Day Four: The Appalachian Stereotype

Appalachia's history as a mountainous melting pot dates to before the Revolutionary War, when the region's misty crags were an almost impenetrable Western frontier. Indian nations, including Cherokee and Shawnee, were the first to inhabit the area. A major wave of European settlers — primarily of Irish and Scottish descent — arrived via federal land grants in the early 18th century. African-Americans, both free and enslaved, arrived at this time as well. All these groups played key roles in shaping and molding the cultural traditions of the region. But the region is not comprised of only the descendants of the Scots and Irish that came here in the 1700's.

African-Americans made up more than 10 percent of the region's population by 1860, with Appalachia's ethnic profile shifting dramatically as multiracial families boomed. (Later, those with blended Scots-Irish, Native American and African-American roots would come to be known as Melungeons.)

In the years following the Civil War, former slaves migrated north to the region to escape the persecution of the Deep South. In Eastern Kentucky, Berea College opened its doors in 1867 to students of all races, with the first year's class totaling 187 students: 96 African-American and 91 white.

The coal crescendo during the early part of the 20th century brought in even greater diversity, with tens of thousands of Hungarian, Italian and Eastern European immigrants flocking to the mountains to cash in on booming mining towns. After the Great Depression, many of these immigrants — along with African-American families — moved to urban centers such as Cincinnati and Detroit in pursuit of more stable and less backbreaking work. These pioneers were some of the first to create "urban Appalachian" enclaves, spreading the traditions of an isolated region to metropolitan areas across the Midwest.

However the stereotype (the largely accepted presumption) of Appalachians as backwards, and unintelligent continues.  Mass media, movies and books poke full at Appalachians and unfairly portray them.

Much, though, has been done to counter these stereotypes though books, music, and highlighting the many positive attributes of Appalachians

Appalachian State University Even Uses The "Hillbilly" As It's Mascot

Day Four: Digging Deeper

Coal
As industry in the east grew, cheap and plentiful fuel sources were needed. Coal filled that need. Southwest Virginia's geological make up left large coal deposits in the western most counties, and those same seems run North into the West Virginia coalfields.  Coal is labor intensive to mine, and conditions in mines were dangerous.  Miners using dynamite would blow small tunnels into the walls of the mines, then carve out the walls into a larger tunnel. Other miners would shovel the coal into carts and those carts would be pulled out of the mines first by mules, then by small steam engines that used coal for power.  Coal companies owned everything surrounding the coal mines including the houses the miners lived in.  Miners were payed in script only good for buying over priced goods at the company owned store.  Miners were also payed poor wages, thus the line in the song "I owe my soul to the company store."

Railroads
Small railroads, then the much larger Clinchfield Railroad opened up the isolated mountains.  Used to carry coal, and other natural resources out of Southwest Virginia the railroads were built into the rugged mountains and over the deep valleys. This too was dangerous work, and 200 workers were killed in the process. Railroads also brought culture into the mountains. Rather than building or making everything needed to survive the people of Southwest Virginia could buy essential goods at company stores. This was a costly and lead to the decline of people doing everything in the "old ways"

Other Industries
Other industries besides coal flourished including textiles in Bristol, and chemicals in Saltville. Bristol established itself as a textile hub when several large garment factories located there.  Today Pointer Brand Overalls are made in Bristol. Saltville saw the advent of the American chemical industry when Mathison Chemical Company opened there in the 1890's.  Overtime Saltville would be the home of Mathison's rocket fuel production plant.  As NASA developed the Apollo rockets that would carry man to the moon for the first time, it was Mathison was picked to provide the rocket fuel

The Bristol Sessions
Industrialization also brought the mountain culture many things it did not already have and make the rest of the world aware of its music, people and culture. One of the most noted examples of this is the 1927 Bristol Recording session of The Carter Family (of Maces Spring, Virginia) and Jimmie Rogers by Victor Recording producer Ralph Peer. Those recordings are considered by many to be the "big bang" of country music. For the first time, Appalachian music was mass produced and sold across the country. Prior attempts by students of music like Alan Lomax had recorded mountain music, but for scholarly endeavors.  

Day Four: Homework

For Tomorrow Think Of The Following

1) 3 Negative effects of the Appalachian stereotype
2) 3 Positive effects of the Appalachian stereotype
3) Ways you have been effected by the Appalachian stereotype