Neighborhood Watch: A Wildflower in Bloom
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ALLIE GOOLRICK
You never know what you’re going to find growing in these hills. Take Black Mountain, for example. This quaint enclave, 15 minutes outside Asheville, is an unexpected jewel — a little wildflower that combines pastoral beauty and small town charm with a thriving cultural community. For nearly a century, Black Mountain and the surrounding area have been a haven for artists and writers.The seeds were sown at the turn of the 20th century, when Black Mountain was a resort destination. The town’s location on a rail line kept the vacationers coming through the years. “People would come to avoid the heat and the mosquitoes,” says Bob McMurray, the executive director of the Black Mountain and Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. “They would get off the train and then ride to the stagecoach stops.”
The original town was largely destroyed by fire and floods in 1912, but was rebuilt on higher ground, utilizing the sturdy brick that characterizes present day downtown. Elements of the old town still remain, however, including The Red Rocker Inn, a bed and breakfast on Dougherty Street, which was originally a stagecoach stop. The Monte Vista Hotel on State Street, with its wide front porch and stone archway entrance, was opened in 1919 and reflects the grand style of an earlier era.
A cultural pivot point for the area came in the early ‘30s with the founding of Black Mountain College, organized in part by European immigrants fleeing Nazi persecution. From its inception, the college had a rebellious streak. Among the radical intellectual notions it embraced, the college promoted the novel concept that the arts were central to education. Several of the college’s alumni went on to spearhead the avant-garde art movement of the ‘60s.
Walking through the gallery-lined streets of Black Mountain, it’s clear that though the college has long-since disbanded, its vision lives on. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts serves as the town’s cultural hub. Located in the town’s renovated Old City Hall, the Center represents more than 90 local crafters and artists. The Swannanoa Fine Arts League on Old N.C. 70 also hosts art classes, workshops and offers studio space for music, painting, drawing and sculpture.
The bi-annual East of Asheville Studio Tour showcases the talents of local artists like Trish Byers, who along with her husband, Will, runs New Moon Pottery. “It’s a really good way for people of the area to come and see and say ‘wow I had no idea that they’re making this stuff right in our town,’” Byers says of the tour.
But downtown Black Mountain offers visitors more than the visual arts.On any given Saturday afternoon, downtown welcomes a stream of shoppers who peer into store windows, gather for meals at eateries such as the upscale Cellar Door or the casual My Father’s Pizza, or search for souvenirs in the galleries and shops.
Nearby Warren Wilson College and Montreat College — which harbors the historic Manor House built in 1920 — keep the intellectual spark alive, bringing new faces and ideas into the mix. With a year-round population of roughly 7,500, the town sees a summer influx as a result of vacationing “cottagers,” or those who visit the nearby spiritual retreats including the Montreat and Ridgecrest conference centers and the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly.
An active nightlife and music scene draws college students and camp counselors to The Watershed and the Town Pump to enjoy music ranging from folk ballads to bluegrass. Each spring and autumn, the Lake Eden Arts Festival provides perfect seasonal bookends for music and dance lovers.
With all its cultural offerings, you might think that Black Mountain would develop an “attitude,” but the community remains a sanctuary for both old-time sensibilities and creative expression. “The quality that this place has is in the diversity,” Byers says. “People kind of give you the message that you can be who you want to be and that’s OK.”
