Guided Walk:
Historic Black Mountain College Site
Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m
Sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum and the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
On Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m., the Swannanoa Valley Museum and the Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center will present a guided walk on the grounds of Lake Eden, what once was the campus of the historic Black Mountain College.
Black Mountain College was founded in 1933 by maverick professor John Rice, who envisioned a new paradigm for education that was committed to democratic governance and to the idea that the arts are central to the experience of learning. At the same time, Adolf Hitler was coming into power, the famous Bauhaus was closed by the Nazis, and many European artists and intellectuals made their way to the new school in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The guided hike will include interpretive commentary on the history and destiny of Black Mountain College and its alumni, presented by John Wright, Chairman of the Board of the BMCM+AC.
The area is rich with other history as well, which will be interpreted by Swannanoa Valley historian Robert Goodson, a Director of the Swannanoa Valley Museum. Mr. Goodson's ancestor, Bobby Ingram, fresh from Ireland, settled the area in 1799. Later, the area was used for Ring Riding competitions, and then as a mustering ground during the Civil War.
The Guided Walk will be on level ground and may include a tour of the college's dining hall and studies building. Hikers should meet in the parking lot of the Black Mountain Savings Bank, 200 E. State St., Black Mountain, at 2 p.m. Cost is $10 for Swannanoa Valley Museum members, $15 for non-members. All proceeds go to support both institutions. Please call 828-669-9566 for reservations.
