Valley Rewind: WNC Sanitorium

This photograph captures the massive and ominous presence of Black Mountain’s historic WNC Sanatorium. The sanatorium admitted its first patients in 1937 during a rampant tuberculosis outbreak, and, with the addition of a wing for African American patients built in 1950, replaced many other smaller facilities in the area. While patients could enjoy the beautiful views and crisp air of the mountains, life - and death - in a sanitarium could be grim. It is an irony that out of these tragic scenarios, our communities have grown stronger and more resilient. It’s easy to forget that people did in fact recover from tuberculosis. Even patients who suffered a great deal of lung damage and withstood multiple surgeries could emerge healed, able to reunite with their families and live long lives. Today, the building serves as the home for the Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center.