Vance Birthplace State Historic Site

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Vance Birthplace State Historic Site

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Welcome to the official page for Vance Birthplace State Historic Site!

This is an official account of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

10/24/2026

Tickets for our new Death and Mourning in the Mountains tour are selling fast! Reserve your spot today via Zeffy (link in comments). This tour is offered at 10am and 1pm next Saturday, Oct. 31 and will last approximately 90 minutes including an optional hike to the Vance Cemetery. Tickets are $10.70 per person. If you have any questions or need help planning your visit, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or give us a call at (828) 645-6706!

10/21/2026

Vance Birthplace will be closed tomorrow, October 22, due to insufficient staffing. We will reopen to the public at 9am on Friday, October 23. See you then!

10/20/2026

We will not offer guided tours at Vance Birthplace starting today, Oct. 20 through Saturday, Oct. 24 due to insufficient staffing. Self-guided tours of the historic area will remain available during open hours. Please stay tuned to our social media pages for future operational updates!

10/16/2026

Due to the threat of rain tonight, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our Frightful Folk Tales event. We hope that you will join us tomorrow, Oct. 17, at 7pm instead! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or give us a call at (828) 645-6706.

10/14/2026

It's National Dessert Day! Did you know that the first African American woman to publish a cookbook was from Southern Appalachia? Malinda Russell was born free in Washington County, Tennessee in 1812 and ran a boarding house and later a pastry shop on Chuckey Mountain for several years. She fled East Tennessee after a raid on her home in 1864, making her way to Michigan. There, she published her cookbook titled "A Domestic Cook Book: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen" in 1866 in order to raise money to return to Greeneville, TN.

Unfortunately, Malinda Russell disappears from the historic record after publishing her cookbook, so we are still uncertain if she made her way back to East Tennessee. Her book, however, provides an enlightening glimpse into Appalachian culinary history, showing that African American and Southern Appalachian foodways included luxurious and sophisticated dishes. Her recipes for mutton chop pie, baked peach cobbler, and coconut pie are pictured here: which one would you like to try the most?

If you would like to learn more about the history of food in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee in the 1800s, join us for our Appalachian Foodways tour on Saturday, Nov. 7! Tours include food samples and a historic cooking demonstration and are offered at 10am and 1pm and will last approximately 90 minutes. Spots are limited, so we recommend reserving your ticket in advance. Tickets cost $10.70 per person via Zeffy. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or (828) 645-6706!

10/06/2026

Vance Birthplace will be closed tomorrow, Oct. 7th. We will reopen to the public at 9am on Thursday, Oct. 8th. See you then!

10/05/2026

Join us this Saturday, October 10th for our Autumn Storytime! Families with young children can enjoy stories themed around the changing weather and Appalachian history in the Vance house at 9:30am, 10:30am, and 11:30am. Try out some fun crafts and enjoy free face-painting and hot c***r in the visitor center as well!

This event is free and does not require registering in advance, but donations are encouraged. Our storytimes are held seasonally/quarterly. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or give us a call at (828) 645-6706!

09/21/2026

Vance Birthplace will be closed tomorrow, September 22, for staff professional development. We will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, September 23. See you then!

09/18/2026

Autumn is almost here! Whether you like to cozy up with a book, hear a spooky story, or pause to reflect, there's something for everyone at Vance Birthplace this season. We have quite a roster of special events coming up, so here is your guide to help choose the experiences that are right for you!

Families with young children can enjoy seasonal picture book readings in the Vance house at our Autumn Storytime on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 9am to noon. Readings take place at 9:30am, 10:30am, and 11:30am. Free face-painting, hot c***r, and crafts will also be available in the Visitor Center from 9am to noon! This event is free and does not require registration in advance, but donations are encouraged.

Looking for something a little spookier? Join us around the fire on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7pm for Frightful Folk Tales with Delanna Reed, professor emerita of Storytelling at East Tennessee State University! Bring a blanket and/or a chair to hear Dr. Reed bring spooky stories from Appalachia and beyond to life. This event is free and does not require registration in advance, but donations are encouraged. We recommend this event for visitors aged 12 and up.

We're rounding out the season with two specialty guided tours! Join us on Saturday, Oct. 31 for our new Death and Mourning in the Mountains tour to learn how the culture around death and funerary practices changed throughout the 1800s. Tours are offered at 10am and 1pm and will last approximately 90 minutes, including an optional hike to the old Vance family cemetery. Tickets cost $10.70 per person via Zeffy (link coming soon). Spots are limited, so we recommend registering in advance.

Last but certainly not least, our Appalachian Foodways tour returns this year on Saturday, Nov. 7. Join us to explore how Southern Appalachian cuisine evolved in the 1800s and sample some historic foods along the way! Tours are offered at 10am and 1pm and will last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets cost $10.70 per person via Zeffy (link coming soon). Spots are limited, so we recommend registering in advance.

If you have any questions, reach out via email at [email protected] or by phone at (828) 645-6706!

09/15/2026

Vance Birthplace will be closed next Tuesday, September 22nd for staff professional development. We will reopen to the public at 9am on Wednesday, Sep. 23rd. See you then!

Address

911 Reems Creek Road
Weaverville, NC
28787

Telephone

+18286456706

Website

https://historicsites.nc.gov/vance

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