Dave Tabler, Author at Appalachian History

She’s been called one of the best ballad singers in America. And yet the songs Aunt Molly Jackson is most remembered for are the ones she constructed herself.

December 7, 2020 Christmas traditions / General stores / Virginia

Cookies, Coffee, Coat buttons and more: Christmas Shopping Along the Great Wagon Road, 1840-50s

What did the typical buyer purchase at a country store in Newbern, VA in the mid 19th century? What about at Christmastime?

tryon toymakers and woodcarvers booklet cover

December 4, 2020 Childrens games / Christmas traditions / North Carolina

The Tryon Toy Makers and Woodcarvers

There is much to admire about Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale, the exceptional women who established their Tryon workshop in 1915.

December 3, 2020 Christmas traditions / Georgia

Christmas dawn was just breaking over the blue-hazed mountains

Our socks were filled with stick candy, rag dolls, sling shots, crow calls, whistles, apples, oranges and a few funny looking nuts.

December 2, 2020 Christmas traditions / Food industry / Tennessee

Pure Sugar Stick Candy has Sweetened Many an Appalachian Christmas

While the twin cities of Bristol have come to be known for racing & country music, their candy-making history shouldn’t be overlooked.

Author: Dave Tabler

Aunt Molly Jackson: A Complicated Character

Cookies, Coffee, Coat buttons and more: Christmas Shopping Along the Great Wagon Road, 1840-50s

The Tryon Toy Makers and Woodcarvers

Christmas dawn was just breaking over the blue-hazed mountains

Pure Sugar Stick Candy has Sweetened Many an Appalachian Christmas