Smoky Mountain Living June 2012 by Smoky Mountain News

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

& Natural

Wonders Await. From native festivals to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino entertainment an adventure awaits in the mountain homeland of the Cherokee Indians.

MOUNTAIN WOMEN • MRS. VANDERBILT AND HER DAUGHTER • BIRDING CALLS • NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Smoky Mountain L I V I N G

HIGH COUNTRY & GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA & TENNESSEE

Women Ladies of Biltmore Ancient discoveries The female of the species

VisitCherokeeNC.com 800-438-1601 Sponsored in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation

JUNE/JULY 2012 • VOL. 12 • NO. 3

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Cultural

JUNE/JULY • 2012

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Kathryn Stripling Byer’s mountain home Out & About: Remembering the Titanic in Tenn. Destination: Cherokee, N.C.

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Go where no cat has gone before.

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CHEROKEE 3273 US Hwy 441 N 828-497-3734

HENDERSONVILLE 2520 Chimney Rock Rd. 828-698-5684

SPRUCE PINE 800 Summit Ave. 828-766-8880

BAKERSVILLE 54 North Mitchell Ave. 828-688-5800

BRYSON CITY 145 Slope St. 828-488-1168

ETOWAH 50 United Bank Drive 828-890-3600

MURPHY 116 Peachtree St. 828-837-9291

SYLVA 1640 E. Main St. 828-631-9166

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FRANKLIN 257 E. Main Street 828-369-6197

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WELCOME

from the managing editor

I agreed to go to a concealed weapons class not because I wanted a gun but because Laura wanted to go and she had a gift certificate. We were the only two women in the class, and as it came time to head to the range I turned to Laura to ask the obvious. “Is it just me, or do you get the distinct feeling that they all think we’re going to be really terrible at this?” “Oh yeah. They totally think we’re going to be terrible at this,” she said. “You realize that it is therefore extremely important that we are not terrible at this,” I said. “Indeed.” Sarah E. Kucharski The upshot of concealed carry shooting is that it’s not a marksmanship competition. The whole idea is that any weapon discharge will be in close proximity to the target. The laws are written such that one must see the target and determine that it is an immediate threat with intent to cause bodily harm before ﬁring. There are a slew of other laws that are the dividing line between self-protection and assault with a deadly weapon. For the shooting range though, our primary concerns were safely and effectively handling our weapons and keeping the

From the Web We asked our Facebook fans if they knew a mountain woman and what deﬁnes a mountain woman. Here’s what they had to say: “I am a mountain woman, born to a long line of mountain women, cousin to a mountain woman, and friend to many mountain women. We were born there, but more importantly, no matter how far from the blue hills we go, our heart leaps to our throats when we see them in the distance on our return. We have veins of iron and eyes flecked with gold. Deer and lions run circles round tall trees in our dreams, and fish 2

tiny bullet holes within the outline of the marauder stapled to a post before us. We made a good showing, hit more than we missed, and at least outshot one of the old guys, which—along with our written test—earned us a certificate of course completion. Given that the gun that I want costs more than a month’s mortgage, I don’t see myself owning one any time soon. Knowing how to shoot a gun is one of the things that any good mountain woman should have in her list of skills, and I don’t mean to just hit the broadside of a barn. It’s a basic, along with being able to drive a stick-shift, change a flat tire, make biscuits from scratch, and identify poison ivy. A mountain woman is a woman who can, and will, fend for herself when needed. This issue of Smoky Mountain Living is dedicated to the mountain woman in the family and in the field. One of my favorite features comes from our readers who shared some of their family photos and stories of mountain women who were raised in the Appalachians and those who came to make the Appalachians their home. Take a look and take some time to appreciate the mountain women in your life. — Sarah E. Kucharski, managing editor

A mountain woman is a woman who can, and will, fend for herself when needed.

