The Western Office of Archives and History, located in Asheville, NC, opened in 1978 and the first Western Office archaeologist was stationed there. The building was built in 1932 as part of the VA hospital and served as the dormitory for African American nurses. The building was fully renovated in 2006 and houses not only our western branch, but also the Western Regional Archives, staff of the Historic Preservation Office, and many other state entities!

Archaeologists at the Western Office serve the mountain counties in the environmental review process, provide consultation and coordination for the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and Eastern Band of Cherokee, and maintain site data, reports, and maps. We also operate a small curation lab and house some collections from the western part of the state!

For more information about the Western Office, visit https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/western-office!