Black Mountain Library seeking artifacts for 100th anniversary exhibit

Local library to celebrate centennial in 2022

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 7, 2021

The Black Mountain Public Library is seeking mementos and artifacts from the community for a 2022 exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the local library. Photo by Fred McCormick

In 1922, a single room in the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church featured a collection of around 50 books, provided by Rev. Harry Boehme and tended by volunteer Edna Sloan. From those humble beginnings, the library system in the Town of Black Mountain was born. 

The Black Mountain Public Library will celebrate its 100th anniversary in the summer of 2022, and organizers are turning to the community to locate artifacts for an exhibit honoring the occasion. 

Preparation for next year’s centennial celebration is underway, with library supporters researching the history of the local facility and gathering pieces from its past. Items currently in the library’s collection include an hours of operation sign from the 1940s, a vintage Friends of the Black Mountain Library book sale sign and photo of Black Mountain’s first librarian. 

Organizers of the event are asking members of the community to check their closets, basements and attics for artifacts related to the library, and submit them for display in the exhibit by the end of June of 2022. 

The library will host a 100th anniversary celebration next July. The event will include the exhibit and a historical presentation by Friends of the Black Mountain Library volunteer Tom Stiles. 

To submit an artifact or memento for display, contact the Black Mountain Public Library at 828-250-4756 or email blackmountain.library@buncombecounty.org.