The Western Regional Archives (WRA) in Asheville is celebrating its 10th anniversary this August. As a branch of the State Archives of North Carolina, the WRA collects, preserves, manages, and provides access to historical documents, photographs, architectural plans, audio recordings, maps, and ephemera that document the history and culture of western North Carolina.
WRA has assisted thousands of researchers from over 35 states and 25 countries in person, by telephone, and via email. Very popular with students and scholars are the WRA’s collections involving Black Mountain College, an experimental liberal arts school that operated near the town of Black Mountain from 1933-1956.
Sarah Downing, Archivist (left) and Heather South, Lead Archivist (right) are the cheerful staff at the Western Regional Archives.
Since its inception, over 100 private, organizational, and audio-visual collections have made their way into the WRA’s holdings. Volunteers and interns have contributed thousands of hours to help process them.
Western Regional Archives is located on the third floor of the Western Office of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources at 176 Riceville Road. The Search Room is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
