On May 18, 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, creating the TVA. The aim was to provide river navigation, flood control, electric power, employment and improved living conditions in the seven states cradling the Tennessee Valley region. Much of the public welcomed the TVA as one of the most visionary [...]
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Stories, quotes and anecdotes.
Author Archives: Dave Tabler
May
16
Emma Gatewood, 67, walks Appalachian Trail solo
Perry and Emma Gatewood’s oldest daughter Helen was already 20 years old in 1928, and the other children weren’t far behind. So Emma Gatewood became “Grandma Gatewood” to her immediate family long before the rest of the world knew her by that title. Throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s she continued raising her 11 children [...]
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May
15
It pleases me that dulcimer making goes back as far as the Bible
Edsel Martin (1927-1999) liked to refer to himself as the ‘mountain misfit of North Carolina.’ That understates the case just a tad. He was in fact a widely celebrated instrument maker, musician and artist whose work can be found in the Smithsonian Institution and the North Carolina Museum of History. Martin, a member of the [...]
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May
14
Old Man Wright rides into exile
Sunday Magazine–St. Louis Post Dispatch–May 9, 1926 OLD MAN WRIGHT RIDES INTO EXILESo as to Git Away From Trouble, This Settler of the Hills–Fighter and Killer–Sits Astride His Mare and Goes Slowly Down to the Valleys.By HARRY R. BURKEOf the Post-Dispatch Staff Pikeville, KY—Old Man Lige Wright packed his traps in the saddlebags and gingerly [...]
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May
13
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today’s show with the story of how colonial Virginia [...]
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