Hearts of Appalachia

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. ❤️

My interest in Appalachia began with my Granny Rector Polk. Her side of the family had been coal miners and ironworkers in Germany before coming to Virginia, where they eventually settled in Germanna. Later generations made their way into the Blue Ridge Mountains and eventually into the mountains of East Tennessee, where the family continued their trade and built the first forge in the area. That is where my granny was born and raised. Although she left the mountains after she married, she...

Pamela’s story from Lee County, Virginia I was moved to Lee County, my parents’ home place. Our first house was in Dryden. A fire took all we had. The people in the community rushed to help a family. My father died shortly after it of a heart attack. I was 9, my brother 7. Mother could not find work. We were at the mercy of strangers. First Baptist Church in Pennington Gap opened their doors asking for donations. My mother used everything we got. One thing was a Singer sewing machine. She...