Western North Carolina Historical Association Incorporation

Educational Programming Ongoing educational programming at the Asheville Museum of History in fiscal year 2023-2024 was packed full of a variety of interesting program offerings both in person and online as virtual programs. Programs included: -Six History Hour Series lectures with guest historians and lecturers that served an average of 40 audience members each lecture. These lectures were ticketed events hosted online through Zoom and included a low or no cost ticket option through the museums Community Fund. Three of the programs were offered as hybrid events in person and online through a collaborative program with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville. -Five outdoor History Hiking programs led by the museums programs director and guest historians at various historic and natural sites throughout the region. These hikes served an average of 10 people per program and occurred in the summer of 2023.

Thomas Wolfe Literary Award and Outstanding Achievement Award The Asheville Museum of History hosts two major awards programs, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and the Outstanding Achievement Award. Named for the famed Asheville-born novelist, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award has been presented annually by the Western North Carolina Historical Association since 1955 to honor outstanding literature by regional authors or works that take place in Western North Carolina. The museum also presents an annual Outstanding Achievement Award to organizations or individuals who have undertaken special and exceptional efforts in preserving or promoting local and regional history in the Western North Carolina community. In fiscal year 2023-2024, the Thomas Wolf Literary Award ceremony was hosted on April 25, 2023 and honored winning author David Joy for his novel Those We Thought We Knew, along with four other finalists. The Outstanding Achievement Award was presented at the grand opening of the museum in October 2023 to Grace Gordon Pless for her six decades of dedication to Asheville area history, including her work with the Asheville Urban Trail.