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North Carolina Then & Now
From
March/April 2008 Issue
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Photographer Kevin Adams has just released a book of photos from Westcliffe Publishers, capturing the ghosts of the past and the realities of the present in images from his home state.
I thought, how hard could it be? I’d just pick out some old photos, and go out and reshoot them. I could knock this book out in short order and move on to the next project.
You know where this is going, right?
I am not sure which assumption was the most inaccurate: that I would learn a little bit, or that this would be easy. The “North Carolina Then & Now” project has educated and excited me like nothing I’ve ever done. I’ve learned more about North Carolina’s history in the past 18 months than in all the years I spent in school. The project has also frustrated the heck out of me and given me a good kick in the butt from time to time.
…Overall, I looked at some 50,000 historical photographs.
While researching the images, I looked especially for scenes that would show either a lot of change or none at all… I wanted to illustrate the changing landscape of North Carolina over time.
Photography, like writing and speaking, has the capacity to make us think about the way we live our lives. We influence people by what we choose to say, write, or photograph. I will be the first to support historic preservation. Frankly, the frequency in which we destroy old structures in the interest of “progress” appalls me. And don’t even get me started with how I feel about the environment. But for this book, I want the photographs to speak for themselves.
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LINVILLE FALLS, CIRCA 1911
Then: In his photographic album entitled “North Carolina Views,” Frank Wade Bicknell captioned this image “On a rainy day no spot more tempting to fisherman.”
Now (Kevin Adams): It took me a little while to realize that a portion of the rock ledges in the historical view have washed away. This much stream erosion is unusual in a period of less than a hundred years. I suspect the culprit is one (or all) of the major floods that occurred in 1916, 1940, and 2004. To reach the vantage point for this photo requires a 0.75-mile hike and a careful wade in the river. I applaud the woman in the historical photo wearing the full-length dress. |
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Logging Train on North Harper Creek, Circa 1909
Then: A Shay locomotive hauls logs along the top of Bard Falls. The train is on its way to W.M. Ritter Lumber Mill in Mortimer.
Now: Much of North Carolina’s mountain lands that were clear-cut in the first decades of the twentieth century became part of Nantahala and Pisgah national forests. Pisgah National Forest claims the waterfall in this photo. The virgin timber is long gone, the rails removed, and the cross ties have rotted away. Today, the railroad grade receives another sort of traffic: hiking boots. The route is now North Harper Creek Trail. |
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Pack Square, Asheville, Circa 1910
Then: Obviously shot during a parade or other public event, this image shows Asheville when the city was on the cusp of a feverish construction boom. Already under construction in the center of the image is the Langren Hotel. An incredible number of additional building projects would be undertaken over the next two decades. The medieval-looking building on the extreme left is Pack Memorial Library. Vance Monument soars some 75 feet above the heart of Pack Square… Notice the hill to the left of the monument. That’s Battery Porter Hill, where Battery Park Hotel stands. To the right of the monument you can just make out the two domed steeples of the Basilica of St. Lawrence, recently constructed at the time of this photo.
Now: You would expect a great deal of change to occur in any major city over a hundred years, and clearly, that is the case with downtown Asheville. The castellated Pack Library burned in 1923 and was replaced by the current building, which now houses the Asheville Art Museum. The old courthouse came down in about 1929 after the county built a new courthouse behind it. Of course, the most obvious changes are the high-rise BB&T Building, built in 1965, and the sprawling Biltmore Building that went up in 1980. The Biltmore Building hides the parking garage that replaced the demolished Langren Hotel. The BB&T Building hides what was Battery Porter Hill before Edwin Grove steam-shoveled it so he could build a new hotel and shopping district. Perhaps downtown Asheville’s most enduring symbol is Vance Monument and the plaza where it stands. Although Pack Square’s appearance has changed many times over the years and is presently undergoing a major renewal, it remains the cultural, social, and economic heart of the city. |
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View from Jackson County Courthouse, Sylva, 1915
Then: When Sylva wrestled the county seat away from nearby Webster, officials chose a courthouse site that is perhaps the most spectacular in North Carolina. This photo, taken in 1915, shows Civil War veterans gathered at the unveiling of the confederate monument on the courthouse steps.
Now: While very little remains of the town from the historical photograph, Sylva retains its small-town charm. The county government moved into a new building in the 1990s, but the old courthouse and grounds still look like they did in 1915.
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Cherokee, Circa 1909
Then: Herbert W. Pelton made this photo sometime around 1909. Pelton is well known for his panoramic views of North Carolina, and this is one of his finest.
Now: Members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian own their land, make laws, and have largely escaped the rule of the United States government, which, by any account, has been less than honorable in its dealings with the tribe over the centuries. Perhaps it is fitting that once the U.S. Government established Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1930s, the Cherokee would exploit their culture and location (at the entrance to the park) to capitalize on tourism. The commercial buildings you see in this view represent some of the first such endeavors. Development has since spread in all directions, and with the opening of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in the 1990s, there’s no end in sight.
BUY THE BOOK
“North Carolina Then& Now,” Westcliffe Publishers
156 pages hardcover, $39.95
bigearthpublishing.com
800-258-5830 |
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