My daughter’s spring break was last week, so she and I took our friend Susan up on her invitation to visit her in Asheville, North Carolina. We decided to take a road trip and check out college campuses on the way. Let me just say that the University of Cincinnati has the largest (and most stunning) classics library in the country, and perhaps even in the world.

As I was planning for the trip, I remembered that Henry Scripps Booth went to boarding school in Asheville from 1913-1918. So before I left, I perused his photo albums for relevant photographs and devised a plan to do a “then and now” blog post. I took copies of photos from Henry’s 1916 photograph album which contained images of Asheville School. So, while my daughter was sitting in on the college class “Roman Comedy” at the University North Carolina Asheville (UNCA), I ventured out to find Asheville School. Nestled back away from a main road in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville School is home to approximately 285 students in grades 9-12. Historic buildings are sited on a 300-acre campus and it is easy to see the similarities between this school and Cranbrook School for Boys. While changes have been made to the campus over the years, much of it remains as it was when Henry attended school there.

“On the campus, Asheville School, 1916”

…and 2017

Another place in Henry’s album that I was able to locate (with the help of my friend) was what is now known as Trinity Episcopal Church on Church Street in downtown Asheville.

From Henry’s camera lens…

…and from mine!

Henry returned to visit Asheville at least once after he graduated, and visited the Biltmore Estate in 1931. The photos below show how the landscape around the main house has been altered to better accommodate over one million visitors annually.

“From the Tennis Court”

…from the former Tennis Court

As some of you may know, last year Asheville celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the infamous flood of 1916.

“Street to the Station”, 1916.

While Henry was there at the time of the flood, and took numerous photos of the ravaged Biltmore Village, I was unable to locate this exact street. Local archivists at Asheville School and the UNCA’s Special Collections and University Archives were also baffled, so if anyone knows the location of this image, please let us know!

It never ceases to amaze me how far and wide Cranbrook’s reach is, and how well our collections document it.

– Leslie S. Edwards, Head Archivist