At approximately 3:00 a.m. on Friday, July 24, fire broke out in the
dining room of the boardinghouse at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, located in
downtown Asheville, North Carolina.  Fire crews arrived on the scene
within minutes of the 911 call to find fire engulfing the northeast corner
and roof.  Firefighters entered the house immediately, moved numerous
items out of danger, and covered a number of pieces with tarps while
trying to fire the fire from inside.  A collapsing roof forced them to
abandon that plan and fight the fire only from outside.  By 5:00 a.m. the
fire was extinguished.  Two firemen sustained minor injuries.

The boardinghouse was run by noted author Thomas Wolfe's mother, Julia
Wolfe.  Wolfe immortalized the house in his novel, Look Homeward Angel.
The house was registered as a historic landmark in 1949 and acquired by
the state of North Carolina in 1974.

The boardinghouse sustained considerable damage from fire, smoke, and
water.  As of Sunday, July 26, the cause of the fire had not been
determined.

North Carolina Historic Sites is deeply grateful to the staffs from
Biltmore Estates, Blue Ridge Parkway National Park, and Carl Sandburg Home
National Park.  They assisted with the removal of artifacts from the house
and provided emergency supplies and materials.  Local businesses and
organizations also donated supplies, trucks, and storage facilities.
Asheville's local television station, WLOS, responded to the crisis with
an immediate fundraising effort.

First Restoration Services of Fletcher, NC was called in to help with the
salvage of the house.  The house is being stabilized and secured.  Plans
are underway for complete restoration of the house.

Extensive renovations had been planned for the fall of this year,
including the installation of fire and smoke alarms and a security system.
The Queen Anne-style Victorian house was built in 1883 and retained all of
its original stained-glass windows.  Most of the furniture and contents
were original.

This is not an official press release.  I thought you folks would be
interested to know of this disaster.  We do have a complete inventory of
the house, and the interiors have been extensively photographed.

Martha Battle Jackson, Registrar        (919) 733-7862
NC Historic Sites                       Fax: (919) 733-9515
109 East Jones Street                   [log in to unmask]
Raleigh, NC  27601-2807
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"Don't part with your illusions.  When they are gone, you may still
exist, but you have ceased to live."--Mark Twain
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