Mail your letter to Editor, P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 or email sarah@smliv.com.

leap in cold streams when we wake to face another day. We are mountain women, and we survive what others can only imagine.” — Melanie Wilcox “[A mountain woman has] the knowledge and bearing of one who knows that she breathes freely in these mountains, the being comfortable in one's own skin and heritage, the sticktoitiveness, the intestinal fortitude that doesn't allow challenges and hard times to defeat because she comes from generations of hardy and independent mountain people, raised with the attitude of there is a way through to the other side, and innovative and creative ways to problem solving.” — Susan Walker SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

“My mother can out fish, out hunt and track any man we know. She got a 10-point buck when she was 71 years of age. She can cook some of the best game meat you ever put in your mouth and makes the best cat head biscuits gravy ever landed on. She was born and raised in these mountains all her life. You can tell she's a level-headed woman because she has snuff running out of both sides of her mouth.” — Rita Emory Connect with us at facebook.com/smliv. Fans have access to special promotions and giveaways including subscriptions, tickets, and more.

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About our writers Kathryn Stripling Byer has VOL. 12 • NUMBER 3 Publisher/Editor . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Mc Le od editor@smliv.com General Manager . . . . . . . . . G re gBoothroyd ads@smliv.com Advertising Manager . . . . . . . Ja son Nichols jason@smliv.com Managing Editor . . . . . . . Sa ra h EKucharski . sarah@smliv.com Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . Travis Bumgardner travis@smliv.com Graphics . . . Margaret Hester, Micah McClure Finance & Admin. . . . . . . Amanda Singletary Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G re gBoothroyd, Whitney Burton, Scott Collier, Drew Cook, Lila Eason, Jason Nichols Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ja son Nichols Contributing Writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Stripling-Byer, Don Hendershot, Joe Hooten, Marla Hardee Milling, Jack Neely, Sarah Smith-Nester, Anna Oakes, Rebecca Tolley-Stokes Contributing Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Haskett, Jennifer Haynes, Joe Hooten, Becky Johnson, Scot McKie, Patrick Parton, Sherry Shook, Stewart Stokes, Jack Williams Contributing Illustrator . . Mandy Newham Smoky Mountain Living is published bi-monthly by SM Living LLC. Smoky Mountain Living has made every effort to insure listings and information are accurate and assumes no liability for errors or omissions. For advertising information, contact Jason Nichols at 828.452.2251 or jason@smliv.com. For editorial inquiries, contact Sarah Kucharski at sarah@smliv.com. Smoky Mountain Living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Queries should be sent to Sarah E. Kucharski at sarah@smliv.com. ©2012. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reprinted without the express, written consent of the publisher. Smoky Mountain Living is published bi-monthly (Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr,May, Jun/Jul, Aug/Sep, Oct/Nov) by SM Living, LLC, 34 Church Street, Waynesville, NC 28786. Application to Mail at Periodical Postage Prices is pending at Waynesville NC and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to Smoky Mountain Living, PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786.

lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina since 1968. She has published five collections of poetry, and her works have been published poetry in magazines ranging from The Atlantic Monthly to Appalachian Heritage. She likes to hike, bang pots and pans around in her kitchen, and love several dogs who leave fur all over her carpets. She writes poetry because it's her way of singing back to the world both within and without.

Anna Oakes is a mountain girl raised in the rural northern end of Caldwell County and a proud graduate of Appalachian State University. She tolerates the harsh mountain winters in exchange for the heavenly summers of the High Country, where you’ll find her on the river, dancing to an old-time string band or vegetable gardening. She writes for the Watauga Democrat in Boone.

Rebecca Tolley-Stokes is a writer, librarian, and East Tennessee native/resident who no longer has time to knit, sew, quilt, play accordion, ride horses, or enjoy any other favorite pastimes. She hates the way that people from “off” mispronounce Appalachia, especially on NPR, and loves how the Southern Appalachian region is rife with opportunities for learning about ecology, community, and culture.

Jack Neely is a reporter and associate editor for Knoxville’s alternative weekly, Metro Pulse, maybe best known for his award-winning column, “Secret History,” about the city’s oftenstartling past. He is also the co-author of that paper’s fiendishly clever crossword puzzle, a monthly humor columnist for Knoxville Magazine, host of a weekly internet talk show called “The Scruffy Citizen,” lecturer on subjects ranging from local impressionism to white lightning, and sometime leader of absurdly lengthy literary pub crawls around his home town. WWW.SMLIV.COM

Sarah Nester is a wedding and event planner, former newspaper journalist and communications jack-of-all-trades living in Washington, D.C. She was born and raised in Western North Carolina and tries to fascinate urban people with her tales of mountain upbringing. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in English and publishing from Rosemont College. She has worked as a newspaper journalist and columnist in Tennessee, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pa. She enjoys writing about fashion, culture and regional interests. She likes beautiful shoes and fly-fishing (but not at the same time). She is married with a brand new baby daughter and too many cats to disclose.

