By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — It has been a busy past year for the Blowing Rock Historical Society, as the organization’s members had underlined on Aug. 11 at the the annual meeting.
Held at the American Legion Building (whose renovations several years ago were paid for with the help of the Blowing Rock Historical Society’s fundraising efforts), approximately 75 members and guests enjoyed the reflections of BRHS president Tom O’Brien and keynote speaker Barry Buxton before partaking of food, beverages and fellowship.
With a slideshow providing the visuals, O’Brien took a look back at everything that his the Historical Society and its several initiatives, including the History Walk around Broyhill Lake, the 1888 Museum, and the activities at Edgewood Cottage that include the Artists in Residence series as well as its conversion into a curated museum during the winter and spring months.
Especially important this past year has been the digitization of Blowing Rock School yearbooks from about 1948 to 1956, so far, as well as the digitization of a complete set of original copies of The Blowing Rock Journal, published from 1959 to 1966, which were donated to the Historical Society by Blowing Rock News after their procurement from the China Grove Roller Mill Museum. Even more digitization has occurred with The Blowing Rocket. The digitization process allows for a degree of searchability for readers to call up articles and issues by topic and year.
Buxton, a noted Blowing Rock historian and the former president of Lees McRae College, provided insights on his new book, Queens of Blowing Rock: Eight women who shaped Blowing Rock’s destiny, which profiles eight women from a variety of backgrounds who each had a profound impact on the community. In his introduction of Buxton, O’Brien noted that the Historical Society had just received its first shipment of books, which will be on sale at The Blowing Rock, Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, as well as other locations, including online.
O’Brien took special note of Mayor Charlie Sellers donating 100 percent of the Queens book sale proceeds at The Blowing Rock to the Blowing Rock Historical Society.
Queens of Blowing Rock: Eight women who shaped Blowing Rock’s destiny is also available in both hard copy and Kindle versions at Amazon, as well as other booksellers.
