Thanks to our partners at the Transylvania County Library, new editions of The Transylvania Times are now available on our website! These new editions cover the years 1997 and 2005-2017, addressing life in the small town in southwestern North Carolina.

One exciting story was the addition of the new library. The Times followed the construction and subsequent opening of the facility, reporting on all aspects of the building’s journey. The $7.5 million project included not only the new library but also an amphitheater and a community room, complete with a kitchen, movie screens, and seating for 200 people.

One fun way the library involved the community in the move was through the “Hand-to-Hand” event. On April 22, volunteers formed a human chain from the old library to the new one to help move 1,000 books from the children’s section of the old library to the new one. The new library opened on May 13 with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the location’s first day of business being May 15.

According to The Times, construction on the new library had begun exactly two years and one week before the library’s grand opening. Hundreds of people packed the auditorium on May 13, eager to see the new facilities. This move was the fourth one in 90 years, each building increasing in size to accommodate the growing demand for books and space.

To learn more about the Transylvania County Library, please visit their website.

To view all issues of The Transylvania Times, please click here.

To view more newspapers from around North Carolina, please click here.