In 1889, William West Skiles described a North Carolina location “entirely shut in by forest-clad mountains.” The area “was watered by three small, limpid streams, two of them leaping down the hillsides in foaming cascades,” Skiles wrote in Missionary Life at Valle Crucis. “It was this secluded valley which, from the cross-like form of the [...]
0 commentsAppalachian History
Stories, quotes and anecdotes.
Tag Archives: appalachian history
Feb
22
He deserted the Confederate AND the Union armies
John Denton fought for the Confederate Army, but deserted it. Then he joined the Union Army, but deserted it even faster. And that was just the beginning of his troubles. Denton volunteered for Company B (Monroe County, TN), 3rd Tennessee Regiment of Confederate Volunteers in Knoxville, TN on May 23, 1861 and fought at Manassas. [...]
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Feb
21
We got by, I guess
“Well, always when they’d get up, you know, early, they’d go feed their horses to get ‘em ready for the day’s work. And then they plowed with a turning plow. They’d hook the horses to that turning plow, you know, and plow. Whatever they done on the farm, they used the horses. Just had the [...]
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Feb
20
Farmer or astrologer? Both!
Despite this past weekend’s heavy snowfall in many parts of the region, the thaw’s not too far off now. It’ll soon be time to think about putting in the early plants like kale or spinach. When’s the best time to plant and harvest? Well, you might rely on your own experience, dumb luck, or more [...]
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Feb
17
Fasnacht in Helvetia WV
Lent will be here next Wednesday, and that means that many residents of Helvetia, WV will be foregoing hosenblatt meat pastries deep-fried in lard for awhile. Tomorrow folks there will have ample opportunity to consume that delicacy, along with donuts and rosettes, at the annual Fasnacht celebration. The Swiss settlers of Helvetia combined the Catholic [...]
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