BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The birthplace of former North Carolina Gov. Zebulon Baird Vance is offering visitors a chance to explore one of the state’s most controversial historical figures — and the times he lived in.
Vance was born in 1830 at Reems Creek in what is now northern Buncombe County. He went on to become the only North Carolina governor to serve two terms during two very different periods in the state’s history: first as governor of the Confederate state of North Carolina during the Civil War, and later as governor of North Carolina after the war.
But Vance’s legacy is complicated. He was well educated and known as a powerful and persuasive speaker who could connect with both wealthy and working-class audiences. He was also born into a family that enslaved at least 34 people between 1790 and 1865…