Bull Creek Valley was traditionally a hunting ground and, possibly, a settlement for ancestors of the Cherokee. Before the turn of the 19th century, however, it became known as Riceville after the first white settler, Joseph Marion Rice, and his wife, Margaret, built a homestead. Rice, well known for allegedly shooting the area’s last buffalo in 1799, put Riceville on the map by opening a stock stand for drovers bringing their animals over the mountain to sell in South Carolina markets. After Rice arrived, more families began to settle in this beautiful valley; their names describe current locations, such as Jones Cove, Shope Creek, Dillingham Circle, Reed Road, and Parker Road. Riceville soon became the center of a thriving community with two schools, several churches, a handful of stores, and a post office. Today, Riceville is known for its natural beauty–large rolling expanses of farmland and undeveloped tracts of forest. Join Riceville resident and historian, Anne Chesky Smith, for a photographic journey through the history of Riceville’s people and places.

Attendees will receive a zoom link to the talk.

About the Presenter: Anne Chesky Smith is the Executive Director at the Western North Carolina Historical Association in Asheville. She lives in Riceville with her family.