Swannanoa Valley Museum dives into history of local disasters

Reception and screening open ‘History and Future of Floods’ exhibit

The Valley Echo
July 19, 2022

Residents of Ridgecrest examine the damage left by a flood in 1940. Photo courtesy of SVM

When heavy rain falls over the peaks of the mountains, the water that inevitably flows to the ground below often brings with it the potential for devastation. 

Major flooding events have long been a present danger to residents of the Swannanoa Valley, and the Thursday, July 21 opening of a new Swannanoa Valley Museum & History exhibit and subsequent screening of “Come Hell or High Water” at the White Horse Black Mountain will take a deep dive into the history of their impact on the region. 

The museum, from 4-6 p.m., will host a reception to unveil “Rising Waters: The Past and Future of Flooding in the Swannanoa Valley.” The exhibit, in response to the long history and present dangers of flooding in the region, highlights over 200 years of flood history in the Valley while examining the causes and exploring what can be done to reduce the impacts of the natural disasters.

Included in the displays will be large scale photographs of major floods in the area alongside interpretive banners from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NC DNCR) detailing the history of the Great Flood of 1916, which caused the deaths of Swannanoa Valley residents and washed out an estimated 30 miles of railroad tracks between Old Fort and Asheville. 

Locals on the Whitson Avenue bridge in Swannanoa watch the swollen waters of the Swannanoa River during the flood of 1940. Courtesy of SVM

SVM will host a free reception at its location on 223 West State Street in Black Mountain, and drinks and refreshments will be served, as vsitors will be able to peruse the new “Rising Waters” exhibit. 

Following the reception, beginning at 7 p.m., a screening and discussion of “Come Hell Or High Water, Remembering The Flood Of 1916,” a film by award-winning filmmaker David Weintraub, will take place a few blocks away at the White Horse Black Mountain. The event will begin with music performed by folk and bluegrass musician David Wiseman, whose tribute song is featured in the documentary. After the screening, Weintraub and community members will have a short discussion sharing memories of floods in the valley. 

The Swannanoa Valley Museum & History exhibit, “Rising Waters: The Past and Future of Flooding in the Swannanoa Valley,” will open with a reception, from 4-6 p.m., July 21. Image courtesy of SVM

“Come Hell Or High Water” explores the Great Flood of 1916, a tragedy that remains legendary in Western North Carolina. In mid-July, 22 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period in the region. In many places, the French Broad was 17 feet above flood stage and the Swannanoa River was a mile wide. This year still evokes powerful memories in many old-timers' family histories. But what concerns many is the reality that WNC is a flood prone area and such a disaster could repeat. Given that the Great Flood led to thousands of mudslides and landslides, causing extensive damage at a time when no one lived on the side of mountains, the worry is that should a flood of similar proportions occur today it would likely be more devastating.  

Tickets for the screening are $15 for SVM members, and $20 for general admission. Tickets and more information can be found at swannanoavalleymuseum.org/highwater. Museum staff can be contacted at 828-669-9566 or swannanoavalleymuseum@gmail.com.