History of Western North Carolina Furniture Series Continues at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library

Join Catawba County Museum of History’s Historian in Residence Professor Richard Eller for the fifth presentation in a seven-part series about Western North Carolina furniture at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library. The series will be offered as both an in-person presentation and a virtual presentation and will be held the second Tuesday of each month through April. Each session examines a different aspect of the furniture industry in Western North Carolina and will highlight material from Professor Eller’s upcoming book Industry in the Wood – The History of Furniture in Western North Carolina.

The March installment of the series discusses some of the best days of furniture making in western North Carolina as the industry comes out of World War II ready to furnish the homes of returning vets and the baby boom. The era welcomes a whole host of new companies, many of the entrepreneurs trained at established firms. New styles (and even plastic) become part of featured lines and Hickory kicks off its own furniture market which grows quickly and becomes a necessary stop for furniture buyers all over the country, a complement for and competition with High Point.

Richard Eller is a historian who focuses on Western North Carolina, its people, and traditions in an effort to understand the role the area has played in creating its own vibrant and unique culture. He has written books on Piedmont Airlines, the 1944 Polio Epidemic, and is writing an upcoming volume on the western North Carolina furniture industry. Professor Eller has also written articles about local subjects for Foothills Digest, the Hickory Daily Record, and Focus. His recent works include Hickory Then & Now, Hickory: A Complete History, and a documentary film and book about the 1964 Ridgeview High School Panthers football team entitled Untouchable: The Perfect Season of the 1964 Ridgeview High Panthers.

This presentation is available in an in-person and a virtual format. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link to the virtual session. To register for the virtual session, call 828-304-0050 or sign up online at www.hickorync.gov/calendar/events/category/library/. Registration is not required for in-person attendance; however, it is limited to 45 people first come, first served. For more information, call 828-304-0500. Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is located at 375 3rd Street NE on the SALT Block. All library programs are free and open to the public.