Welcome from the Ashe County Historical Society. Our goal is to promote and preserve the history of Ashe County. This site provides products and resources related to that mission
This Week in Ashe County History:
| Date | Event | | 05-06-1905 | On this day, Frank McMillian was shot by Will Banks. Banks was arguing with McMillian over money he said was owed to him. The fight escalated, and McMillian grabbed Banks, at which point, Banks drew a revolver from his coat pocket and shot McMillian. At the trial Banks argued he has shot in self-defense, while prosecutor Tam Bowie argued that the killing had been premeditated. The eventual conviction for first degree murder led to the only official hanging in Ashe County, which took place in 1907. |
| 05-07-1959 | On this day Roy Gentry died in the Ore Knob mine. Mr. Gentry, 29, had only been working for two weeks as a driller’s helper when a large rock fell from the ceiling and hit him. He was the only person to lose their life in the mine during its final era of production from 1950 to 1961. |
| 05-09-1963 | Brenda Sue Pugh, aged 10, was killed in a school bus accident near Crumpler. She was the first student ever injured in an bus accident in Ashe County. |
| 05-10-1979 | On this day, the Ashe County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1904, The old courthouse now houses the Museum of Ashe County History. |
| 05-11-1861 | On this day, Joseph W. Todd enlisted in the Confederate Army. Mr. Todd was a prominent lawyer in Ashe County and became a Captain in the Confederate Army. The community of Elkland was renamed Todd in his honor |
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