For over a decade, this building served as the primary performance venue for Ashe County and hosted dozens of early country music stars, who frequently toured the South between radio performances. Although dozens of venues across the state hosted these same artists, using advertisements of upcoming shows published in newspapers across North Carolina helps to underscore the unique significance of the Ashe Courthouse.

The decades following the Civil War represent a critical transition period for newly freed Black Americans. Even though Ashe County’s black population was smaller than in other areas of the South, these decades of reconstruction were equally important for forming new social orders.

In Grassy Creek, the historic home of Civil War veteran Isham Thompson has been taken down, with its 1810 log cabin preserved for a new build. Though its materials live on, the loss reflects a wider trend of disappearing historic homes.

The Silas Creek School, once a rare two-story rural schoolhouse and Odd Fellows Hall, now stands in disrepair. Built in the early 1900s, it served students like the author’s father, who walked miles with cornbread and molasses for lunch. Though fading, the building remains a quiet witness to a simpler time.

The Ashe County Cemetery Committee recently began restoring three historic cemeteries in Grassy Creek, including the Rev. Elisha Anderson Cemetery with graves dating to the early 1800s. Thanks to volunteers and a supportive landowner, the site is being cleared and prepared for ground-penetrating radar to help preserve the resting places of Ashe County’s early settlers.