Recent Posts

• The Magic Cicada

• In Loving Memory of Jimmy Martin

• Mother's Day Out at River Place Cafe

• Stewardship--The Solution for What Ails Ye

• Historical Preservation Before and After Snapshots

• Barn Raising Along the Clinch

• Clinch River Conservation Center & Retreat Opening & Earth Day Event

• The Impact of Coal on the Clinch

• Spicy, Southern-Style Breaded & Baked Wild Fowl Recipe

• Community Heroes Create Conservation Easements

• Movies, Internet, and Video Games Decreasing Participation in Outdoor Recreation

• Sideshow Jobs for the “Inbred-Looking”

• River Place Featured on Tennessee's Wild Side

• Forget to stop for roses?

• Raise your Mountain Dews High

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• The Appalachian Quilt Trail
• The Melungeons
• Clinch Powell RC&D

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Historical Preservation Before and After Snapshots

During the 1930s when TVA photographed the region prior to the construction of dams, it was recorded that many of the rural Appalachian homesteads throughout the region still used farming and homesteading techniques such as spinning wheels, looms, milk churns, washtubs, etc. The photos were used by some well-intentioned or callous outsiders to depict Appalachian folk as "left behind" as the rest of the country benefited from luxuries such as electric washers, refrigerators, telephones, heat, and lighting. This depiction of hillfolk as backwards and deprived embarrassed many rural folks into abandoning centuries-old skills and crafts, lifestyles, and values that had passed on for generations. Many in the concerned river areas were evacuated due to the dams flooding entire towns and valleys. Some moved on to the cities and never returned to Appalachia. Yet those that stayed are oftimes a stubborn breed and some still look for an economically viable way to continue the old traditions. Many of the old ways resonate in manner and attitudes, in the music, at the local churches, and in chance conversations at the corner store. Self-sufficiency and independence are valued throughout the region.

A home may go through many style revisions over the course of a century. These are before and after photos of the restoration of the rental cottage to vintage Appalachian style circa 1800s. No spinning wheels or looms present, but you're welcome to bring your own.