Joe Hooten was born in Macon, Ga., but spent his formative years surfing the beaches near his home in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. He eventually found his way to Western North Carolina for college at Cullowhee. He received his B.A. in Education from Western Carolina and his M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hooten taught public middle and high school history in Hendersonville, Cary and then Raleigh for ten years before moving back to Asheville with his wife and three young kids in 2008. Hooten writes about his all-time favorite hobby— music—for The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living. A second-rate guitarist, he can be found most evenings pickin’ some tunes on the back porch while enjoying the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.

Don Hendershot is a freelance writer, naturalist and biological consultant living in Waynesville, N.C. He has written in magazines including Our State, Native American Journal, and Smoky Mountain Living. His weekly column, The Naturalist's Corner, appears in The Smoky Mountain News. Hendershot was nominated by the RooseveltAshes Society for Outstanding Journalist in Conservation 2010. He is contracted with the USDA Forest Service to conduct bird point surveys in six of the eight North Carolina Ranger Districts. His most coveted title is “Daddy” to 10-year-old Izzy and 6-year-old Maddie. Read more at thenaturalistscorner.com. 3

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in this issue: Women of the Smokies Who is a mountain woman? Readers share their family photos and stories.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do” Archaeologist Jane Eastman has spent a career digging up Appalachia’s past. By Anna Oakes

Feminine influence at Biltmore A new exhibit at Biltmore Estate focuses on the Vanderbilt ladies, George’s wife Edith and their beloved daughter Cornelia. By Marla Hardee Milling

Calloused hands, kindred spirits Appalachian women developed a culture built around hard work, family and sharing that helped shape the independent mountain spirit. By Sarah Smith Nester

The Birds of Summer Even after the annual spring migration, birding in the Smokies remains a rich and rewarding pastime. By Don Hendershot

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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departments Mountain Music Songstress Dulci Ellenberger and her band Now You See Them find a warm welcome in Asheville. 20

Out & About Dollywood’s new coaster, marking the peace between the British and the Cherokee, and the Titanic sinking’s centennial. 22

Arts Summer celebrations of original art, mountain music and traditional dancing. 24

Destination Explore the mountains’ Native American culture in Cherokee, N.C. where history and tradition intersect with the excitement and luxury of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Resort. This destination is one for the whole family. By Sarah E. Kucharski

Outdoors Re-discovering the “Cullowhee” lily and paying homage to the ferns of the Smokies. 26

Cuisine Explore Asheville’s culinary scene at the Food and Wine Festival. 30

Mountain Voices Celebrating Cullowhee Valley’s guiding spirits. 32

On the cover: Patti Caldwell demonstrates drop spinning at the Cradle of Forestry. MARGARET HESTER PHOTO PICTOGRAPHYBYMARGARET.COM

Mountain Letters Appalachian novels look at life as an orphan and the imagined history of the Melungeons. 34

Mountain Views An Englishwoman in the Smokies. 72

resources: Shopping Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Shop Savvy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Select Lodging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

White Co. Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Waynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Black Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Asheville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

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“In 1943, Wilma Maples of Loudon County, Tenn., pictured with Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, was one of the first female employees of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She was a clerical assistant to then Chief Ranger John Needham, as well as other park departments. Following her appointment with the National Park Service, Wilma worked at the Gatlinburg Inn and Oak Ridge National Laboratory before a proposal of marriage arrived in letter form from Gatlinburg Inn owner Rel Maples. They married in 1954 and ran the Gatlinburg Inn together until Rel’s passing in 1985. Wilma lovingly-preserved the Inn’s 450-bush rose garden and rooms and furnishings just as Rel would have wanted it until the day of her passing on December 30, 2011. Room 388 looks just as it did in 1967 when Felice and Boudreaux Bryant penned “Rocky Top,” Tennessee’s state song, there. The tourist draw of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was never lost on Mrs. Maples. In her lifetime, she was the single largest individual contributor to Friends of the Smokies, and she gave 150 acres of land adjacent to Cove Mountain to the Park in 2009. She invested in the preservation of the mountains that meant so much to her life and livelihood.” — Submitted by Holly Scott, Photo by Jack Williams

