[2] Historical evidence shows that Ashe County was inhabited by Native Americans, which included the Cherokee, Creek, and Shawnee tribes.

Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence.

[3] The earliest Europeans to explore Ashe County were Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg – head of the Moravian Church in America – and his associates, Timothy Horsefield, Joseph Mueller, Henry Antes, Johan Merck, and Herman Loesch.

Bishop Spangenberg wrote about his journey in Ashe in a diary that has been preserved by the Moravian church.

The only one of Spangenberg's group to return and permanently settle in Ashe County was Herman Loesch.

[4] During the Revolutionary War one skirmish was fought in Ashe County, the Battle of Big Glades.

The battle was fought in July 1780 between a force of Americans, led by Captain Robert Love, and a force of 150 British Loyalists on their way to Charlotte to join Lord Cornwallis, the British commander in the Southern colonies.

The North Carolina legislature created Ashe County in late 1799 with an area of 977 square miles (2,530 km2).

Many family surnames noted in the 1800 Ashe County Census, such as Bare, Barker, Blevins, Hart, Stamper, Miller, Burkett, Gambill, Baldwin, and Ballou, are still present today.

Most of the county is located atop a rolling plateau that ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 feet (760 to 910 m) above sea level.

Ashe County has historically consisted of rural farmland, with numerous cattle and poultry farms.

However, cattle farming in recent decades has given way to the industry of raising Christmas trees.

Considerably more snow falls on the peaks and the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains.

Ashe County is also a very windy location, especially in winter, when several times each year the Jefferson Airport sees winds gusting 60 to 85 MPH (97 to 137 KPH).

Combined with the winds typical for the region, Ashe County can also see extremely cold temperatures during winter.

[11] During Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, Ashe County recorded an atypical low of −15 °F (−26 °C).

[12] Single digit temperatures, often just above zero Fahrenheit, are observed occasionally in the winter months.

Despite its southerly latitude, these factors can make Ashe County experience winter conditions typically seen in the northeastern United States.

[25] In the North Carolina Senate, Ashe County lies in the 47th district and is represented by Republican Ralph Hise.

Ashe County is a member of the regional High Country Council of Governments.

It is a weekly, paid circulation newspaper that is published every Wednesday with breaking news posted immediately on ashepostandtimes.com.