EDITOR’S NOTE: Strangeville explores the curious and unexplained stories that have long defined Asheville and Western North Carolina. The region is full of unanswered questions, from old folklore and local legends to eerie encounters, unsolved moments in history, and the true-crime mysteries that still leave people wondering. Each week, we look back with an open mind and a sense of curiosity, trying to understand why some stories take hold and why some can never be explained.
How does a fire burn for more than 150 years without going out?
That question has followed William “Billy” Morris for generations in the foothills near Saluda, where locals say he inherited responsibility for a family hearth fire kept alive from the Revolutionary era until his death in 1944…