“My grandmother Bina Miller Kerley, whom I loved dearly, was born in the Aho community of Watauga County, right down the road from Laurel Fork Baptist Church, on March 14, 1899. She had a hard life. At the age of seven she developed polio, which left her with a crippled foot. Her mother died when she was ten. She married when she was fourteen and had 10 children (two of whom died in infancy). She moved many times, living in Watauga County, Caldwell County, Wilkes County, and Alexander County, even homesteading for a few years near Moorcroft, Wyoming. Her marriage did not survive the Depression. Two of her children were deaf. She lost her oldest child at the Battle of Tarawa, and four years passed before his body was returned for burial. She lived for many years with her deaf mute son, making do on very little, spending her free time quilting and crocheting after the chores were done. She died at the age of 92 and is buried at Laurel Fork Church in Aho, just up the hill from where she was born.” — Submitted by Grace Deal, Family photos donated by Grace Deal

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Who is a mountain woman? What does she look like? What characteristics does she embody? Smoky Mountain Living’s readers shared their stories and images of mountain woman including family and friends—strong and independent women who were born in the Southern Appalachians or grew to love the mountains as their home.

“When Joyce Ridenhour first saw the miniature donkeys, she fell in love with them. There are other animals on the farm—cattle, a horse, dogs and cats—but there is just something different about her little donkeys. Joyce loves to be outside working with them. She even built the barn for them and travels to get hay for the animals. I don't know many women that love the farm life and the animals like Joyce does. She recently bought two new miniature donkeys along with a wagon that they pull. She can't wait for me to come make pictures of them with the wagon. She even travels to county fairs to see the miniature donkey shows.” — Submitted by Sherry Shook, Photo by Sherry Shook

“Danny Bernstein, pictured with her husband Lenny, has walked all over the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. She is a 900-Miler in the Smokies, meaning that she has hiked all of the trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She leads a monthly hike for Friends of the Smokies, interpreting the natural and cultural history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a small group of participants. Danny maintains a section of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, and when she’s not trekking in the mountains, she’s blogging about them at hikertohiker.com or writing hiking books.” — Submitted by Holly Scott, Photo by Jack Williams

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“The woman with the chickens and the cow was my great-grandmother Josie Davis. She was born in the coal mining country of Coalfield, Tenn., in 1870 and was the daughter of a Baptist minister who was also a tailor. Josie was an excellent seamstress and quilt maker and made all the family’s clothes. She worked with her husband as a share cropper on a big farm in Tennessee before moving by wagon to Blount County, Tenn. She raised her own chickens and cows and did her own preserves, canning, butter, everything. She was educated and spoke Cherokee and use to call my grandfather Tsula Osdi, meaning Little Fox, because he had a pet fox that would kill her chickens. She smoked a corn cob pipe and rode her horse side saddle.” — Submitted by Yvette McClure, Family photos donated by Yvette McClure

“Bertie Sneed Poteat was one of the truest mountain women. There could not have been many who knew more about these mountains. Part Cherokee, she had a deep love and respect for the mountains God gave us and she could name every tree, bush and flower, plus tell you what they were good for medicinally or the ones to stay away from. As a young girl, used to being in Florida flatlands, I would come spend time in the summer and she would hike me all over the backwoods. My poor legs would be begging Mother (as the grandchildren called her) to let me rest. She was a tough lady, but also the sweetest and kindest person you would ever want to meet. I adored her and only wish I had listened closer when she was telling me what all the plants were good for, and written down her stories. The couple is her parents, Shelby and Laura Payne Sneed. They were true stewards of the land.” — Submitted by Gail Lunsford Muse, Family photos donated by Gail Lunsford Muse

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The next issue of Smoky Mountain Living will explore all things found. What do you find hiding in the woods? Can you capture a game of hide and seek? Send your images of discovery to photos@smliv.com by June 18.

