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The Highlander's Historic & Cultural Tales on the Mountains
Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center
Foxfire Museum, Heritage Center and Literary Organization. The deep lines in their faces tell of hard times, like memories carved into the very fabric of their being. The language of their ancestors, the very accents of their kinsmen sound out like a recording on a vintage Victrola. Their traditions and culture reflect the cycles of the seasons like the circular rings of the internal tree lines. Their personal marks are everywhere, on the lands, in the homes, at the church and in the history laid down for generations to come. They revered the land, their families and their persistent faith. They tamed a wilderness, capturing a land that they dominated for nearly 200 years....continue story...
History of U.S. Forest Service and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
Prior to the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, around the turn of the 20th century, many natural forested landscapes in North American were to be lost due to uncontrolled exploitation and abuse of their natural resource. Most forestlands in America were either owned or leased by individuals, mostly lumber companies whose model was “the only good tree was a cut tree.” Entire forests were falling at an alarming rate for decades before the word “environmentalist” ever existed....continue story...
Joyce Kilmer, Patriot Poet...
Born Alfred Joyce Kilmer on December 6, 1886, this creative soul and devout Christian became a journalist, poet, literary critic, and an editor at the New York Times. Yet, a single poem catapulted Kilmer to notoriety, a 12-line poem expressing his dearest affection for “Trees,” written in the year 1913. Joyce Kilmer’s poem was published in 1914 in a collection entitled, Trees and Other Poems....continue story...
Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina
Welcome to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I'm not sure exactly what was going through George Washington Vanderbilt's mind when he visited Asheville, North Carolina in 1888. The historical facts state that he fell in love with the mountains while on a visit with his mother Mrs. Maria Louisa Vanderbilt. They were drawn to the breathtaking scenery, hot springs and the mild mountain climate that brought in a steady flow of tourism and summer residents. It was the Gilded Age, a time when wealthy "Victorian Era" Americans were living for social fare, travel and leisure....continue story...
History of the Ocoee
In the upper reaches of the highlands, natural springs release pure natural essence down the mountain slopes. These waters gather themselves into streams that find their way to creeks, flowing along until they merge with mountain rivers as they journey across the land and out to sea.
The Ocoee is one of these river mountain rivers. Its headwaters descend from the high country of northern Georgia into southeastern Tennessee, weaving its rushing whitewater westward, down the Ocoee Gorge and into Lake Ocoee. This particular river has been a favorite to rafters, kayakers and canoeist since 1977...continue story...
Christmas at the Front...1758
The Christmas program at Fort Loudoun offers us a vintage look at “Christmas Past.” A view of a more simple and humble time for those isolated far from home and country. No light shows, no fancy decorations, no grand hoop-la just the Spirit of a sacred time, a time of giving and reflection.
Living history makes Fort Loudoun not only a unique historical stage but also an educational theater concerning the lifestyles of Early Americans..... continue story...
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