016. Look & See revolves around the divergent stories of several residents of Henry County, Kentucky, who each face difficult choices that will dramatically reshape their relationship with the land and their community. In 1965, Wendell Berry returned home to Henry County, where he bought a small farm house and began a life of farming, writing and teaching. This lifelong relationship with the land and community would…
Find out more »Around Here: Biodiversity of the Southern Blue Ridge
Around Here: Biodiversity of the Southern Blue Ridge with Josh Kelly from MountainTrue This talk will focus on the plants, animals, ecosystems, and geography of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Through narratives, pictures, and a question and answer session, the presenter and audience will explore the life found in our beautiful mountains. Josh was born in Madison County, N.C., and went to school at UNC Asheville, earning a degree in biology. He then worked for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, where…
Find out more »Appalachian Evenings: The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival
The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival: A reading and talk with author Terry Roberts Jedidiah Robbins is a man on a crusade. From town to town, his Gospel train rides the rails of 1920s Appalachia, spreading the Good News with his daughter and a loyal group of roustabouts in tow. But Jedidiah’s traveling revival company has a secret: in addition to offering the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it also delivers spirits of another kind. Prohibition is in full swing,…
Find out more »October 2018
Appalachian Evenings: Bats
The Seen and Unseen Benefits of Bats to Humans with Gary McCracken Locally and globally bats provide enormous benefits to human welfare. Many of these benefits are provided out of view, high in the night sky, and the values of the services that bats provide to humans are largely unappreciated. At the same time, bats face new threats from humans that are putting bats and the benefits they provide at risk. I will talk about the diversity of bats and…
Find out more »
Reel Appalachia: Night of the Hunter
Night of the Hunter, dir. Charles Laughton, 1955 In the spirit of October, the Ramsey Center is excited to bring you an appropriately scary thriller! Based on a 1953 Southern Gothic novel by Davis Grubb and with a screenplay co-written by James Agee (A Death in the Family), Night of the Hunter (dir. Charles Laughton, 1955) tells the story of the Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum). Rev. Powell is a religious fanatic and serial killer who is serving time in…
Find out more »November 2018
The Product of Our Souls: James Reese Europe CD Release
Mars Hill University professor of history and Asheville musician, Dr. David Gilbert, will be hosting a CD Release Party for the companion CD to his book, The Product of Our Souls. This CD, from the Grammy-nominated historical record label Archeophone Records, features the syncopated dance band sounds of James Reese Europe, the man behind the mostly-forgotten soundtrack to pre-World War I "Black Manhattan" during the craze in ragtime music and dance. Remastered for the first time, James Europe's eight recordings for…
Find out more »Shades Of Meaning: The Story Of Word On The Street/La Voz De Los Jovenes
Shades Of Meaning: The Story Of Word On The Street/La Voz De Los Jovenes As a program of Asheville Writers in the Schools and Community (AWITSC), Word on the Street/La Voz de los Jóvenes centers the leadership and creativity of black and brown youth, age 13-19, in the production of a bilingual online arts, culture, and information magazine for youth, with mentorship and training provided by staff and community partners. Now in its third year, the program works to train…
Find out more »Appalachian Evenings: Tobacco in Southern Appalachia
Mixed Harvest: Tobacco in Southern Appalachia, 1870-1950 with Tom Lee The 2004 tobacco buyout program and the end of the auction marketing system transformed agriculture in Southern Appalachia. Once a standard feature of the Mountain South's rural landscape, the ubiquitous tobacco patches have largely vanished. Memories of tobacco linger among those who grew, harvested, and sold the golden weed, but over time the memories have grown sparser, disappearing like the barns, warehouses, and other physical reminders of a time when…
Find out more »Old Time Holiday Crafts
Do you need a break from studying, working, or grading? Drop by the Ramsey Center (located inside Renfro Library) for some cider, sugar cookies, and other goodies. We’ll be making some old-timey holiday crafts to decorate our tree and we’d love for you to join us and make a craft either for our tree or to take home! Admission is free and the event is open to all.