“My grandmother Jane Singletary wasn’t a born and raised mountain woman. In fact, if it weren’t for love and marriage she probably would never have stepped foot in Haywood County, North Carolina. But love has a way of leading folks in new and unexpected directions. As a South Dakota flatlander, the move to western North Carolina in the early 1950s was quite a transition. It didn’t take long for the realization to set in that not only would she be living on the tip top of a mountain, but that she was also going to be a farmer’s wife. She would declare, ‘I swear if I had known what I was getting myself into, I would’ve thought twice about saying ‘I do’.’ Yet over time she came around to enjoying life in the Smokies; embracing the culture, the people and their traditions. I remember fondly her appreciation for ‘God’s air conditioning;’ the term she used for the naturally cooler temperatures up on the mountain top. She even took up canning and making strawberry preserves in adherence to her new role as a farmer’s wife. In addition to her responsibilities on the farm, she worked nights as a Nursing Supervisor at Haywood County Hospital and helped birth babies from all over the county. Jane came to view the mountains as a nice place to live and an even better place to raise a growing family. In fact, my greatgrandmother, Emma Picton, followed her lead, making the trek from South Dakota to Haywood County. Both women called western North Carolina ‘home’ until their deaths. Jane was proof that being a mountain woman isn’t about one’s place of birth but is about respecting and living up to the culture and values found only in the Smoky Mountains.” — Submitted by Amanda Singletary, family photos donated by Amanda Singletary

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Cherokee, n.c.

Those who seek out the real cultural experiences that Cherokee has to offer will be richly rewarded. A first stop should be the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, which this year again welcomes the “Emissaries of Peace: 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations” exhibit, the research for which has become the focus for cultural revitalization among Cherokee people in traditional dance, clothing, pottery, fingerweaving, feather capes, and more. The year 1762 is significant throughout Cherokee history, due in no small part to the journals Lt. Henry Timberlake kept of his explorations of the region. The 250th Anniversary of Timberlake’s journey will be marked throughout Cherokee territory this year, MARK HASKETT PHOTO

DESTINATION

Cherokee, N.C., is a nation unto itself and offers visitors a chance to learn about the native culture that originated in the Southern Appalachians. It is the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and also known as the Qualla Boundary.

t is believed that the Cherokee have inhabited this region for more than 11,000 years. Semi-permanent villages were dotted among the mountains by 8,000 B.C. The first Europeans did not pass through Cherokee territory until 1540—at that time the Cherokee controlled some 140,000 square miles throughout eight present-day southern states. For the first 200 years of contact between the Cherokee and the Europeans, the Cherokee and settlers peacefully co-existed. Marriage between the two cultures was not uncommon. The role of written language—which the Cherokee did not previously have—motivated Sequoyah to create a Cherokee syllabary in 1821, which made the Cherokee literate. However, broken trade agreements and hostilities from white settlers dramatically impacted the Cherokee, reducing their territory. Andrew Jackson began to insist that all southeastern Indians be moved west of the Mississippi, and despite native protests, the Trail of Tears proceeded, marching the Cherokee to Oklahoma. Nearly half of the 16,000 Cherokees on the forced march died of exposure, disease, and the shock of separation from their home. The Cherokees in Western North Carolina today are descendants of those who were able to hold on to land they owned, those who hid in the hills, defying removal, and others who returned, many on foot. 10

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

CHEROKEE NC PHOTO

Shi-yo means hello The ‘Emissaries of Peace’ exhibit presents two views of society—that of Lt. Henry Timberlake’s Cherokee and three Cherokee leaders’ impression of meeting King George III in London.

with special events in Cherokee and Fort Loudoun, Tenn. Cherokee’s Warriors of AniKituhwa, sponsored by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, will partake in events, bringing to life the Cherokee War Dance and Eagle Tail Dance that Timberlake described in his journals. Other permanent exhibits at the museum tell the story of the Cherokee through the Paleo, Archaic, and Mississippian periods. From the museum, head to Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, the oldest and leading Native American Arts cooperative in the United States. A small gallery features award-winning works and information about some of the tribe’s well-known crafters. The cases display everything from traditional basketry to modern interpretations of Native American pottery and intricate beadwork. Browse the shop ﬁlled with a wide array of locally made crafts and those from other Native American tribes. Qualla Arts and Crafts is open into the early evening during the summer season.

