I grew up watching my Granny live what I now recognize as mountain ways. Years later, genealogy led me from her East Tennessee roots to German miners and ironworkers, Germanna, and an iron forge on Piney Creek. This is part of my family story, and part of why preserving Appalachian stories matters so much to me. ❤️

Growing up in Appalachia meant growing up close to the land, close to our people, and close to the things most folks' hurry past. We lived a little behind the rest of the world- maybe a generation or two by their standards- but it never felt like we were lacking. Life moved slow enough for us to hear it, and we learned early that listening was half of living. Little Indian Creek Holler in Kentucky Little Indian Creek is where my days were spent. That water had its own way of

Heartbeats of Appalachia The Heartbeats of Appalachia project is an open invitation for Appalachian towns to share their unique stories,...