Downtown in Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Past and Promise

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, September 4, 2016

1. Past and Promise Marker

Inscription. Until electricity was introduced in the late 1880s, gas and kerosene lamps provided lighting in Public Square—now Pack Square. Horse-head fountains, fed from a reservoir on Beaucatcher Mountain, were affixed to lampposts at the east and west ends of the square. The bronze figure, Childhood, represents the promise of Asheville's future.

Placed in honor of Elaine McPherson—artist, poet, and tailor—who lived at 19½ Biltmore Avenue and who played on Pack Square as a young child

Erected by Asheville Urban Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Man-Made Features • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 35° 35.713′ N, 82° 33.037′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from the intersection of South Market Street (Alternate U.S. 74) and South Pack Square, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18 South Pack Square, Asheville NC 28801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Monument Corner (a few steps from this marker); Young Men’s Institute (within shouting distance of this marker); Brick Artisan

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(within shouting distance of this marker); James Vester Miller (within shouting distance of this marker); Civic Pride (within shouting distance of this marker); Lynching in America / The Lynching of John Humphries (within shouting distance of this marker); Walk Into History (within shouting distance of this marker); Crossroads of Commerce (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Asheville.

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, September 4, 2016

2. Past and Promise Marker

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, September 4, 2016

3. Past and Promise Marker

Present-day Pack Square image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, September 4, 2016

4. Present-day Pack Square

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, September 4, 2016

5. Present-day Pack Square

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 607 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 2, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.