Editor’s Note: Western North Carolina is rich with untold stories—many resting quietly in local cemeteries. In this Tombstone Tales series, we explore the lives of people from our region’s past whose legacies, whether widely known or nearly forgotten, helped shape the place we call home.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Buried at Violet Hill Cemetery in Asheville, Isaiah Rice may rest quietly today, but his legacy still speaks through his images. His photographs offer a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of Black families and neighborhoods in mid-20th-century Asheville.
Born in 1917, Rice was a graduate of Stephens-Lee High School and a man who lived through some of the most defining eras of American history. He worked for the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression and served in the U.S. Army during World War II before returning home to deliver beverages across the city. He was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church in West Asheville and a dedicated family man…