Social Media

I wrote my first social media post for the Vance birthplace's Facebook page this week which Lauren will use in September.

"For a farmer like David Vance Jr, livestock was an important commodity. By raising animals like pigs, sheep, and cattle, Vance was providing, not only food for his family, but also goods that could be sold in Asheville. Cattle could produce meat, hides for tanning, and dairy products like milk and cheese. Sheep could produce wool for clothing, and meat. And pigs provided fat for cooking and bacon which could be smoked and cured for the winter. In fact, upon his death in 1843, David Vance Jr. left his wife 2,000 pounds of bacon."

I chose livestock because it was important during this period of time in Western North Carolina. The Buncombe Turnpike which was a drover's road, going from Greenville, VA to Greenville, SC, moved livestock like pigs and cattle from one market to the next. This road ran right through the Reems Creek valley. Located along the turnpike, every 30 miles or so, were buildings called Drover's stands. These stands were like Inns, restaurants, mercantile's, and stables all rolled into one. The Vance family owned a Drover's stand in what is now Marshall.