Julia Elizabeth Westall Wolfe was born on February 16^th, 1860, and grew up in the Swannanoa River Valley. Along with a life long passion of buying and selling real estate, Julia is best known as the mother of North Carolina’s most famous author, Thomas Wolfe. Always the frugal businesswoman, Wolfe portrayed his mother and her keen sense of business in his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel.  Although at times criticized for prioritizing her business goals over her family’s needs, Thomas wrote his mother was “a very strong, resourceful, and courageous woman, who showed great character and determination in her struggle against the odds of life.” Learn more about Swannanoa native Julia Wolfe and the legacy she left behind.

This talk is part of the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center’s History Cafe series, 2021. Attendees will receive a zoom link to the talk.

About the Presenter: Kayla Pressley Seay is the Assistant Site Director of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. She is a native of WNC, and her interests and education focus on public history and the interpretation and preservation of WNC’s history and culture.