Black Mountain-Tyson Library celebrates a century of community support
Friends of the Library to host reception commemorating local institution
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 24, 2023
The Black Mountain-Tyson Library will mark over a century of service to the community, April 25, with a Centennial Celebration. Photo by Fred McCormick
Black Mountain was still in its youth as the summer of 1922 approached. The outside world had only been accessing the tiny mountain community by railroad for a few decades, but local residents already understood the value of knowledge and a space for people to gather.
They established what is known today as the Black Mountain-Tyson Library, which will celebrate over a century of service to the community that has long embraced it, from 6 - 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 25.
Friends of the Black Mountain Library, the nonprofit organization established in 1963 to support the branch and its move to its current location on North Dougherty Street, will host a Centennial Celebration that will explore the library’s history and invite the public to offer feedback to help shape its future.
The free event will feature live music, food, tours and exhibits of artifacts from the public institution’s first 100 years.
The humble beginnings of the local branch can be traced back to a collection of approximately 50 books in a small classroom within the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, where Edith Sloan volunteered to serve as the first librarian. Full-time and seasonal residents alike quickly backed the organization, which amassed a catalogue of more than 1,000 books in its first year.
By 1925, an overwhelming majority of Black Mountain residents voted in favor of a tax to fund the local library. That support has been a consistent theme through the years, according to FOL Volunteer Coordinator and Centennial Celebration Project Manager Susan Leive.
“This is a very generous community, and people regularly ask how they can help the library,” said Leive, one of 11 members of the FOL board. “When you talk to people in Black Mountain, you realize every person has a different story about why the library is important to them.”
Exhibits containing artifacts from the 101-year history of the Black Mountain-Tyson Library will be featured, April 25, as the branch hosts its Centennial Celebration. Photo by Fred McCormick
Sixty years ago, broad community support played a crucial role in securing a permanent home for the library, as hundreds of locals joined the FOL in its fundraising efforts to build the structure that holds its current collection of more than 25,000 books.
“When this building was constructed, it was the president of the FOL at the time and Betty Tyson who helped secure federal funding to make it possible,” Leive said. “In fact, one of the exhibits we’ll feature at the Centennial Celebration will display the large scissors used to cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the current building.”
The community’s commitment to the local branch, which became part of the Buncombe County Library system in 1965 and was officially named the Black Mountain-Tyson Library in 1994, remains strong to this day.
“In 2022, we recorded a total of 2,641 volunteer hours,” said Leive, who credits Branch Manager Melisa Pressley for strengthening the bond between the library and those it serves. “Melisa really believes in the connection between the community and the spirit of collaboration that thrives here.”
Pressley is one of six employees of the local branch, which taps relationships with various community organizations to offer a growing list of programs, including a Seed Library, the GROW Trail at Lake Tomahawk, story hours, Poetry Nights hosted by the Dark City Poets Society and many more.
“When you consider the size of this town, it’s hard not be impressed by the amount of programs and events organized and supported by our library,” Leive said. “That speaks directly to the work of Melisa, the staff and this dedicated network of volunteers who work hard to make this a true community center.”
The Centennial Celebration, which is being held in the 101st year of the library’s existence, following a series of renovations to the community room in 2022, will commemorate the longstanding connection between the institution and the people it serves.
“Black Mountain is a small community, but people are drawn here because it’s warm and welcoming,” Leive said. “That’s reflected in our library, which helps maintain this vibrant community. It’s a place where people can go to participate in programs they enjoy, read their favorite books or access the internet when they need it. It’s also a place where people have fond memories, and run into friends they haven’t seen in a while. We’re proud to have this thriving library right in the center of town and we’re looking forward to celebrating it.”