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Cast a line Cherokeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s river waters are stocked with nearly 400,000 trout a year, and fishing is made accessible throughout the Qualla Boundary thanks to tribal conservation of forest waterways, stream banks, stream entry points, and bridge ways. Fish thirty miles of freestone streams that include secluded forest settings, suburban road side areas as well as the center of the town of Cherokee. F ound only in high elevations and foothills, a freestone stream is formed by runoff rain or melting snow water, collecting as gravity pulls it off mountaintops, forest floors, and isolated coves. As the water descends ever rapidly, chaos happensâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; trees are uprooted, rocks dislodge, boulders crash, and streams carve out their course as they form. More than forty authorized locations sell tribal fishing permits, and a growing number of tackle shops supply both expert and novice gear including flies, tackle, and bait. For more information, visit fishcherokee.com or call 828.497.1826.

CHEROKEE NC PHOTO

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DESTINATION

Spend the afternoon at the Oconaluftee Indian Village where there are live demonstrations of traditional skills including weaving and blowgun making. Small groups make their way through the shady wooded village with a guide who explains what role the skills demonstrated played in Cherokee life. The evening brings Cherokee’s outdoor drama, “Unto These Hills,” which stages nightly (except Sunday) from June 1-Aug. 18. The show is secondlongest-running outdoor drama in the United States and tells the story of the Cherokee including Junaluska, Sequoyah, Tsali, and the Trail of Tears. Consider a pre-drama meal at Cherokee’s public art exhibit features painted bears dotted nearby Paul’s where the menu features throughout town (above left). Horseback riders venture from game meats and the “Indian taco,” betthe Smokemont Campground area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (above right). Miss Cherokee is ter known as Indian frybread. In its crowned each year during the fall festival season. 2010 royalty taco form, it is served with chili and included (above, from left) Little Miss Cherokee Aliyah cheese; however, it also can be topped Bigmeat, Teen Miss Cherokee Andrea Cedillo, and Junior Miss with blueberries for a dessert. Cherokee Kaley Locust. When out shopping, again look for Make the short trip over to the other side of the locally owned and locally made. Talking town, past Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, Trees is a fascinating bookstore tucked away beto Bearmeats Indian Den. The shop’s porch is a hind a fastfood restaurant. Anyone with even the wonderful place to spend a little time looking at the slightest interest in Native American culture will gourd birdhouses and decorative stone vessels. Inﬁnd a book to peruse on topics ranging from decside there are canned goods, soaps, jewelry, dried orative patterns to war stories. There’s also a nice herbs, leather goods, intricate carvings, and more selection of Native American-focused ﬁlms as all displaying serious craftsmanship. On the way well as jewelry and other gift items. there or back—but only for lunch or dinner—stop The Native American Crafts Shop and The in Granny’s, which has a small but hearty buffet Great Smokies Fine Arts Gallery are located on with fried chicken and vegetables, including fried the end of town closest to the entrance to the squash to write home about. Granny’s is great for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and families and large groups. Afterwards, perk up with both offer quality selections including dolls, a cup of coffee from Tribal Grounds. paintings, carvings, and more. WWW.SMLIV.COM

SCOT MCKIE PHOTO

SARAH E. KUCHARSKI PHOTOS

cherokee, n.c.

Also of note is the Shadow Box Gift Shoppe where one ﬁnds a small selection of hiking and outdoors gear, homemade lye soap, and books like Cherokee Plants: Their uses—a 400year history, written by local authors and describing plants’ roles in religion, healing, and social activities. Plan to spend at least one full day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center features a historic farmstead and easy walking trail along the river, in addition to the new exhibit space and store where there are guidebooks, T-shirts, stuffed critters, and more. Spend some time on the shady covered porch and visit with a park ranger to plan to hit a few park highlights. Don’t miss Mingus Mill. Built in 1886, this historic grist mill uses a water-powered turbine instead of a water wheel to power all of the machinery in the building. Millers demonstrate how to grind corn into meal. Continue on through the park to Newfound Gap. The gap is the lowest driveable pass through Smokies and takes its name from being a newly discovered way through the mountains. The drive through the gap affords amazing views. Just south of Newfound Gap is Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies. From the large parking area at the end of the road, a 0.5mile trail climbs steeply to an observation tower at the “top of old Smoky.” To explore the park on horseback, contact the riding stables at Smokemont. Just an hour’s ride crosses the Oconaluftee River and ventures up the mountainside where wildﬂowers are in bloom and wildlife often can be seen sneaking through the underbrush. 13

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DESTINATION

cherokee, n.c.

