Sheppard, Gwendolyn

Description

Henry Robinson is interviewed by Gwendolyn Sheppard on August 29, 1989 as a part of the Western North Carolina Tomorrow Black Oral History Project. Reporting for the Asheville Citizen Times newspaper at the time of the interview, Robinson’s interview is focused on the history of the black story in Asheville. He explains how George Vanderbilt bought out a black community for his Biltmore Estate land and rebuilt a new community called Shiloh. He tells of James Miller who constructed many buildings in Asheville. He shares specific stories of downtown Asheville, people, places, and events and gives us another perspective on race relations and civil rights. He also shares his knowledge of the Kingdom of Happy Land.

Record Contributed By

Western Carolina University

Record Harvested From

North Carolina Digital Heritage Center