ATOM Display Returns To Heritage Museum

The holiday season is a good time for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Transylvania County offers a variety of opportunities to enjoy the sights and sounds of the season.

The Aluminum Tree & Ornament Museum (ATOM) at the Transylvania Heritage Museum takes visitors back to the time of the space race, when modern American families had a sparkling futuristic Christmas tree.  The trees consisted of foil needles on thin aluminum stems of varying lengths which were inserted into angled slots on a central trunk creating a conical shaped tree.  Often an electric roto-wheel light, placed underneath the tree, was used to add color to the shiny tree. 

The 1962 Sears Wishbook advertised a variety of aluminum trees from a basic two-and-half foot apartment-size at $2.29 to a seven-foot tree at $19.95.  The description read, “Gleaming high luster aluminum needles glued and mechanically locked on.  Easy to assemble, stand included.”

They also carried a high-end green aluminum tree that was sure to be “the most talked-about tree in your neighborhood!”  The seven-foot tree had 22 candle-type lights and sold for only $39.95. 

Aluminum trees were popular from the late-1950s into the mid-1960s.  The release of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965 cast artificial trees as a symbol of commercialism that had risen around the holiday and led to a decrease in their status.  Within a few years they were consigned to yard sales and thrift shops.

During the past couple of decades the glitzy trees of the past have seen a resurgence in popularity.  The Transylvania Heritage Museum at 189 West Street features aluminum trees in a variety of sizes and colors decorated by local individuals and organizations.  The ATOM exhibit is open Wednesday through Friday, 10:00 am until 5:00 pm and Saturday, 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.  It runs through Saturday, December 21.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs. For more information, comments, or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-1820.