Cherokee casino bets on continuing popularity

arrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel is putting the ﬁnishing touches on a $650 million expansion that will transform the property into a total resort destination for visitors with diverse recreational interests. By year’s end 2012, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel will have added a third hotel tower bringing the total room-count to over 1,100. The hotel’s new rooms are both spacious and comfortable with designer features, large screen televisions, sitting and work room. The property is in high demand with those who circulate the Harrah’s family of casinos, but one need not be a gambler to enjoy it. A new 18,000-square-foot Mandara Spa will pamper guests by blending elements of Native 14

Harrah’s new entry space is a stunning and state-ofthe-art display of lights and water, evoking the nature of the surrounding mountains. Hotel rooms are clean and modern. PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARRAH’S CHEROKEE

American culture with time-honored Balineseinspired treatments. In the Balinese tradition, massage and the power of touch are featured, but Mandara Spas also emphasize beauty, rejuvenation and indulgence, bringing an exotic new dimension to the Harrah’s Cherokee experience. Dining options are expanding to include a Ruth’s Chris Steak House and BRIO Tuscan Grille, both of which will afford unique experiences including outdoor and al frescoSMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

feel dining, private party rooms, and mountain views. At BRIO, diners will enjoy the open kitchens for pasta and pizza, while at Ruth’s Chris, the wine selection, large fireplace, and rich wooden interior evoke a manly lodge. These restaurants come as additions to Paula Deen’s Kitchen, located in the hotel portion of the resort, and the recently opened Chef’s Stage buffet, which is a culinary browser’s best bet given its wide-range of ethnic options, carving stations, and dessert selections, located above the casino floor. For breakfast though, consider ordering room service. The Smoky Mountain Country Breakfast is a hearty meal including eggs, pancakes, and the option of a truly Southern treat—livermush. Its inclusion is a nice nod to the resort’s mountain home. Be sure to stop by the Lobby Café for a scoop of gelato or a cup of coffee to be enjoyed overlooking Soco Creek, which runs through the middle of the resort property. The café also offers handcrafted salads and sandwiches made with European-style cold cuts and artisan breads as well as a selection of fine wine and imported beers. The Noodle Bar serves up dim sum and small plates, noodle soups, house specialties and a variety of beverages served at a 17-seat counter on the casino floor. Harrah’s Cherokee guests have privileged access to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee SEE HARRAH’S, PAGE 16

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THE

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SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:26 PM Page 16

cherokee, n.c.

resort’s Orvis retailer. Top-tier entertainers are already drawing visitors to the new 3,000-plus seat Event Center and Entertainment Lounge, which has hosted acts ranging from B.B. King to the Chippendale’s dancers, as well as other country, classic rock, oldies, R&B, pop, comedy, and rock performers, plus mixed martial arts, sporting events and production shows. Among the tri-level facility’s assets are a full banquet kitchen, four VIP suites, and box seating. Modular seating may be used for VIP dinners, expos, conferences/conventions, trade shows, banquets and special events. To enter the event venue—and the gambling floor—visitors will walk through Harrah’s Cherokee’s new Grand Rotunda entry space featuring eight, 75-foot tall, internally LED-lit trees; a 140-foot long Daktronics LED screen; twin 75-foot operable waterfalls; and a state-of-the-art audio and video system, all of which draw from the local environment as inspiration. The gaming floor will have doubled to more than 150,000 square feet, increasing video and table game capacity to 4,100. Players will enjoy the new Asian gaming room and, coming in 2012, a new state-of-the-art digital poker room, along with live digital blackjack. There are slots in a smokefree environment also available near the gambling floor’s food court, which offers quick bites such as sandwiches and snacks to take back to the room. Essence Lounge provides live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday nights and bar top games. Music includes a rotating roster of entertainment ranging from local and retro bands, to DJs and karaoke. With 33 LCDscreen TV’s, a 13-foot over-the-stage projector, and concert-level audio, guests also enjoy sporting events and music videos. The full bar service includes a comprehensive wine list, full complement of premium liquors, specialty cocktails, and domestic and imported beers. An enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel is celebrating 15 years of operation since opening its doors in November, 1997. BECKY JOHNSON PHOTO

