Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual

Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, located on the Cherokee Indian reservation in North Carolina, was founded in 1946. Its goal is to preserve Cherokee arts and crafts, and provide Cherokee people with a means to sell their crafts year-round. Today, Qualla Arts and Crafts...

Woolly Worms

Not too many generations ago, before snow plows, central heat, and supermarkets, winters in Appalachia were a much different experience than they are today. Many basic necessities such as mobility, heat, and food were not taken for granted. . .

Cornhusk Crafts

A Corn husk Family from Allenstand, part of the John Parris Collection Appalachian people, of Cherokee, European, and African origin, all share a long history of making useful and decorative items from the outer leaves of ears of corn, known as cornhusks, or corn...

Horace Kephart

In 1934, the United States Congress officially established what is today the most popular National Park in the country, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a result, over 500,000 acres of scenic. . .

Junior Johnson

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when moonshining was a means of survival in the mountains of Western North Carolina, a young man emerged who would go on to become one of NASCAR’s founding fathers. He reinforced the romanticized, cultural stereotype of a “noble rogue.” His name was Junior Johnson.

Culture

Plott Hounds

Plott Hounds

The Plott Hound is an agile, muscular dog with a short, often brindle colored coat and historic mountain heritage.  Of the 7 breeds of coonhounds recognized by the United Kennel Club, the Plott alone does not trace its ancestry from foxhounds. Its ancestors came from...

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Cecil Sharp

In 1915 Cecil Sharp, an important collector of traditional English ballads, was informed that many Appalachian singers were singing old English songs …

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Economy

Natural Diversity of Linville Falls

Natural Diversity of Linville Falls

The pamphlet, The Natural Diversity of Linville Falls, was published by Eastern National in 2001.  In 2002 it was awarded the National Park Service Cooperating Association's Excellence in Interpretation Award.  The pamphlet was created by Western Carolina University...

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Cecil Sharp

In 1915 Cecil Sharp, an important collector of traditional English ballads, was informed that many Appalachian singers were singing old English songs …

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Land

Native Animals

Western North Carolina is home to many different species of Appalachian animals. Here is a small list of the animals that reside in the area. Photo courtesy of Mark Haskett Animal Life The Black Bear is found throughout the mountains of North Carolina and all along...

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Native Plants

Native Plants

Western North Carolina is covered with plants indigenous to the Appalachian Mountains. Here is a short list of the plants found throughout the Linville Falls area. Photographs courtesy of Mark Haskett, Western Carolina University Photographic Services.  This...

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People

Mary Ulmer Chiltosky, 1986

Mountain Heritage Award Winner, 2012 Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Awards for 2012 were presented Saturday (Sept. 29) to Rob Tiger, a Hayesville community leader who has led numerous efforts to preserve that town’s historic and cultural heritage, and...

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Stecoah Valley Center, 2011

  WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher (left) presents a Mountain Heritage Award to the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, which is represented by its director, Beth Fields (right.) Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center (Organizational Recipient) Built of native rock...

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Institutions

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

In 1928, Bascom Lamar Lunsford turned his vast knowledge of traditional music and his organizational skills to the creation of a local music festival. The Asheville Chamber of Commerce had long sponsored an annual Rhododendron Festival, highlighting mountain arts and crafts. . .

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Mud Creek Missionary Baptist Church

Mud Creek Missionary Baptist Church

In May 1867, having been led by the spirit of God, newly freed slaves from Charleston joined with their ministers to establish the Mud Creek Missionary Baptist Church in East Flat Rock, North Carolina. With no permanent meeting house and only circuit riding clergymen. . .

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