History

Few career opportunities were available to minority women in Appalachia in the first half of the 20th century. Nursing offered them a respected, relatively well paid profession and their work was important in challenging healthcare inequities in the region.

The authors discuss the social, political, economic, and cultural implications - in the Appalachian area and beyond - for Black residents of the region

From the time they established formal ties with Great Britain in 1730, the Cherokees had a rocky relationship with whites. They found grounds for dispute over trade practices, territorial control, and the complicated loyalties among the various Indian tribes and European powers. Over the years, the Cherokees struggled to maintain their ancient traditions as the tribe was assimilated into the white man's culture.

"A small earthen fort on Roanoke Island, traditionally known as Old Fort Raleigh, was the site of the first English colony in the Americas. Previous archaeological discoveries at the site left many questions unanswered by the 1990s. Where was the main fort and town founded by Raleigh's lieutenant, Ralph Lane, the first governor? Was the small log structure outside the fort really a defensive outwork? And why did the colonists go to the effort of making bricks from the local clay? These are the questions that scholars hoped to answer in an extensive, professional dig funded by National Geographic from 1991 to 1993. This skilled team of excavators-with a little luck-revealed America's first scientific laboratory, where the Elizabethan scientist Thomas Harriot analyzed North American natural resources and Joachim Gans assayed ores for valuable metals"-- Provided by publisher.

Karida L. Brown's Gone Home offers a much-needed corrective to the current white-washing of Appalachia. In telling the stories of Appalachian African Americans living and working in steel and coal towns, Brown offers a deep and sweeping look at race, the formation of identity, changes in politics and policy, and black migration in the region and beyond

The book is made up of many sections written by experts on Jackson County, including professors of Western Carolina University and influential members in the community.

Hungry Roots: How Food Communicates Appalachia’s Search for Resilience by Ashli Quesinberry Stokes and Wendy Atkins-Sayre explores the complex and diverse food culture of Southern Appalachia. Challenging romanticized and exclusionary stereotypes, the authors travel through cafes, soul food restaurants, distilleries, and community gardens to reveal the plurality of Appalachian foodways. Examining the role of heritage, resilience, and community, this book highlights how food continues to shape the region’s identity and social fabric.

Long before the term 'Affrilachia' became popular, Victoria A. Casey McDonald spent decades gathering the stories of her family and neighbors in North Carolina's Jackson County. Her book, Just Over the Hill: Black Appalachians in Jackson County, Western North Carolina, presents a collection of narratives that illuminate the lives of African Americans in the region. These stories include her grandmother's, Amanda Thomas, who was born into bondage. The biographies and histories continue through the twentieth century and feature educators, soldiers, factory workers, ministers, athletes, and other community members. Originally published in 2012, this edition of Just Over the Hill with an afterword Marie T. Cochran continues to speak for these resilient individuals to generations to come.

New Voyages to Carolina reimagines North Carolina’s history through an inclusive, multi-faceted lens, moving beyond traditional narratives of wars and elections. Featuring contributions from 18 distinguished scholars, the volume spans over four centuries, highlighting often-overlooked perspectives, including those of Indigenous peoples, African Americans, and women. It examines the state's geological influences, cultural and religious impacts, and tensions between industrial growth and "progressive" politics. This groundbreaking work offers a fresh chronology and bold interpretations, providing a candid and comprehensive exploration of North Carolina’s evolution, challenging established historical storylines while uncovering new insights into its past.

Many books have been written about Appalachia, but few have voiced its concerns with the warmth and directness of this one. From hundreds of interviews gathered by the Appalachian Oral History Project, editors Laurel Shackelford and Bill Weinberg have woven a rich verbal tapestry that portrays the people and the region in all their variety. The words on the page have the ring of truth, for these are the people of Appalachia speaking for themselves. Here they recollect an earlier time of isolation but of independence and neighborliness. For a nearer time they tell of the great changes that took place in Appalachia with the growth of coal mining and railroads and the disruption of old ways. Persisting through the years and sounding clearly in the interviews are the dignity of the Appalachian people and their close ties with the land, despite the exploitation and change they have endured.

Although African Americans make up a small portion of the population of western North Carolina, they have contributed much to the area's physical and cultural landscape. This study surveys the region's segregated black schools from Reconstruction through integration and reveals the struggles, achievements, and victory of a unified community intent on achieving an adequate education for its children.

Jon Sensbach’s study of the Moravian community in 18th-century North Carolina reveals a complex social experiment where German-speaking settlers combined religious ideals with the institution of slavery. Centered on creating a biblically guided, Christ-led society, the Moravians purchased slaves to support their growing economy. Despite believing in the gospel’s universalism and baptizing African Americans as full church members, they upheld slavery as divinely ordained. Black and white Moravians lived, worked, and worshiped together, with African Americans adopting Moravian cultural practices, including speaking German and playing classical music. Sensbach highlights the fluidity of race in a time of revolutionary ideals clashing with entrenched inequalities.

Tangled Roots by Sarah Mittlefehldt explores the history and significance of the Appalachian Trail, highlighting its unique blend of public-private cooperation and community involvement. Initially a grassroots effort, the trail became a model for federal-local collaboration, with citizen volunteers and the National Park Service bridging gaps between public and private interests. Mittlefehldt examines the trail's creation as a wilderness refuge within densely populated areas, reflecting broader environmental politics of the 20th century. Combining historical narrative and environmental insight, this well-researched book is essential reading for conservation historians, trail enthusiasts, and those interested in collaborative environmental stewardship.

Provides a collection of letters, military records, journal excerpts, and other firsthand accounts documenting the fate of the Cherokee Indians after the Indian Removal Act of 1830.