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.
BURNSVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Thomas Wolfe returned to the North Carolina mountains in 1937 after years of staying away from Asheville, the hometown that had made him famous and left him unwelcome.
The author of Look Homeward, Angel avoided Asheville after the novel frustrated some residents who believed they recognized themselves in its pages. When Wolfe returned to Western North Carolina in 1937, he stepped into an entirely different kind of story: a murder case in Burnsville.
What did Thomas Wolfe witness in Burnsville?
On his way home to Asheville, Wolfe was visiting Burnsville, the Yancey County seat northeast of Asheville. On May 1, 1937, he stopped at the Gem City Soda Shop for a soft drink and cigarettes about 10:30 p.m…