Find out more »December 2018
Holly and the Ivy: Holiday Community Sing with Suzannah Park
Let’s warm up the winter eve with sweet holiday harmonies! No experience necessary, just bring your voice. Participants will learn a variety of holiday songs, including some traditional to Southern Appalachia. Suzannah comes from a family of three generations of traditional singers, storytellers, and dancers and is happily making music touring about the country from concert halls to music parties back at home. Based in her native Asheville she was the cofounder in 2008 (along with Nathan Morrison) of the…
Find out more »January 2019
Appalachian Evenings: After Coal
After Coal Screening and Book Talk with Tom Hansell Join us for an evening with Tom Hansell, director of After Coal (2016) and author of the brand new book After Coal: Stories of Survival in Appalachia and Wales (West Virginia University Press, 2018). The documentary will be screened and will be followed by a discussion and talk with Hansell. Film and Book Synopsis: What happens when fossil fuels run out? After Coal profiles inspiring individuals who are building a new…
Find out more »Around Here: G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter
A Dark Road is a Hard Road to Travel: The Lives and Careers of G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter were one of the most influential musical duos in the history of traditional music, popularizing songs like "Little Maggie," "Handsome Molly," "Train 45," and many others. Although their lives were both cut tragically short, their enduring legacy continues to resonate today. Their lives and music provide a fascinating insight into life in the Appalachian Mountains at…
Find out more »February 2019
Around Here: Heirloom Tomatoes
Growing and Eating Heirloom Tomatoes We all love tomatoes! Explore the growing and culture of heirloom tomatoes and the incredible diversity of varieties available to the home gardener – with a special emphasis on tomatoes in the southern Appalachians. This talk will be just in time for you to start your own heirloom seeds! Chris Smith of Sow True Seed comes from a green thumbed British family but has lived in the Southeast since 2012. He is a garden writer…
Find out more »Appalachian Evenings: Stories of the Snowbird Day School
ᏚᏗᏱ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗᎢ ᎤᏂᏃᎮᎸᏅᎢ (Stories of the Snowbird Day School) The Snowbird Day School evolved from Quaker-led initiatives in the late 19th century to educate young Cherokee Indians living in Tuti yi, a Native community in Western North Carolina. By the early 20th century, the school was administered by the federal government via the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and as with most federally-run schools for Native students, it sought to assimilate Indian youth into white, Anglophone culture. Over the course of…
Find out more »Unveiling Our Treasures: Cooperative Marketing and the Changing Industrial Landscape of Early 20th Century Southern Appalachia
Join Hart-Melvin Archival Research Fellows Professor Jonathan R. Brown and student Hannah McCormick as they give us a glimpse into life in Southern Appalachia and the changing industrial landscape of the United States. Their research has focused on using early 20th century Southern Appalachia as a case study to explore the impact of cooperative marketing and antitrust exemption. Professor Brown, with support from McCormick, has produced an article that uses real-world examples from US history as an undergraduate introduction to…
Find out more »March 2019
Appalachian Evenings: African American Appalachian Community
Liberia, South Carolina: an African American Appalachian community The talk presents the story of a community of African Americans in northern Pickens County, South Carolina. Descendants of freed slaves obtaining land in 1865, the community persists largely through the efforts of Mable Owens Clarke, the family matriarch. The story chronicles five generations of the Owens family and their neighbors, describing their struggles through slavery, Reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, and the desegregation of the state. By using ethnographic interviews and…
Find out more »April 2019
Appalachian Evenings: Cherokee Arts and Crafts
The Evolution of Cherokee Arts and Crafts Tonya E. Carroll will talk about the evolution of Cherokee arts and crafts and the history of Qualla arts and crafts in conjunction with the Ramsey Center’s display of Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual: Tradition & Innovation (on loan from Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center). Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, Inc., was founded in Cherokee, NC, in 1946, and is the oldest Native American artists’ cooperative in the United States. The legendary…
Find out more »Shiloh: A Historic African American Community in Asheville
Shiloh: A Historic African American Community in Asheville Around Here: Anita White-Carter and Bobbette Kilgore Mays The Shiloh Community, originally established circa 1865-1870, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited African American communities in the Asheville Area. This talk will explore the community’s origins on a small parcel of land in the area of present day Biltmore Estate and its relocation in 1889 to the current location in South Asheville. The talk will also focus on Shiloh’s relationship to the…
Find out more »September 2019
North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends
Join author Dr. Charles “Fritz” Gritzner for a talk about his book North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends (Blair 2019), which discusses the luminous phenomena of “ghost lights” in North Carolina. These lights reportedly shine, blink, burn, dance, or float throughout the state and there are scary and fascinating stories associated with them. The lights attract many visitors to the state, each hoping to see a ball of fire floating over a cemetery or a jack-o’-lantern illuminating a corner of…
