Swannanoa Valley - cultures 12,000 years ago

A couple of times a month I get to be a docent (greeting guests, trying to answer questions) at the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center...right downtown in Black Mountain NC.  It's a great "job" for a retired person. Not much stress, sometimes not many visitors, and I can haul my laptop to the desk and look up things or download things or write things that come to mind.

Last week I walked through some of the displays upstairs.  It is chock full of interesting stuff! And I'm not one of those antique buffs who go google-eyed (yes that term used to mean just that without any web connotations) at all the old dusty moldy stuff at antique barns.  There are sure a lot of them around these days. I can't go through them because dust and mold are triggers of my coughing spells. I could always wear a mask I suppose...

So I'm very grateful that the upstairs at SVM has been well cleaned. Here are a few items that caught my eye before I even got upstairs.  I'll be sharing a few at a time, when I get a chance.

A local college (Warren Wilson) has sponsored some archaeological digs in the area, and provided some information of 3 stages of settlement in the Swanannoa Valley. (appologies for those of you who saw these displayed over on Alchemy of Clay along with the pottery.)

There's a display of flint points of various sizes and from various eras.

I'm glad to see that the use of pottery was included, since the creeks and riverbeds are rich in clay around here. You need to go to Cherokee NC (about an hour west of here) to see more historic pottery!  But I'll have more of this display soon here!


Today's Quote:
Those in-between times that happen in our lives can be viewed as being rich with possibility for what is coming next.  Madisyn Taylor, Daily Om