This brief article appeared in last spring's issue of the AAA Club's bi-monthly newsletter. It points out a few of Valdese's attractions. The article has been reprinted with the permission of AAA.
Visit Burke County - Discover ValdeseAAA Carolinas Newsletter -- May - June 1997 -- Page 16You can go to Burke County, North Carolina, to enjoy the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights, the Linville Gorge Wilderness, or the Senator Sam Ervin library and museum. But the most inspirational spot in the county is probably the little community of Valdese. Settled by a religious group from the Italian Alps in the late 1800’s, Valdese is a testament to the intense work ethic, high morals arid stoic tenacity of the Waldensian people. Most of the adults in Valdese today are children and grandchildren of the original settlers in 1893, and their connection to the historical context of the community is still strong. Here’s a sampling of Valdese’s virtues: "From This Day Forward" Old Colony Amphitheatre (704) 874-0176 or (800) 743-8398 During the Middle Ages, the deeply religious ancestors of Valdese settlers defied the Roman Catholic Church and fled into the small valleys and caves of the rugged Cottian Alps between Italy and France to escape persecution. They refused to join the established church and abandon their simple faith, so thousands of them were tortured and murdered. When peace finally came six centuries later in the mid-1800’s, they suffered the hardship of overpopulation on a limited sup- ply of land. In order to support their families, they resettled in Burke County, North Carolina. The story of their pre-Reformation persecution, heart-wrenching relocation to a strange land, and subsequent hardship and struggle to succeed is told in the outdoor drama "From This Day For- ward." The production is presented in the open-air Old Colony Amphitheatre from mid-July until mid-August. Click here to return to the Valdese in the Press selection of articles. | 
