Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Mountain Gateway Museum and McDowell Public Library to Launch Historical Book Club

OLD FORT
Apr 15, 2025

 Mountain Gateway Museum, in partnership with the McDowell County Public Library, soon will launch a new monthly book club exploring regional history through literature.

The first gathering of the Mountain Stories Book Club will be held on Wednesday, June 25, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the museum’s new location (78-C Catawba Ave., Old Fort). The featured book is "Guests on Earth" by Lee Smith, a historical novel set in Asheville's Highland Hospital during the 1930s.

This free event is open to the public and will highlight a different book each month that connects to western North Carolina’s rich and complex history.

Copies of "Guests on Earth" are available through McDowell County Public Library in multiple formats. While the Old Fort Branch remains closed because of storm damage, the MCPL Bookmobile will visit the Piggly Wiggly on Tuesdays and Arrowhead Gallery & Studios on Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. For more information, call 828-785-9528 or visit mgmnc.org.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.

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