- Distinguished professorship named in honor of Chancellor Bardo
- Fall commencement set for Dec. 19 at Ramsey Center
- Nursing degree can be earned in one year through ABSN program
- WCU novelist Ron Rash wins second Sir Walter Raleigh Award
- Senior named top mathematics education student in region
- Bids opened for new MAHEC building; part of venture with WCU, UNCA
- Board of trustees approves proposed tuition, fees for 2010-11
- Steps toward WCU-Dillsboro partnership continue with campus tour
- Students win national awards at mediation tournament
- 'Meeting Doctor' to lead Jan. 21 workshop at WCU
Blackrock Waylon is a Plott hound that has won “Big Game Hound of the Year” honors at the National Plott Days held in Flora, Ill. Blackrock Waylon is owned by Henry Keefer Jr. of Jackson County. The Plott hound breed of hunting dogs is the focus of a new exhibit that opened Oct. 9 at Western Carolina University.
A new exhibit focusing on the legendary Plott hound hunting dogs of Haywood County is now on display at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.
“Our State Dog: North Carolina’s Plott Hound” explains the history and origins of the dog breed with a combination of artifacts and photographs. The exhibit covers breed characteristics and describes how Plotts are used to hunt bears, boars and raccoons. Museum visitors also will have an opportunity to view bear and boar skins, rare hunting weapons and other artifacts.
The original breeding stock of hunting dogs was imported to America by Johannes Plott around 1750, said Mountain Heritage Center Curator Trevor Jones. The Plott family and their dogs settled in Haywood County around 1800, and both the family and the dogs prospered in the New World, Jones said.
As time passed, the Plott hound’s legendary ability to chase bears and boars grew, and Plotts are now raised across the country and around the world.
The Mountain Heritage Center staff worked with the National Plott Hound Association, the Jackson County Coon Hunter’s Club, members of the Plott family, and local bear and boar hunters in developing the exhibit, Jones said.
Many aspects of the exhibit are based on the research of Plott hound experts Bob Plott and John Jackson. Bob Plott is a descendant of Johannes Plott. Many artifacts were supplied by local hunters.
The exhibit will be on display through April 8 of next year.
The Mountain Heritage Center is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The center also is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June through October.
For more information, contact the Mountain Heritage Center at (828) 227-7129 or go to www.wcu.edu/mhc.
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Last modified: Monday, Oct. 12, 2009