DigitalNC has added a new title to our newspaper collection: The Black Mountain News. Covering the initial five years of publication, from 1945 to 1950, 272 issues of The Black Mountain News are now available to view online. We would like to thank our partners at Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center for contributing the microfilm that made this possible.
Located on the western side of North Carolina, Black Mountain is settled in the mountains of Buncombe County, not far from Asheville. As stated previously, The Black Mountain News was a new periodical in 1945. Marketed as the first newspaper created specifically for the Black Mountain and Swannanoa communities, the newspaper initially divided space by township. Different nearby towns occupied specific sections of the newspaper, such as the Swannanoa Section and the Old Fort News. Interestingly, the size of these town sections visibly decreased as time went on, moving to shorter news letters, and room was made for general weeklies such as This Week’s Editorial.
Notably, the date range of these additions also covers the period immediately after World War II ended, with the first printed issue dating September 6th, 1945. Victory bond advertisements can be found in these early issues.
For a look at all of the front pages of The Black Mountain News we have so far, click here. For more information on Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center, click here.
