Category Archives: -North Carolina

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Famous People

Hair Clips and $1.87-The Gifts Left on O. Henry’s Grave

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William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. Porter’s pen name was O. Henry. A prolific short story writer, his most famous story is “The Gift of the Magi,” a story about a husband and wife who struggle to afford Christmas gifts and their determination to buy the perfect gift for each other.

Buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery, visitors frequently leave $1.87 on his grave, the amount Della possessed in savings at the story’s beginning, and hair clips.

If you’ve never read the story or want to reread it, you can read it for free on Google Play Books.

-North Carolina, Black History, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

St. John “A” Baptist Church and South Asheville Cemetery

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Located in South Asheville, the St. John “A” Baptist Church and the South Asheville Cemetery were originally part of a Black community that was absorbed into Kenilworth. The cemetery and church were not annexed into Kenilworth.

Built in 1929, this brick Gothic Revival church is the third church for the congregation. It is located next to the South Asheville Cemetery, which began as a cemetery for the enslaved. Its first caretaker was George Avery (1844-1938). Believed to be a United States Color Troop member, he returned to Asheville after the Civil War and became the sexton to care for the cemetery.

It is estimated that over 3000 people are buried in the cemetery, which was one of the few places where Black community members of Asheville could be buried. There are only about 100 headstones in the cemetery, though.

The church is now the official steward of the cemetery. When the cemetery became overgrown, volunteers from the church took care of it. Fortunately, the church now receives help from volunteers across the city.

The church and cemetery were put on the National Register of Historic Places

-North Carolina, Black History, Churches and Temples

Jones Temple AME Zion Church-Waynesville, North Carolina

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Formed in the 1880s, the Jones Temple AME Zion Church is part of the historic Pigeon Street community. Built in 1922, the church still hosts regular services, even though church membership has dwindled.

-North Carolina, Black History, National Register of Historic Places, Rosenwald Schools, Schools

The Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School of Mars Hill, North Carolina

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The Long Ridge Community in Mars Hill, North Carolina, is a historic Black community in Madison County. In 1928, the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School was built. The two-room schoolhouse was built at the cost of $2,093.

If you want to know more about the school, its trustees built an incredible website documenting its history and published a book. I highly recommend visiting to see the great work they’ve done.

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Famous People

The Graves of The McCrary Twins-World’s Largest Twins

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Billy (1946-1979) and Benny (1946-2001) McCrary were born in 1946 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. At the age of 4, they contracted rubella, which caused permanent damage to their pituitary glands.

Their large size led them to have jobs at Circus Circus Las Vegas, where they road minibikes. They also wrestled in Japan under the name of the McGuire Twins.

They were inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1978. At the time, they weighed over 700 lbs.

Billy McCrary died in 1979 in a motorcycle accident in Niagara Falls. Benny lived until 2001. They are buried in Crab Creek Baptist Church Cemetery outside Hendersonville, North Carolina.

-North Carolina, Churches and Temples

Carr’s Hill Baptist Church: A Historic Landmark in Brevard, North Carolina

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If you are south of Brevard, North Carolina, you can glimpse Carr’s Hill Baptist Church through the trees. The congregation began in 1882 as Dunn’s Rock Baptist Church, but they changed their name to honor the generosity of Carr Landreth, who donated the land to build the church in 1903.

The Transylvania County church is still active today, but services are held at a much newer church building. The church still owns and maintains the property.