Find out more »The Folklore of Appalachian Ballads
Saro Lynch-Thomason (L), Illustration of "Thomas the Rhymer" by Scottish Artist Katharine Cameron (1874 – 1965) (R) In this presentation, Ms. Lynch-Thomason will explore the folklore embedded in several Appalachian ballads. The story-songs brought to Appalachia by Scottish, Iris h, and English colonizers in the 18th and 19th centuries have much to reveal about historic beliefs and traditions from the North Atlantic region. Ms. Lynch-Thomason will sing several ballads and discuss what they can tell modern listeners about animal lore,…
Find out more »October 2019
Friends of Bailey Mountain meeting
The Friends of Bailey Mountain group of Mars Hill, NC will convene to discuss ways to help advise and contribute to the future of Bailey Mountain's preservation, access and recreational development. The next Friends of Bailey Mtn meeting will be held on Tuesday October 1st at 5pm in the Ramsey Center on the campus of Mars Hill University. Attend if you would like to join the group and/or fill out
Find out more »November 2019
She Changed the World: 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage
Courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina. 3:30-8pm. Original documents pertaining to women’s suffrage from the State Archives of North Carolina will be on display for one day in Mars Hill University’s Liston B. Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies, located in Renfro Library. A team from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, including State Archivist Sarah Koonts, will accompany the documents. Interpretive panels and hands-on activities such as crafts and voter registration will complement the display…
Find out more »Ghost Town Hike to Runnion
Join the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies for a walk back 100 years into history to visit the ruins of the once-thriving logging mill town of Runnion, where 1500 people worked to mill, process and ship the timber wealth of Madison County. We will be accompanied by local historian Taylor Barnhill, as we walk past waterfalls and beautiful scenery along the French Broad and Laurel Rivers. We’ll provide snacks and a picnic lunch. The hike is about 6 miles round-trip…
Find out more »December 2019
Old Time Holiday Crafts
Do you need a break from studying, working, or grading? Drop by the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies (located inside Renfro Library) for some cider, sugar cookies, and other goodies. We’ll be making some old-timey holiday crafts to decorate our tree and we’d love for you to join us and make a craft either for our tree or to take home! Admission is free and the event is open to everyone on the Mars Hill Campus.
Find out more »Making History Night Presentations
Senior history majors present their original research as part of their senior seminar.
Find out more »Making History – Day Presentations
Senior history majors present their original research as part of their senior seminar.
Find out more »January 2020
Friends of Bailey Mountain meeting
The Friends of Bailey Mountain group of Mars Hill, NC will convene to discuss ways to help advise and contribute to the future of Bailey Mountain’s preservation, access and recreational development. Attend if you would like to join the group. https://www.facebook.com/events/753312418483036/
Find out more »Ancestral Cherokee Towns and the Resilience of the Archaeological Record
Nikwasi Mound taken in 1937 by Hiram Wilburn, a National Park Service surveyor and historian. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service. This talk will summarize recent archaeological research on ancestral Cherokee mound and town sites in western North Carolina. Steere will discuss archaeological fieldwork on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and discuss the archaeological and historical context surrounding the recent transfer of ownership of the Nikwasi Mound in Franklin, North Carolina. These two case…
Find out more »February 2020
Pulse of the Planet
Pulse of the Planet: How we track and understand global, national and regional climate conditions at Asheville's National Centers for Environmental Information. This presentation will cover climate monitoring activities at Asheville's National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, the world's largest repository of weather and climate information. We will touch on the state of the global climate system, and what and how we measure, but will focus on observed and expected changes in our region, including how climate change is…
Find out more »Unveiling Our Treasures
From Margins to Center: Reflections on the History of African Americans at Mars Hill University, 1856-1980 Presenting their findings for the 2019 Hart-Melvin Fellowship, Malik Frost and Dr. David Gilbert suggest new ways to include African-American history into the history of Mars Hill College, Madison County, and southern Appalachia more widely. Based on archival research and oral histories with both Rosenwald School and Mars Hill College graduates, the talk emphasizes the rich and remarkable histories of local black people from…
Find out more »March 2020
Celebrating Scholarly and Creative Achievements
10th annual reception to celebrate faculty and staff whose creative and/or scholarly achievements were published in calendar year 2019. Publications from the past 10 years will be on display. Food and drink provided.
Find out more »(Cancelled) Going Across the Mountain: Civil War Tour of Madison County
Did you know that quite a bit of Civil War history happened right here in Madison County? Join the Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies and local historian Dan Slagle on a van tour of Civil War sites in Madison County. We’ll be making stops in Marshall, Hot Springs, Shelton Laurel, and right here on campus. We will take a van from campus, leaving at 10 am, and will return to campus by 4 pm, with a lunch stop. Dan Slagle…
Find out more »