This marker stands in front of the main Asheville Fire Department in downtown. It reads, "Young…read moreMen's Institute. Est. 1892 as center of social, moral, religious influence for blacks working at Biltmore. Businesses thrived in building 100 yards S." Online, there is more information. "During construction of his lavish home in Asheville, George Vanderbilt (1862-1914) established a community center for his African American workers and for residents of the town. The building, constructed between 1892 and 1893, was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, supervising architect of the Biltmore House. The center, known as the Young Men's Institute (YMI), held an organizational meeting in February 1893." "The YMI offered the black community speakers, a gym, bathing facilities, and classes for youths and adults. Vanderbilt in time separated himself from the YMI and in May 1906 it was incorporated with 49 of Asheville's black leaders as members. While the YMI thrived for three decades, the Depression took its toll. In the early 1940s the YMI ceased to operate and the building fell into disrepair. Renovations were completed in 1988 and today the YMI Cultural Center operates the facility, offering cultural arts, economic development opportunities, and community education. There is also an auditorium, a museum, and community meeting space." [Review 12690 overall, 2 of 2020.]

McDowell County is named for Joseph McDowell, who was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War…read moreand who took part in the Battle of Kings Mountain. The county was created in 1842 and Marion has been the county seat ever since. This building is the second to serve as the county courthouse, replacing the one that was built in 1844. It was completed in 1923. It has a Neoclassical architecture with a central block flanked by slightly recessed wings. The features horizontal brickwork on the first story and five tall vertical windows on the upper levels and a flat roofline. It was designed by Erle G. Stillwell who is also responsible for the Henderson (NC) City Hall and the Sumter (SC) City Hall plus a large number of theaters across the southeast. [Review 641 of 2025 - 4128 in North Carolina - 24202 overall]

Support staff, Clerks, Deputies, etc., all very nice and professional. District Attorney's Office…read morereasonable and friendly. Courthouse beautiful on the outside, a bit of a dog on the inside. (Needs to be renovated.) District Court is in the BASEMENT fo the building. Roadside parking available, but you made need to drive a block or two to find it. DON'T TRY TO BRING A CELL PHONE IN, as you'll have to turn around and walk back to the car. There also is a security checkpoint, so leave your knives, brass knuckes & mace in the car. Beautiful part of the state. Easy to find. Nice people.

We enjoyed walking around the Visitor Center, learning more about Zebulon Vance and the area. We…read morealso enjoyed looking at the buildings on the grounds. Very nice historic site!

The Vance Birthplace is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Weaverville, NC. Admission to the…read moremuseum is free. With Covid, masks are required and the front entrance is closed. You enter through the back of the visitor's center. I did not know much about Vance before coming to his birthplace. I was familiar with Vance County and monument in Downtown Asheville and schools named after him. I wasn't aware that Vance was a NC Governor or in the US Senate just his white supremacy. I still have a difficult time figuring out why all these places were named after a man filled with hatred. The museum did do a great job of telling the history of both Vance and the enslaved people. The Vance family moved to the property once home to the Cherokees. The enslaved put in the labor for the Buncombe Turnpike and farm. The Vance family owned 18 slaves and Zebulon Vance owned 6 of them. Outside shows how life would be on the plantation.

This seems important and people were just walking by without taking time to understand why we're…read moreexactly HERE as opposed to on some other hilltop in North Carolina. The marker reads, "Elisha Mitchell, 1793-1857. Scientist and professor. Died in attempt to prove this mountain highest in eastern U.S. Grave is at the summit, 285 yds. S." Online, there is more information. "On June 27, 1857, Elisha Mitchell, exploring the Black Mountain range, slipped and fell to his death in a deep pool at the bottom of a sixty-foot waterfall. Search parties were organized (by Zebulon Baird Vance, future governor and United States senator for North Carolina, among others), and the body was discovered several days later by "Big Tom" Wilson, noted bear hunter and woodsman. Mitchell's death "cast a shadow of profound grief over the entire state."" The marker is in the parking lot summit of Mount Mitchell and you will spot it next to the the trail to the summit. [Review 12710 overall, 22 of 2020.]

This marker stands just down the hill from the Buncombe County Courthouse and points out a woman…read morewho broke ground and led forward. The marker has the same text on both sides and reads, "Lillian Exum Clement Stafford. 1894-1925. First female legislator in the South. Elected to North Carolina House, 1920. Her law office was 400 yards west; home 1/2 mile northeast." Online, there is more information. Lillian Exum Clement, born in Black Mountain in 1886, became the first woman in the South to hold legislative office when she took her seat in the North Carolina State House on January 5, 1921. This was just months after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Known to her colleagues as "Brother Exum," she was a pioneering attorney who introduced seventeen bills, including measures for secret ballots, milk safety, and divorce reform. Her advocacy for unwed mothers sparked both admiration and hostility. She was even pelted with eggs while speaking in Asheville. Though she chose not to seek reelection, her legacy lived on: in 1997, a group supporting Democratic women candidates in North Carolina adopted the name "Lillian's List" in her honor. [Review 1236 of 2025 - 4421 in North Carolina - 24788 overall]

