Backcountry Folk of the North Carolina Mountains

Backcountry Notes ^ | May 10, 2010 | Jay Henderson

[jay1949]

"Casual visitors learn nothing about the true character of the mountaineers, nor can anyone be trusted to portray them if he holds a brief either for or against this people." Horace Kephart, Our Southern Mountaineers (1913). The images in this article are taken from various public domain sources. The descriptions are from the writings of Kephart, who lived in a cabin on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains from 1904 until 1907 and who had a good eye for the folkways and a fine ear for the dialect of the Backcountry folk of this place and time.

[DemonDeac]

Great book.

[jay1949]

***Mountain Folk and Log Cabins Ping List***

[jay1949]

From the monicker, I’m gathering you’re a Tar Heel and just maybe spent some time in Winston . . . .

Kephart’s books are a treasure trove. I plan to mine them again for an article on moonshining.

[squarebarb]

Jay, thanks again for these great posts.

[Rannug]

I am most of 64 and had my first drink of shine last night. I will never see 128, nor will I ever have that second drink. I love reading about old timey things. My probably all time favorite book is one of the Foxfire books. Don’t remember the name, but it is the one about cabin building, chimney making, making shakes, butchering, bout all one could want to know. At least in the 50 states, don’t know about the other seven. Probably nothing there I care about.

[RSmithOpt]

FYI: My family is from W. Virginia and NC mountains (Boone area). The part Kephart refers in his writings about mountain folk is still true today with those that still live remotely and are from the mountain lineage:

"As a friend, no one will spring quicker to your aid, reckless of consequences, and fight with you to the last ditch; but fear of betrayal lies at the very bottom of his nature. His sleepless suspicion of ulterior motives is no more, no less, than a feral trait, inherited from a long line of forebears whose isolated lives were preserved only by incessant vigilance against enemies that stalked by night and struck without warning."

[Dudoight]

I really enjoy this ‘Backcountry’ site. My ancestors domiciled in Tennessee and NC and I try to imagine what life was like all those years ago.

Thanks...

[Jonah Hex]

Another good writer about the Carolina highlands was Manly Wade Wellman (passed away 1986). His stories tended to use mountain folklore as a basis (especially his Silver John stories), but he captured the Carolina mountaineer spirit well.

[cva66snipe]

I’ve often wondered what those areas loked like before the park. Thanks for the view.