Explore Asheville’s past with Tombstone Tales, a series uncovering the stories of iconic figures buried in the area. From local legends to unsung heroes, these historical highlights bring history to life—one grave at a time.
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Strangeville: The ghost lore of Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Memorial
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville stands as both a historic landmark and the setting for lingering stories of love, loss, and memory.
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Tombstone Tales: Ben Wolfe, the brother behind Look Homeward, Angel
Ben Wolfe’s life was short, but his death left a mark that shaped his brother’s masterpiece and became one of Asheville’s most poignant literary stories.
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Tombstone Tales: The photographer who captured the soul of the Smokies
How George Masa’s lens, maps, and mountain hikes helped create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and shape the Appalachian Trail.
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Tombstone Tales: Lamar Stringfield’s mountain legacy
A North Carolina composer who brought Appalachian folk music to the concert stage rests beneath a headstone engraved with the notes of his lifelong song.
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Tombstone Tales: The Handmade Grave of Fannie Lou Swayngim
A handmade stone marker in Waynesville’s Green Hill Cemetery tells the story of a wife and mother whose 1935 grave reflects the humble artistry of mountain families.
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Tombstone Tales: A simple twist of fate saved Leon Love’s life
A young soldier from Waynesville stood at the edge of war, then fate intervened. Leon Love’s story, carved in stone atop Dix Hill, reminds us how a single choice can change a life.
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Tombstone Tales: A memorial and a mystery at Riverside Cemetery
More than a century after his death, the story of Capt. Warrington D. Roath — a Civil War and Spanish-American War veteran buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery — remains shrouded in quiet mystery.
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Tombstone Tales: Edward Lindsay Shuford, Asheville’s beloved veterinarian
At Calvary Episcopal Churchyard in Fletcher, the grave of Dr. Edward Lindsay Shuford, DVM, bears the words “He loved all creatures great and small,” honoring a life devoted to the care of animals.
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Tombstone Tales: Carrie Cone Long, Jewish community leader
Carrie Cone Long, sister of textile magnates Moses and Ceasar Cone, became a leader in Asheville’s Jewish community through her work with Beth Ha-Tephila and the North Carolina Association of Jewish Women.