this is the first lookout tower i have ever been on & it was REMARKABLE. below is some hopefully…read morehelpful information about the lookout tower. is it scary ? - the very simple answer is yes. it is pretty scary especially when you go on a windy day & the entire tower shakes while you walk on up it. however, you should know what you are getting yourself into. you're climbing a lookout tower on the top of a mountain! it's not easy but, it is worth it. don't look until you get to the top! sadly the very top of the lookout tower is locked but, you can still sit right below it for the same experience. bringing kids & dogs - starting with kids, i think you should only bring your kids when they reach the age where they won't wonder off of the side of a mountain. that age may vary, it really depends on the trust you have with them. as for dogs, i think they will love the trail but not so much the tower itself. while i was there i saw multiple dogs attempt a few stairs & then run back down in fear. i don't blame them haha! directions - i honestly just used apple maps for directions but, i will try to describe where to go in case you can't use apple maps. there is a campground called mount pisgah campground & it is very close to the lookout tower. it is on blue ridge parkway. if you are looking at the entrance to the campground you need to turn left & continue down blue ridge parkway until you see the first pull off / walking path to the right. from there you make your way up the path. it is a short walk however, you will be walking up in a incline for the most part. some websites say that the trail is on forest service road 450 but, i don't know how accurate that is. recommendations - if you go in march, i suggest bringing a sweater / jacket. the higher in the mountains you get, the colder it gets. i also recommend that you bring a water no matter the time of year. in conclusion, this is a must do! it is an easy little walk with a scenic drive on the way up & down the mountain. it will take you maybe three hours at most.

This marker is on the campus of what is now Mars Hill University and is in a parking lot next to…read moreFounder's Hall. It's easy to stop and read this marker. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Baptist; coeducational. Founded 1856 as French Broad Baptist Institute. Name changed 1859. Senior college since 1962." Mars Hill College began in 1856 as the French Broad Baptist Academy, with land donated by Edward Carter and early funding from local sponsors ‐ though financial trouble soon led to the seizure of a slave named Joe Anderson as collateral, until public gifts saved the project. The school was renamed Mars Hill College in 1858, inspired by Acts 17:22, and endured Civil War disruptions including troop occupation and building damage. After reopening post-war, it faced decades of financial instability, briefly serving as an orphanage and subscription school, with fourteen presidents between 1865 and 1897. Robert Lee Moore revitalized the college, guiding it to junior college status in 1921, and his successor Hoyt Blackwell later oversaw its transition to a four-year institution and the awarding of baccalaureate degrees in 1964. Mars Hill became one of the South's earliest integrated colleges in 1961, enrolling Oralene Graves ‐ the great-great-granddaughter of Joe Anderson ‐ and today spans over 200 acres, with 32 buildings, 31 majors, and a nationally acclaimed dance team. This is marker number P-34 and it was erected in 2011 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 1231 of 2025 - 4416 in North Carolina - 24783 overall]

I am adding one star back to the health department…read more When we went to get my kids' flu shots at an evening flu clinic, the Public Health Director, Patrick Johnson, was there to make sure that people felt welcome. He had good reason to. As I approached the building, three cheerful women asked me if I was going to get a flu shot. I heartily answered,"Yes!" while taking a flyer from one. I figured it was part of the protocol. As I walked further, I noticed that the flyer had too much print and too much of it was in red. My first hard copy of anti-vaccine propaganda! I did speak my mind. It was only one sentence and one body lingual gesture that ended in basic origami, but they got me. I was not rude. I was not extra erudite. It felt good to defy their ignorance. My kids got their shots by Mr. Johnson's posse, and, as usual, everyone was super sweet. In fact, my younger brat always states that the shots there are given in the gentlest manner possible. She loves getting shots there. The staff is efficient, and you are in and out in no time. We came late, and they did not hassle us. How the anti-vaxxers convinced a seven-year-old that night that a vaccination can give you cancer is beyond me. An article in our local paper stated that the chid started crying and stated that she did not want to get cancer. How long was the conversation? Where was her mother? Because it seems like they got to the mom, too. Hopefully, the mom and child left because the child was in such a state, and planned to go back another day. Because if my kid was crying, I would let her know that I am her boss, and that the three strangers on the sidewalk are not. One of the anti-vaccination protesters that night was a woman who has a child with autism. My child has autism as well. She has not become progressively autistic because she gets yearly shots. In fact, she could run the lab at the health department. She could change the world by inventing a vaccine that prevents strep throat. Maybe when an anti-vaxxer sees her child with a severe illness, maybe then she would alter her stance. The state of intense illness is not a time to discuss immunity as the science lesson for that day. It is the everyday become bare night. Mr. Johnson is endorsing vaccines and educating people about vaccines. That is admirable. He even appeared at an anti-vaxxer forum last summer. That takes courage and dedication. Sense and scientific intelligence are not dead. Yeah, so, if you want great health care, go to the health department. They even have an evening clinic one Thursday a month, but call first to set up an appointment. Klaatu barada nikto.

Every time I come here (which is often, I'm in nursing school and need lots of physicals and…read morevaccinations), I am met with friendly front desk ladies, the nurses are wonderful, and of course the lab tech/phlebotomist Cheryl is always so helpful and sweet. I never hesitate to refer someone here. I know they all have tough jobs, and I leave impressed every time.