When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in the 1930s and 1940s, hundreds of families were forced to leave their homes and farms to make way for the new park. An extensive research project is now underway to map and characterize the home sites of the people who once lived in the Swain County section of the park.

A presentation by Don Casada and Wendy Trehern Meyers on the project will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

This presentation is an overview of their research and will be of interest to anyone concerned with local history or genealogy. The researchers are also looking for descendents of the original settlers, along with pictures and stories to help contribute to the body of knowledge. 828.488.3030.