Browse Items (36 total)

This movie poster from the 1934 movie "Judge Priest" is notable for its inclusion of Stepin Fetchit on its list of stars. Barely any black actors were ever billed at all, and achieving fame was incredibly hard. Stepin Fetchit, however, managed to…

The building that would eventually become Jones Temple AME Zion Church was first built in 1855 and used by Waynesville First Methodist until 1883, when a new church was built just off Pigeon Street. Jones Temple AME Zion Church broke off from…

The graduating class of Reynolds High School, class of ‘64, was a product of school segregation in Haywood County, N.C. Though Brown Vs. Board paved the way for school integration in 1954, state governments implemented integration slowly across the…

This massive multimillion-dollar machine started operating in 1965, as Champion continued to grow. It could produce enough paperboard to make a pint milk carton for every man, woman and child in the United States. At that time, the mill's No. 20…

Photos of the Lowery family and newspaper article about 'Nat the Cat'

The Towne House might have been owned by Myrtle and Maude, but Elizabeth was the star, known throughout Haywood County for her cooking. Various white social and political groups held meetings here regularly, and other local big shots came to enjoy…

Elizabeth Haley was very family oriented. Elizabeth's husband passed away when their daughter, Georgia, was three, leaving her to raise Georgia alone. Haley's father, Walter, helped Elizabeth a great deal in Georgia's upbringing. This is a photograph…

Elizabeth was a wonderful cook, creating some of the most amazing dishes in Haywood County. She was first employed at the Garden Hotel, where she was the head cook, until the operation moved across the street to the Towne House. Elizabeth also worked…

The staff at the Towne House was largely integrated, giving African American employees the opportunity to express themselves through food. The owners of the Towne House, Myrtle and Maude Jones, got along well with Elizabeth. Elizabeth even helped…