Logging became a major industry. Western North Carolina was still isolated from the rest of the country.

Railroad trestles from Swannanoa to Ridgecrest was built with Convict Labor. Heavy death toll among the convicts due to harsh conditions, poor nutrition and poor treatment.

1. Black Mountain North Carolina (near Asheville NC) was a gathering place for the Modernist Painters.
2. The mother of the Famous Newspaper Columnist Henry Grady who advocated the need for the South to Industrialize was from Asheville. Her last name was Woodfin and her father owned the Woodfin section of Asheville. The Woodfin area is where UNCA is located today.
3. Carroll A. Deering - April 1919 - Hatteras North Carolina - History and mystery of the Ghost Ship of Diamond Shoals

World War I

North Carolina and the Great War- Documenting the South from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill examines how World War I shaped the lives of different North Carolinians on the battlefield and on the home front as well how the state and federal government responded to war-time demands.

 Lafayette Escadrille Pilot Biographies. - Kiffin Rockwell an Asheville resident and a WWI soldier was the first pilot of the Escadrille Lafayette to shoot down an enemy plane. He was killed in action on September 16, 1916. Here is an excellent book with much information on Kiffin Rockwell and other WWI pilots:

The German Invasion of Western North Carolina

Asheville North Carolina During the 1920's

1. Doctor's around the country recommended the mountains of Western North Carolina, particularly Asheville, to patients for respiratory problems.
2. Many tuberculosis (consumption) sanitariums sprang up in the Asheville area.
3. Lillian Exum Clemet Stafford First female legislature in South elected to NC house 1920 from Asheville

Asheville North Carolina During the 1930's

• Legend says that the notorious gangster John Dillinger vacationed regularly in Hot Springs, North Carolina (near Asheville).
• Like the rest of the country the Depression hit NC.
• The Appalachian Region was the poorest region. Roosevelt aimed much of the New Deal's Relief and Reform programs at this region. Needless to say, the New Deal left a lasting imprint on Western North Carolina.
• Roosevelt's New Deal started the CCC or the Civilian Conservation Corp. This program was intended to put young men to work and keep them occupied so they would not start any trouble. Young single men age 18-25 worked in the CCC. This program was run like the military and used strict discipline the men received $25.00 dollars a month. $20 dollars of their pay went to their families. $5.00 went to the men. The CCC  built the Blue Ridge Parkway. The impact on the region was jobs, exposure to the rest of the country, and the legacy of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Appalachian Mountains were isolated and therefore backwards in development compared to the rest of the country.
• Roosevelt's New Deal also started the TVA or Tennessee Valley Authority. The TVA was a massive public works program formed in 1933. This program had a major role in the development of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. The TVA dammed up the rivers and  experimented in regional planning. The TVA dammed up most of the Tennessee River which was prone to flooding. Damming the rivers not only solve the problem of flooding but made electricity available. Fontana Dam was a project of TVA during the 30's. The French Broad runs through Asheville and joins with the Tennessee River at Knoxville TN. The impact on the region was fertilizer, erosion control, tons of jobs, and industry. All this was possible because of the electricity.
• Rural Electrification Program was another New Deal project. This was an attempt to put electricity in every home. It was a subsidy program. Rural areas are often spread out where houses are quite a distance from other houses. This makes it expensive to have electricity. Since the area has always been isolated due to the rugged terrain, people living in the Appalachian Mountains were poor. The Appalachian Region benefited from the Rural Electrification most. The subsidy program made it possible for most everyone in the Appalachian mountains to have electricity. However, I knew people in Western North Carolina who grew up in the 40's who did not have electricity, running water, or inside plumbing.