Valley Rewind: Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the Swannanoa Valley, 1945

This photograph from our archives captures the day Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the Swannanoa Valley in March 1945. Throughout her long career in politics, Eleanor Roosevelt championed both women's rights and women's activism. She believed that women were entitled to equal rights, but she also believed that women's differences from men made them uniquely qualified to engage in political activism. Her 1945 visit to the Swannanoa Valley, centered on the Council of Southern Mountain Workers meeting in Montreat, showcased a dedicated focus on mountain education and labor over two days. Hosted by Warren Wilson College president Arthur Bannerman and his wife Lucile, Roosevelt's robust schedule included meetings in Montreat, interactions with regional students, and a tour of the U.S. Army’s redistribution station in Asheville. The following day, at Warren Wilson College, she delivered an off-the-cuff speech titled “The Challenge of the Future to American Youth” before returning to the White House. This marked her final trip to the Asheville area as the first lady, and sadly, less than a month later, her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, died in Warm Springs, Georgia.