THE CROSSROADS MONUMENT

Why is there an Asheville?

Before Asheville became a town, it was part of the Cherokee Nation. By the 1600s, some thirty Native American tribes lived in the valley, with the Cherokee remaining the largest. The town of Asheville was not settled until 1784, and it was named for the Revolutionary period Governor of North Carolina, Samuel Ashe. However, what is now Asheville had existed for centuries prior to the town’s founding as a crossroads.

When early explorers like De Soto came to this area around 1539, they followed well-worn Native American trails. The spot now occupied by Pack Square was the location where two of those trails crossed. For European settlers, these native trails became their roads and highways. The Asheville Crossroads became a stopping place for drovers as they moved livestock—including pigs, turkeys, and cows—from Tennessee to markets as far south as Charleston.

Movement of livestock and wares was mainly along the North-South leg of the trails. In 1827, this route was formalized into an actual road—the Buncombe Turnpike. The Crossroads monument located in Pack Square marks the spot where these trails intersected. This crucial location gave purpose to the area and ultimately led to the birth of Asheville.

The monument is a re-creation of the trail, complete with footprints of Native Americans, booted drovers, turkeys, pigs, and cows. Steel rail borders on each side of the trail symbolize the arrival of railroads in 1880, which propelled Asheville into the modern age. The rails in the monument were reclaimed from the original Asheville streetcar systems.

Pack Square is located at the intersection of Patton, Biltmore, and Broadway in the Downtown Asheville Historic District. It is host to free activities and festivals throughout the year. As one Asheville visitor put it: “Pack Square is quite simply the still beating heart of Asheville. It's a place to relax.