The Blowing Rock Historical Society
Preserving Our Historical Culture and Charm
Our History
Even summarizing Blowing Rock’s history would take a lot of space here and would never do it justice. On this page, we will tell you about where to find great information about our history. See Blowing Rock Stories for a growing list of tales about how we became the "Crown of the Blue Ridge". Please read on…
Places To See Blowing Rock History
1888 Museum
Located on Main St. beside Memorial Park, and managed by the Blowing Rock Historical Society, this museum:
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Was originally a cottage associated with Blowing Rock's first hotel, the Watauga Inn;
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Contains exhibits associated with our history of supporting tourism;
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Shows a replica of a typical high-class hotel room in the 1880's making you glad you live now and not then.
Edgewood Cottage
Built in 1890 this was the original home of renowned American artist Elliott Daingerfield. This restored cottage is located on Main St., a 3 minute walk south of Memorial Park. The Blowing Rock Historical Society manages Edgewood, and its premier use is a summer art program, "Artists in Residence at Edgewood Cottage." For information about Artists in Residence, click here.
History Exhibit at BRAHM
Located next to Edgewood Cottage, The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM)
houses a Blowing Rock History Exhibit in the Stevens Gallery on the second floor of this jewel of a museum. This history exhibit is a joint program sponsored by the Historical Society and BRAHM.
The Blowing Rock Attraction Museum
Over 100,00 people a year visit The Blowing Rock, which is the namesake of our village. This, the oldest tourist attraction in North Carolina, includes a nice museum that contains an engaging Blowing Rock history exhibit.
Visit Historical Marker Sites
Over 40 Historical Markers can be found around Blowing Rock. Each site has a story that contributes to Blowing Rock's historic culture and charm.
About The Program
The Historical Society, partnering with the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum awards historical markers to properties of historical significance to our village. To date, over 30 properties have received this prestigious award which is presented during our annual town birthday party.
View Information About Each Site
Click here to see a full description of the program and details about each site
Take a Walking Tour of Historic Sites
Click here for a Clio walking tour of some of our Downtown Historical Marker Sites
Where To Read About Blowing Rock History
These Books Make Great Gifts
They are wonderful books and they can be purchased at any of the following locations:
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The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce
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The Blowing Rock Attraction
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BRAHM
A Village Tapestry - The History of Blowing Rock
Barry M. Buxton, "A Village Tapestry". Boone, NC: Appalacian Consortium Press, 1989. Print.
This book is considered a "must read" for any fan of Blowing Rock history. "A Village Tapestry" was awarded “Best Local History “ by the Society of North Carolina Historians. It is an outstanding and comprehensive history of Blowing Rock, written by Barry M. Buxton, PhD. Barry is a native , coming from an old and prominent Blowing Rock family.
Note: "A Village Tapestry" has been reprinted by the Blowing Rock Historical Society
Post Cards - Of Historic Blowing Rock (Volumes I and II)
Blowing Rock Historical Society, "Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock". Boone, NC: Parkway Publishers, Inc., 2007. Print
This is a terrific compilation of hundreds of old post cards along with descriptions. They are a great show-and-tell book that gives you wonderful pictures and stories about our history.
Links To Blowing Rock History Information
Trails Through Time - A History of the Blowing Rock Area
A very well researched history of our area from 1400 AD to 1900 AD. Steve Sudderth is another multi-generational Blowing Rock local, with an incredible ability to find and research even old, obscure documents.
For information about finding Steve's book, visit his web site: https://steve-sudderth-books.square.site/
There are numerous places on the web that have information and stories of Blowing Rock and its history. Click on any of the links below to visit these sites...
Overview of Blowing Rock history: https://blowingrock.com/history/
History of the Green Park Inn: http://greenparkinn.com/history
Cone Family & Flat Top Manor video by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation: Click here
History of Chetola Resort: https://chetola.com/chetolas-history/
Our State Magazine article about Blowing Rock then and now: https://www.ourstate.com/blowing-rock/
Legend of The Blowing Rock: https://theblowingrock.com/legend-of-the-blowing-rock/
Jerry Burns Day 2018 (The Robbins Family): https://blowingrocknews.com/on-jerry-burns-day-a-few-robbins-sellers-family-stories/
Photos of Our Past
Our Growing Digital Photo Collection
The Blowing Rock Historical Society has over 11,000 photos of Blowing Rock over the years. Some of these photos are available from Digital Watauga (link below.) Over time, we will make albums available on this web site on our Historic Photo Albums page.