The Ravenel family horseback riding on Satulah Summit, 1929 by George Masa
The Highlands Historical Society will host its annual Descendants’ Reception on Saturday, September 27, at the Highlands Community Building. Telling and preserving a family’s story will be the theme of the day. Families who can trace their roots to Highlands back 100 or more years are invited to attend.
Last year’s Descendants’ Reception was canceled due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and the hope is that attendance will swell as the Town of Highlands celebrates its 150th Anniversary this year.
This year’s gathering will include a presentation entitled “Creating a Family Story.” There will also be music by local vocalist Carol Criminger Grantham, stories by historic family members, and an opportunity to sign up to have family stories recorded for preservation and use by the Historical Society.
History lives within us. Telling family stories is powerful, but not always in the way we think. Stories preserve family history, but more than that, they provide personal context and color to the history of a community. One of the primary goals of the Highlands Historical Society is to capture the narratives of family histories which inform our collective culture and the history of our community.
Oral histories have been described as ‘the first kind of history.’ They can take the form of folklore, myths, stories passed from generation to generation, or interviews recorded and kept in an archive as historical resources. Their personal nature makes them a great source for people wanting to discover more about a certain event or era—providing unique insight into the impact events had on the people alive at that time.
The Highlands Historical Society is collecting oral histories to honor the memories and stories of long-time Highlands families. The goal is to promote those histories by posting videos on their website through a monthly “Featured Family,” gifting the Highlands community with a brief glimpse of the past through the eyes of one family’s story.
The Descendants’ Reception will be held on Saturday, September 27, from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the Highlands Community Building, located at 869 N. 4th Street. The event is free of charge and a light lunch will be included. If you are interested in participating, please pre-register at highlands100plus@gmail.com. For more information, visit highlandshistory.com.
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