Asheville, N.C. (April 20, 2011)—A local museum will celebrate its ribbon-cutting by finally laying to rest one of Asheville’s greatest mysteries. During a free event, on Thursday, May 12, 2011, at 4:30pm, Asheville historian Joshua P. Warren will personally unveil the new “Walt Disney Mystery” exhibit at his “Tourism Center and Free Museum” in the old jail and gallows building behind Pack’s Tavern, downtown, at 4 Marjorie Street. The public is welcome to attend the free event with refreshments provided by Warren.
For decades, it has been rumored, and oft-written, that at age 23, an unknown Walt Disney worked in Asheville as a draftsman. It is said he was fired for doodling cartoons on plats. After months of exhaustive research, Warren and his museum’s Chief Historian, Vance Pollock, believe they have resolved this urban legend. After a brief presentation, they will unveil exact, full-size, copies of plats, taken from the Buncombe County courthouse, that many believe bear art made by Disney’s hand. In addition to a wealth of documentation, they will also reveal the results of an expert art authenticator who has viewed the hotly-debated material.
“As a native, this is a mystery that has perplexed me since I was a kid,” says Warren. “A lot of wonderful people have passed through our great town, but Disney is such a beloved American icon, that if he spent time here as a young artist, it would inspire us all. Many swore he was here, but the evidence has always been scant.”
Warren won’t say what the results of his research are, saving it up for the event. That day, aside from a ribbon-cutting with the Asheville Chamber, Warren will give tours of his new museum, sign books, and provide snacks and beverages for the crowd. Clips from Asheville’s first motion picture, “Conquest of Canaan,” shot in 1921, will run on a loop in his small theater.
Warren’s Museum is usually open noon-5pm each day. The website is http://www.AshevilleTourCenter.com and questions can be answered at (828) 335-6764. The Museum is in the 1920s gray, rock building, with barred windows, behind Pack’s Tavern, at 4 Marjorie Street.
Warren has appeared on the National Geographic Channel, Discovery, Travel Channel, History Channel, Sy-Fy Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and has been covered by CNN, Fox News, and the New York Times. He hosts “Speaking of Strange” on local radio, and frequently appears on the “Coast to Coast AM” overnight radio program. In 2004, his team made the cover of the “Electric Spacecraft” scientific journal due to their groundbreaking lab experiments on the Brown Mountain Lights.
For more information, see http://www.AshevilleTourCenter.com or http://www.HauntedAsheville.com.