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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Tombstone Tales: A Waterloo veteran in Flat Rock
A Waterloo veteran from Glasgow left his mark on Flat Rock before his remains were reportedly carried back to Scotland.
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Tombstone Tales: President Lincoln’s bodyguard in Asheville
A Civil War captain known around Asheville for his faith and his stories left behind a life that still resonates.
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Tombstone Tales: Charlie Silver’s grave and the enduring mystery of Frankie Silver
In the Kona community near Bakersville, a quiet cemetery holds the resting place of the young man at the center of one of North Carolina’s most debated 19th-century tragedies.
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Tombstone Tales: After a dog attack in 1902, Willie Harris’ family raced to save him
After a dog attack in Asheville in 1902, 5-year-old Willie Harris was taken north for rabies treatment at a Pasteur institute, where hope briefly rose before ending in heartbreak.
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Tombstone Tales: The life and legacy of Dr. William Caldwell Tate in Morganton
His grave in Morganton marks the life of a nineteenth-century physician whose work carried him from country sickbeds to Civil War service.
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Tombstone Tales: Asheville’s River Champion, Wilma Dykeman Stokely
Wilma Dykeman Stokely, often called the “First Lady of Appalachian Literature,” helped shift public attention toward the French Broad River’s pollution and cleanup.
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Tombstone Tales: Gig Young’s shocking murder‑suicide and his grave in WNC
Gig Young’s rise, fall and violent final act still echo from Manhattan to the mountains, where he’s buried under his real name.
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Tombstone Tales: The man who helped light America
A Connecticut-born pioneer of electric lighting and his North Carolina wife rest in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery, their stories entwined with industry, innovation and philanthropy.
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Tombstone Tales: The Von Ruck Mausoleum and Asheville’s literary ties
A story that runs from Asheville’s tuberculosis era to Thomas Wolfe’s fiction and early American horror.
