|
The website McDowell County Oral History is a digital history project created by the McDowell County NC Tourism Authority with support from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Its purpose is to preserve and share the stories, memories, and experiences of people connected to McDowell County through interviews, audio recordings, videos, photographs, and written articles. If you're researching family history, local culture, the history of Marion or Old Fort, Appalachian traditions, or western North Carolina generally, this website is an especially rich resource. |
|
This page from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area profiles Appalachian storyteller and musician Dorothy Lane and highlights her role in preserving traditional mountain culture through oral storytelling and music. |
|
This item from Appalachian State University Libraries is part of the university’s digital collections and archival preservation efforts. The page hosts a digitized historical item connected to Appalachian regional history and culture. |
|
This article from Destination McDowell announces a museum exhibit created to honor the 150th anniversary of the town of Old Fort, North Carolina. The exhibit celebrates the history, culture, and community development of Old Fort, one of the oldest towns in Western NC. |
|
The “Our Story” page from West Marion Community Forum tells the history of a grassroots, community-led movement in West Marion, North Carolina, focused on racial equity, public health, and neighborhood revitalization. |
|
This page is the digital landing page for the Southern Oral History Program (SOHP), one of the largest oral history archives focused on the American South. The collection, hosted through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library system, provides searchable access to thousands of oral history interviews, transcripts, recordings, and historical materials documenting Southern life, culture, labor, race relations, education, activism, and community memory. |
|
This page from the Mountain Gateway Museum describes the “Voices of Old Fort” oral history project, which preserves personal stories and memories from residents of Old Fort and the surrounding Appalachian region. The project collects recorded interviews from longtime community members to document local history through firsthand experiences rather than only official records. |
|
This article from EducationNC is an interview with Mark Garrett, superintendent of McDowell County Schools, discussing how the school system responded during the COVID-19 pandemic and supported students, teachers, and families learning from home. |
|
The website Mountain Laurel Magazine is an online regional lifestyle and culture magazine focused on the Southern Appalachian Mountains, especially western North Carolina and nearby mountain communities. The publication highlights Appalachian culture, local history, arts, nature, tourism, and community life throughout areas such as Highlands, Cashiers, Asheville, Old Fort, and surrounding mountain towns. |
|
The Center for Cultural Preservation is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving cultural history, traditions, and community knowledge through oral histories, documentary films, books, and public programs. Their mission is to keep cultural wisdom alive and connect modern communities with sustainable traditions and ancestral knowledge. |
|
The Local History & Genealogy page from McDowell County Public Library describes the library’s efforts to preserve and provide access to the history, genealogy, and cultural memory of McDowell County and western North Carolina.
|
|
The site serves as an online archive of historical and cultural materials connected to Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian region. Its purpose is to preserve and provide public access to photographs, manuscripts, oral histories, maps, audio recordings, university records, and other historical documents. |
|
This collection includes newspaper clippings, historical documents, transcriptions, and research notes related to enslaved individuals and the African American community in McDowell County. These materials help preserve and illuminate the experiences, contributions, and history of African Americans in the region. |
|
This page from the USGenWeb Project provides a historical overview of McDowell County as part of the McDowell County NCGenWeb genealogy and local history project. |
|
|
|
|