pack square

Demolition Of Vance Monument Begins In Asheville, Will Take Roughly Two Weeks

By • May 17, 2021
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

Demolition of the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville began Monday and will take roughly two weeks to complete.

Asheville City Council Approves Removal Of Vance Monument

By • Mar 23, 2021

Asheville City Council voted Tuesday evening to remove the Vance Monument from its spot in the city's main public space, taking away the 65-foot obelisk which has stood in what is now called Pack Square since 1898.

Asheville City Council Votes Tuesday On Whether To Remove Vance Monument

By • Mar 22, 2021
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

Asheville City Council is scheduled to take a vote Tuesday on whether to remove the 65-foot Vance Monument from downtown's Pack Square.  The decision will culminate a years-long push to remove from Asheville's main public space the obelisk which is dedicated to North Carolina's Civil War Governor and U.S. Senator during Reconstruction, who fought against civil rights for Black Americans.

Asheville Vigil Honors Victims Of Atlanta Shooting, Condemns Anti-Asian Attacks

By • Mar 22, 2021
J Chong

Members of Asheville’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and supporters gathered downtown Saturday evening to remember victims of last week’s shooting in Atlanta. Mourners brought flowers, candles and flags to the steps of Pack Square.

Task Force Recommends Vance Monument Be Removed From Pack Square In Asheville

By • Nov 19, 2020
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

A task force appointed by Asheville City Council and Buncombe County commissioners voted Thursday to recommend the removal of the 65-foot high Vance Monument from downtown Asheville's Pack Square.

PHOTOS: Black Lives Matter Mural In Pack Square

By • Jul 20, 2020
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

Artists on Sunday completed a mural that spells out 'Black Lives Matter' in Pack Square around the now shrouded Vance Monument, which sits near where historians believe enslaved people were sold prior to the Civil War.

Vance Monument Fully Shrouded, Lee Marker Removed

By • Jul 10, 2020
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

Crews completed the shrouding of the Vance Monument in Asheville's downtown Pack Square, while removing a marker in front of the 65-foot high obelisk that contained a likeness of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

AVL City Council OK's Removal Of Two Confederate Monuments & Study On Vance Monument's Future

By • Jun 10, 2020
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

By unanimous vote Tuesday evening, Asheville city council approved a resolution that calls for the removal of two Confederate monuments, while creating a group to decide the future of the Vance Monument in Pack Square.  The Buncombe County board of commissioners will also vote on the resolution at its next meeting this coming Monday.

Chow Chow Festival Postponed To 2021

By • Apr 30, 2020

Asheville’s newest annual culinary event has been pushed back an entire year.

Interfaith Vigil In Pack Square Mourns Squirrel Hill Synagogue Shooting Victims

By • Oct 28, 2018
Matt Bush / Blue Ridge Public Radio

An interfaith vigil Sunday afternoon filled the lower portion of Pack Square in downtown Asheville.  It was held to honor the victims of Saturday’s shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Plaque Next To Vance Monument Damaged Again

By • Apr 2, 2018
Matt Bush BPR

For the second time in less than a year, a plaque in front to the Vance Monument in Pack Square in downtown Asheville that contains the likeness of Confederate General Robert E. Lee has been damaged. 

'Contextualizing' The Vance Monument - What That Might Look Like

By • Oct 25, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

Of all the options for the future of the Vance Monument in Pack Square, putting it and its namesake into context might be the most difficult to imagine.  Not because it isn’t a viable solution, but because it’s such a broad yet vague idea.   A trip to Zebulon Vance’s birthplace north of Asheville shows what 'contextualizing' the monument could look like.   

Asheville Celebrates The Solar Eclipse

By • Aug 21, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

Tens of thousands took in the solar eclipse in Western North Carolina.  In the path of totality to the west of Asheville, there was heavy cloud cover and even some rain.  Those who watched in the city however caught a break.

Four Arrested After Confederate Marker Damaged In Pack Square

By • Aug 18, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

Asheville police arrested four people Friday morning for attempting to vandalize a Confederate marker in Pack Square downtown.  Police say protestors gathered around the Vance Monument before 8 a.m. Friday.  Several then attempted to damage the smaller marker in front of the monument that has a plaque with the likeness of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.  Arrested were 27-year-old Nicole Townsend, 45-year-old Amy Cantrell, 30-year-old Hillary Brown, and 34-year-old Adrienne Sigmon.  All are from Asheville and all four face charges of Damage to Real Property.

Asheville Mayor Agrees With NC Governor - Confederate Monuments Should Come Down

By • Aug 15, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

Asheville Police Make Arrest For Assault Of Reporter At Pack Square Demonstration

By • Aug 14, 2017
APD

UPDATE 9:50 a.m. Tuesday - Asheville police have arrested 38-year-old Michael Patrick Faulkner and charged him with simple assault for the incident that took place Sunday evening at a demonstration in Pack Square.  The Asheville native is charged with assaulting a WLOS television reporter during a Facebook live stream.  Earlier story below -

Around 100 Demonstrate In Pack Square Following Death At White Supremacist Rally In Virginia

By • Aug 13, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

Around 100 people demonstrated in Pack Square Sunday night.  They were there to honor Heather Heyer, the counter protestor who was killed at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Future Of The Vance Monument Pt. 2 - Pack Square's History Is More Than Just The Confederacy

By • Aug 9, 2017
Matt Bush BPR

The city of New Orleans earlier this year removed statues of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee.  Asheville has its own monument to a Confederate leader – Zebulon Vance, who served as North Carolina’s governor during the Civil War and U.S. Senator during the post-war Reconstruction period.  The future of the prominent landmark in Pack Square - home to two other monuments honoring the Confederacy - is now under debate, as is the lack of equivalent commemoration of Asheville’s deep African-American history.