Contact Information

Phone: (828) 250-3120
Email: wrarchives@dncr.nc.gov

Staff List and Contact Information 
Information on the Western Office of the Office of Archives and History is also available.

Address:

Guidelines for Researchers

• Search room hours is open by appointment only beginning May 6, 2024. To contact us please call 828-250-3120 or email us at wrachives@dncr.nc.gov.
• The main entrance will remain locked however a Western Office staff member will let you inside the building. If a staff member is not nearby, please ring the callbox.
• If you are experiencing symptoms of illness, we ask that you postpone your visit. 

Preparation for Your Visit

At this time fewer reference staff will be available in the State Archives Search Room. Visitors can take preliminary steps to manage their time in the archives.

• Search the Archive’s catalog  to identify materials you would like to see before you visit.
• Visit the North Carolina Digital Collections to explore our digital resources.
• Email us at wrachives@dncr.nc.gov if you have any questions about our holdings or reference services. If you have specific items you would like to review, email us the citations along with the date of your appointment and we can pull the items in advance.
• In addition to the aforementioned regulations, we ask that you consider these other suggestions during our limited operation.
  • Bring your own laptop computer or electronic device. We have wi-fi access for those needing online services. If necessary, reference staff can provide limited online services in the Search Room.
  • Bring your own camera/phone. We will still provide copies for a nominal fee. However, to avoid touching shared material, we encourage you to bring a camera or smartphone to photograph records.
  • Pack lightly. We will still issue lockers for any personal items prohibited in the Search Room, but please try to leave items at home or in your vehicle.
  • If you are visiting us for the first time, please review our Search Room policies below.

Search Room Policies

Researchers interested in western North Carolina history are invited to visit the Search Room and to make use of the historical materials in the Western Regional Archives. These manuscripts are valuable for historical and evidential purposes and usually are the only copies in existence. It is therefore essential that they be used with care. When a visitor fails to exercise good judgment, an archivist is authorized to take precautionary action, including the refusal to allow the researcher further use of the records. Rules and regulations regarding original material are set forth in Title 7, Subchapter 4M, of the North Carolina Administrative Code. Visitors to the Archives should bring some standard form of identification (such as a driver's license). With proper identification, patrons will be issued individual passes to the Search Room by the security personnel

For the visitor's convenience, free lockers are provided for temporary storage of these materials while using the Search Room.

Holidays

The Western Regional Archives is closed on official state holidays, which are:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• July 4th
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day (November 11)
• Thanksgiving (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)
• Christmas (usually December 24-26)

Map

176 Riceville Rd, Asheville, NC 28805