Category: Uncategorized (Page 12 of 22)

Printed in 1981, by the United States Library of Congress, this book  features,

“An essay from the Blue Ridge Parkway folklife Project conducted by the American Folklife Center in cooperation with the National Park Service in August and September 1978”

It was edited by Lyntha Scott Eiler. Terry Eiler. and Carl Flelschhauer and includes many photos of Southwest Virginia and Northwest North Carolina.

We love it because it contains stories and images of Alleghany County.

The Sparta Restaurant  –  Sparta, North Carolina

Town and Country Barber Shop  –  Sparta, North Carolina

Click the photo to see the entire book in PDF format.

BlueRidgeHarvestBook_sm

Here are transcripts of letters from “the War to End All Wars,” sent home to the Blue Ridge and printed in the Alleghany Star, 100 years ago during World War I. They were clipped and saved by the Irwin Family and are part of Minnie Lou Irwin’s papers. John Irwin brought them to us, after he found the articles in his mother’s papers. The Alleghany Star evolved into the Alleghany News, and we are posting the letters from their “Somewhere Over There” series here, with their permission.

to S. O. Edwards from his son Private Carper E. Edwards

to I. O. Reynolds from his son Walter

to Mrs. A B Taylor from her son Corpl James Luther

to Mrs. Lulu Landreth from her brother-in-law Jno M. Landreth

Here are outside views of the building we are purchasing. It will be the new home of the Alleghany Historical Museum on Main Street in Sparta, NC.
If you’d like to help, donations can be made here.

Our mailing address is PO Box 817, Sparta, NC 28675
AHGS is a certified 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.

From the spring of 1945 until 1948, Thelma O. Davis owned and operated Thelma’s portrait studio on Main Street over the Belk’s Department Store, at the corner of NC18 and US21 (where Alleghany Historical Museum is located, today.)

After completing a course in portraiture at New York Institute of Photography and working for a time in other studios, Thelma returned to Sparta to venture out on her own. She and her assistant did all types of portraiture from 2 x 3 wallet size to 8 x 10 family groups and the like. All printing, mounting, etc. was done in the studio except for Kodak rolls, which were sent out for developing.

Color portraits were not available at that time. If anyone who wanted a color portrait, it was done by hand, using Marshalls Photo Oils.

A display case, on Main Street, featured the “Portrait of the Week.” Many families were able to obtain memorable keepsakes as a result of this business.

Help support the Museum this summer by entering our raffle for this beautiful Pie Safe Cupboard! Tickets will be available, soon at the Museum and are reasonably priced at just $5 each or 6 for $25.

The Pie Safe was made by local craftsman, John Wayne Edwards, who has selflessly built and donated pieces for the Heart Fund and, most recently, the Walter Frank Osborne Jr. Detachment 1298 Marine Corps League.

It is on display at the Museum, open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The drawing will be made September 16th, Mountain Heritage Day, but you don’t have to be present to win.

Alleghany Historical Museum is a project of the Alleghany Historical – Genealogical Society, Inc., a certified 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN 561316245.