Oak Ridge. These words always had an enigmatic, almost magical sound to my ears. I couldn’t imagine what my father found so fascinating about this place. More fascinating than nature walks in the woods. More fascinating than teaching biology at the university. So fascinating that he would give up theContinue Reading
What possible connection could world-renowned, Russian-born pianist, composer, and performer Sergei Rachmaninoff have with Appalachia? Well, a concert, of course. But not just any concert—his last concert. Earlier this year, the UT Symphony Orchestra commemorated the 80th anniversary of that performance with a concert. Rachmaninoff was a fascinating individual andContinue Reading
Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling, When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling! When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin, Glaring out through the dark with a candle within! (25-28) —from “The Pumpkin” by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1844 People living inContinue Reading
I hope everyone has been pleased with this Daugherty series, or, perhaps, been enlightened? My goal has always been to write the facts and let the reader sift through it all. Though admittedly, I may have either ventured into my own opinions or, perhaps, somehow revealed them in my writing.Continue Reading
Earlier this year, Appalachia Bare took a trip to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. If any of our readers are true crime aficionados, this visit would be worth your while. The museum’s architectural structure is built similar to one of the buildings on Alcatraz Island, andContinue Reading
Rebecca Harding Davis Rebecca Harding Davis was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1831, and spent her first five years in Big Springs, Alabama. In 1836, her family moved to Wheeling in what would become West Virginia. When she was fourteen, she was sent to the Washington Female SeminaryContinue Reading
In 1935, East Tennessee mountain man William Henry Hawkins grabbed his shotgun and marched with purpose out of his humble, box-frame home, where he lived with his wife and young daughter. He then drove to Norris Dam as a one man show of force to stop the Tennessee Valley AuthorityContinue Reading
Thinking back on my Amma, West Virginia, days has been bittersweet. I miss my dad, Ross Carper, and all that he was. He was such a good father and a sweet, kind, and humble man. He was a hard worker for Columbia Gas, as well as at home. Dad providedContinue Reading
Trigger Warning: The following article contains details about murder and gun violence. We’re there once again, on that early afternoon on April 9, 1922, watching from behind wide, untouched trees, sitting among wildflowers, wild life, and wild ginger. Deputy Sheriff Byrd Daugherty’s side came upon Daniel Britton Daugherty’s side onContinue Reading
A childhood memory, ca. 1965, when I was nine years old in Swannanoa, North Carolina . . . Up in the holler . . . If my memory serves me correctly, it was late afternoon; I don’t remember what season of the year it was, although it was warm outside.Continue Reading