Appalachian History

“Extensive national playgrounds have been reserved in various parts of the country for use by the people for camping and various kindred purposes. Most of these are in the West where Uncle Sam’s public lands were located. They are in the Yosemite, the Yellowstone, and many other National Parks – covering about six million acres [...]

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 [...]

Please welcome guest author Bob O’Connor, whose article ‘How Thomas Jefferson’s Rave Review put Harper’s Ferry on the Map’ ran in the just published premiere issue of Panhandle magazine. “West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle — home to an amazing mix of natural beauty, history and growth — deserves a top-notch publication,” says publisher Christine Miller Ford. [...]

Until Earl Shaffer actually did it, experts believed that a hike of the entire Appalachian Trail in one continuous trip was impossible. On July 10, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History opened “Earl Shaffer and the Appalachian Trail,” an exhibition that focuses on the fulfillment of Shaffer’s childhood goal of hiking the Trail. Featured [...]