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Levern Hamlin of Mecklenburg County was the first African American student to be admitted to Western Carolina College in 1957. Hamlin was already a public school teacher, and applied to the college to qualify for an advanced teaching certificate. Her…

The show begins with Amy’s story “Headlights on the Wall” about her early married life. The background music is “My Heart Will Go On” played on guitar. On Creative Corner, Doreyl spends time with poet Thomas Rain Crowe. They talk about Thomas Berry…

Abraham Lincoln Ensley (1865-1948) was one of the earliest commercial photographers in western North Carolina. He made images, mostly portraits, on 5” x 7” glass plates that he developed on his farm in Jackson County. Like most native residents,…

These hand woven lunch napkins were produced between 1925 and 1942 by an unidentified weaver for sale through the Spinning Wheel shop in Asheville, N.C. The items are decorated with rural African American figures using a laid in technique called…

These images of an African American man was used as a pattern for hand woven linens produced and sold by the Spinning Wheel shop in Asheville, N.C. between 1925 and 1942. The Spinning Wheel was opened as a weaving studio and regional craft shop in…

These images of an African American woman was used as a pattern for hand woven linens produced and sold by the Spinning Wheel shop in Asheville, N.C. between 1925 and 1942. The Spinning Wheel was opened as a weaving studio and regional craft shop in…

Today Amy talks about the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, its history and scenery. She ends her segment by reading Kilmer’s poem “Trees.” (Background music: “Appalachian Sunrise”). On Creative Corner, Doreyl talks with Katie Gaddis, a student at NC…

List of Haywood County African-American veterans

Alice Lowery is a large part of desegregation in Haywood County. Her notable community changes include the desegregation of the local theater. Her family includes Nat the Cat, a prominent local DJ, as well as her daughter, Natalie, who was one of the…

This newspaper article focuses on the Lowery family and their achievements, including Alice Lowery's bold act of attending a white-only movie theater with her daughter. For Alice Lowery, it was a risk to her safety and an almost unthinkable action.…