Spring at CHS

Written By: Amelia Golcheski, Cashiers Historical Society, Executive Director | Issue: March 2025

As winter transitions to spring, the Cashiers Historical Society is busy getting ready for a full calendar of Spring programs. Our Mountain Heritage Lecture series picked up in February with Chris Aluka Berry’s presentation on his book Affrilachia: Testimonies.

We’ll continue to dive into the history of southern Appalachia in March – join us for a screening of Lillian Smith: Breaking the Silence. Smith was a writer, civil rights activist, and camp director who spent much of her life in Clayton, Georgia. Her book, Strange Fruit, inspired the Billie Holliday song of the same name. Celebrate Women’s History Month and learn about Lillian Smith!

In April, we’re thrilled to welcome Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle to Cashiers. Clapsaddle’s book Even as We Breathe examines one Cherokee young man’s journey from his hometown to Asheville’s famed Grove Park Inn and Resort. Along the way, he navigates the social, cultural, and ethnic differences between Cherokee and Asheville. Set during World War II, this work of historical fiction will prompt you to think about the many layers of history in Western North Carolina.

CHS’s programming ramps up in May! We’ll kick off the month by opening an exhibit created by Summit Charter School students based on CHS’s book, Faces and Places of the Cashiers Valley.

Then, we’ll have a presentation about the lumber industry in southern Appalachia. Both will be enlightening! Finally, we’ll open an exhibit about the High Hampton Inn and the making of modern Cashiers in June. We are so excited about our packed calendar, and we invite you to join us this spring!

CHS Spring Event Schedule

MARCH

March 26: Mountain Heritage Series: Lillian Smith: Breaking the Silence documentary screening at the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library Meeting Room, 3:00 to 5:00 P.M.

APRIL

April 10: Grub for Good: CHS Trivia at Whiteside Brewing, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.

April 26: Heritage Apple Day at the Cashiers Historical Society, 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

April 30: Mountain Heritage Series: Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, author of Even As We Breathe at the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library Meeting Room, 2:00 to 3:00 P.M.

MAY

First week of May: Summit Faces & Place Exhibit Opening at CHS

May 16: Mountain Heritage Series: Aunt Fannie’s Cabin: A story of the Lumber Industry in the Southern Appalachians during the Early 20th Century at the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library Meeting Room, 4:00 P.M.

May 28: Volunteer Open House @ CHS, 5:00 to 7:00 P.M.

June: “Let No One Be a Stranger Here: High Hampton Inn and the Making of Modern Cashiers” Exhibit Opens at the Cashiers Historical Society