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Uncover the untold stories of Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute at Pack Memorial Library

Learn about the history the historic space research station during this History Hour event.

A photo of the starry night sky at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Views of the night sky go for miles at PARI.

Photo by Tim Reaves

Underground tunnels with nuclear missiles, a secret submarine base, an city of aliens beneath the surface — these are a few of the myths that surrounded the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) after it was taken over by the Department of Defense during the Cold War. Former CIA executive Craig Gralley will take you deep into PARI’s lore at Pack Memorial Library’s “History Hour: The Untold Stories of PARI.”

Craig will lead the journey from PARI’s past to its present with information from his latest book, “Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute: An Untold History of Spacemen & Spies.”

The free event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 10:15 a.m., hosted by Buncombe County Special Collections and the Asheville Museum of History. Register to attend, or join from home via Zoom.

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