Hickory – A program on the Legend of Tom Dooley will be offered at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library on Tuesday, September 17, at 6:30 p.m. Author Charlotte Barnes will provide an 
introduction to the Tom Dooley Legend and overview of her 2016 book “The Dooley Files: My Search for the Truth behind the Legend” and her newest book “Dooley!” from 2019. Following the discussion, musician Rob McHale and friends will provide a concert inspired by stories of some of our greatest Folk Legends.
Author Charlotte Corbin Barnes has spent nearly 30 years researching about the events surrounding that fateful day when “frail” Laura Foster “simply up and disappears.” “The Dooley Files” contains oral histories to help readers determine the “truths” surrounding the legend for themselves. “Dooley!” is a factual novel that deftly chronicles the multiple sides of the legend of Tom Dooley from the perspective of the New York Herald newspaper reporter who was assigned to cover Tom’s 1868 hanging in Statesville, NC.
Rob McHale is a North Carolina-based Folk-Americana artist whose songs have received recognition and awards from the American Songwriter Magazine, Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Dallas Songwriters Association, and Billboard. Rob’s album “Tom Dooley and Friends” reached #8 on the Folk DJ Charts in October of 2016 and held the #2 and #9 songs. It is a reflective look at Appalachian and Midwestern history inspired by the surrounding area of the Tom Dooley Museum.
The program is free and open to the public. Books and CDs will be available for purchase. For more information, please call 828-304-0500. Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is located at 375 3rd Street NE on the SALT Block.
