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The Digital Heritage Project is a part of The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
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The Migration of the Scotch-Irish from Ulster to Western North Carolina
Migration has been a major feature of human history, beginning with the earliest hunter-gatherers who ranged widely in pursuit of food. Other motives for migration have included war, economic hardship, religious strife, and the promise of a better life. . .
Latest Headlines
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Iron Making
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsEuropeans introduced the important craft of iron making to Appalachia in the 16th century. Iron ore was discovered all over the region. Large deposits were found in Pennsylvania. Smaller ones were scattered in places like Cherokee. . . -
Craft Revival
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsFrom the 1880s until World War II, Appalachian crafts were rejuvenated by a cultural revival. It was led by missionaries and social workers who wanted both to preserve Appalachian culture, but also to improve the wellbeing of mountain people. . . -
Butter and Egg Money
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsAppalachian farm wives contributed to their family’s income through the butter and egg money they earned by taking their extra eggs and butter to the general store. . . -
Asheville Boom
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsFeverish economic development is not new to Western North Carolina. The arrival of the railroad in Asheville triggered a boom that resulted in the construction of over 65 new commercial buildings in the 1920s. . . -
Hanging Dog
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsThe Hanging Dog community in Cherokee County got its colorful name when a Cherokee Indian’s hunting dog barely escaped getting hung up in a mass of jammed logs and vines in a flooded creek. Nearby, European settlers found important deposits of iron. . . -
Cradle of Forestry
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsIn the early 20th century, the Appalachian forest was subjected to devastating large-scale commercial exploitation for the first time. At the same time, pioneering conservationists were devising reforms for forest management. . . -
Trail of Tears
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsIn the 1830s, the United States government, with the approval of the United States Congress and President Andrew Jackson, forcibly removed Southeastern American Indian tribes to present day Oklahoma. This atrocious act has been infamously named the Trail of Tears. . . -
Happy Land
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsIn 1865, a band of former slaves newly freed in Mississippi began searching for a new home. They settled near Tuxedo in Henderson County, North Carolina. They eventually bought 200 acres of land that they declared to be “The Kingdom of the Happy Land". . . -
Personal Names
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsPeople receive their names according to a number of social conventions. Often those conventions reflect regional differences. . . -
Old Christmas in Appalachia
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsChristmas in Appalachia was not always celebrated on December 25th. Whether because calendar reform in 1752 had removed 11 days, turning December 25th into January 6th, or because January 6th marked. . . -
Oconaluftee Indian Village
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsIn 1952, the Cherokee Historical Association opened the Oconaluftee Indian Village, a recreated Cherokee village set in the 1750s. . . -
Cornbread
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsCornbread is a staple in the Appalachian diet. Introduced to the corn plant by Native Americans, European settlers in the New World quickly adopted it for its ease of cultivation, it’s hardiness, and its versatility in cooking. . . -
Cherokee Storytelling
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsThe Cherokee people, like all Native American tribes, possess an extensive, ancient oral history. Before European contact and the creation of the Cherokee syllabary. . . -
Banjo
Posted on February 16, 2012 | No CommentsThe banjo, a four or five string musical instrument with a leather or plastic head stretched over a circular wooden rim, is pictured by many as the symbol of Appalachian music. . . -
4th of July
Posted on February 14, 2012 | No CommentsOld-time mountain 4th of July celebrations focused on patriotism. In smaller communities, they involve simple patriotic services in churches and a community dinner. . .