Thanks to Buncombe County Public Libraries, we have added issues of the North Carolina Citizen newspaper to DigitalNC. Digitized from microfilm, these papers include the North Carolina Citizen, The Weekly Citizen, and two surprise issues of the Asheville Spectator, and the curiously named The Exlavigator.
In 1883, the Citizen covers the establishment of Asheville’s Free Library. Free libraries were an increasingly popular idea in a time where use of many libraries required a paid membership. For the Asheville Free Library, memberships were encouraged to support the purchase of books, the rent, and the librarian’s salary, but were not required for use of the library. The articles mention the purchase or donation of Scientific American, Harper’s, and other long-standing periodicals. Calls for support like the one in the image below mention the sentiment that even if contributors never set foot in the library, the presence of one improved their community as a whole. This sentiment is still shared by many today.
Another fun find is a picture of the proposed Central Methodist Church (now Central United Methodist Church) found on the front page of the August 2, 1901 issue of the Citizen. R.H. Hunt, the architect, had recently presented plans to the congregation. The article describes the proposed church in detail, including the various rooms and the materials to be used. If you’ve been to Asheville, this church is a striking part of downtown near Pack Square.
On July 25, 1889, The Weekly Citizen published an illustrated edition which focused entirely on highlighting the beauty of western North Carolina along with Asheville’s development. The sketches, some of which are below, feature Hickory Nut Gap, Mount Mitchell, a viaduct near Round Knob, Asheville Female College, and Arden Park.
You can view additional newspapers from Asheville by using the filters on our newspapers home page. For all of the materials on DigitalNC for Buncombe County, try the county page.
