North Carolina - Asheville & Cherokee areas

While visiting in Asheville I went to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. Mr. Wolfe was a short-story writer and novelist. His most notable writing was his book entitled Look Homeward Angel.

This book was about his ten years living in the house below with his family. This was a boarding house. He was born in Asheville an was one of eight children.

The writing of his first book was much to his mothers dismay as it was all about his life and experiences while living in the boarding house.

Mr. Wolfe died when he was thirty-eight years old (1901-1938) when he was in Seattle, Washington. He died of pneumonia. His body was returned for burial in Asheville at the Riverside Cemetary.

Below is a picture of Mr. Wolfe's grave marker at Riverside Cemetary.

Another house I visited was the Smith-McDowell House. This is Asheville's first mansion and the oldest surviving brick home in the city. It is a 4-story mansion that was built approximately twenty years before the Civil War.

Colonel Daniel Smith who built this house had 30,000 acres most of which were not right at his property. The house was high on a hill and could oversee the city. When Col. Smith died in 1856, the house went to his son but was later sold to Mr. William McDowell.

After that there was a succession of owners and in 1951 the Catholic Diocese purchased the home to be used as a boy's dormitory. Then in 1974, A-B Tech College purchased it and now the Western North Carolina Historical Association is in the process of restoring it.

The next three pictures below are from Riverside Cemetary which is located in the Montford Area Historic District. It was established approximately in 1885 and sits on 87 acres of beautiful rolling hills. (Thomas Wolfe and his family, along with some of the Smith-McDowell families are buried here also).

Later in the week my friend, Sherry & I, drove up to Maggie Valley and to the Cherokee Indian Reservation area. I didn't get time to go to the Cherokee museum - maybe next time.

As you drive along the main road in Cherokee you will see all along both sides of the road the beautiful bears that are painted up. Below is a picture of one of them in front of a touristy place.

Now, I didn't just go driving up the mountains to see some fake bears - I went for some gem-panning.

Yep, I wasted my money on that venture - but it was fun! I got some sapphires and rubies, but the trick is to let the gem cutters cut and polish them for you. Too little gem for too much money so I opted NOT to do that..........

(See my two little baggies of gems........yep that is me holding those giant rocks !)

See ya'll later !