DESTINATION

Fun and games for the younger set Entertaining the kids is easy enough to do in Cherokee. In addition to the array of outdoor activities and downtown shops full of inexpensive trinkets, small children will enjoy the classic theme park Santa’s Land where visitors may ride the Rudicoaster, old-fashioned carousel, and Ferris wheel. Feed the deer and visit with other animals including kangaroos, llamas, lemurs, and monkeys. Young children and teens will find entertainment at the Cherokee Fun Park, which features an arcade, go karts, mini golf, and rides. Consider getting a little wet and dirty at the Smoky Mountain Gold and Ruby Mine, open daily, or by getting in the Oconaluftee River at the Oconaluftee Islands Park, which is perfect for wading with even the smallest of kids. Tenderfoots may wish to wear water shoes. The park is downtown and attracts many visitors, especially when the whether is particularly warm. Consider making an afternoon of it with a picnic lunch or dinner (both Subway and Kentucky Fried Chicken are nearby). Another wonderful place to play in the river and picnic is at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center just inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. An easy trail runs alongside the river, and wide-open fields by the historic farm make a great place for a game of tag or flying a kite. Older athletic kids can get a few ya-yas out at the Cherokee Action Sports Park, which offers a place to skate and ride BMX bikes—bring your own. If rain strikes, head to the movie theater, which boasts stadium seating.

HARRAH’S, CONTINUED FROM 14

Nation-owned Sequoyah National Golf Club, named one of 2009’s best new golf courses by Golf Magazine. World-renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones II along with Native American golf pro Notah Begay III designed the 18-hole, par 72 championship course. Considered one of the most dynamic golf courses in the region, Sequoyah National is set against the spectacular backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with dramatic views of Clingmans Dome Peak, the Snowbird Mountain Range and Thomas Valley. Designed at 6,700 yards from the back tees, the course’s ﬁve sets of tees challenge every level of player. Fishing is a huge draw in Cherokee, and visitors may ﬁsh Soco Creek, which divides the resort property. Bring gear or stop in the 16

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRAH’S CHEROKEE CASINO

info:

For more information or to make reservations, call 828.497.7777 or visit harrahscherokee.com.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:26 PM Page 17

FISHING FOR SOMETHING TO DO IN

CHEROKEE? Meet Me in the Smokies Fly Fishing Tournament May 18, 19 & 20. $225 entry fee with $10,000 in prize money.

US Junior National Fly Fishing Championships

Long

Trout?

is Your

Bring your trout to the Cherokee Welcome Center and have it measured during our year round weekly contest. 1st Place: $50. 2nd Place: a T-shirt. 3rd Place: a cap. You must present a hotel or camping receipt to qualify for this contest. The Catch & Release water is excluded.

Cherokee's Mid Summer Trout Fishing Tournament July 13, 14 & 15. $11 entry fee and $10,000 in tagged fish

Cherokee's End of Summer Trout Fishing Tournament September 7, 8 & 9. $11 entry fee and $10,000 in tagged fish.

Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament November 2, 3 & 4. $225 entry fee with $10,000 in prize money.

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EROKEE H C IS

Fishing on the Qualla Boundary requires a tribal fishing permit. For more information go to www.fishcherokee.com or call Fisheries & Wildlife Management at 828-497-1826

H ER

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June 22, 23 & 24. The top junior (17 years old and under) fly fishermen from the United States. Invitation is only to youth anglers who qualify in a regional event.

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A N A G E M E

SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:27 PM Page 18

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VISIT

Cherokee NORTH CAROLINA

SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:27 PM Page 19

cherokee, n.c.

DESTINATION

Selected events May 18-20 Meet Me In the Smokies Fly Fishing Tournament

Opening June 1 Unto These Hills outdoors drama

June 1-2 10th Annual Gourd Artists Gathering

June 5-9 Cherokee Carnival

June 9 Cherokee Voices Festival

Opening June 12 Oconaluftee Indian Village Time of War

June 14-16 Cherokee Bluegrass Festival

June 22-24 US Junior National Fishing Championships

June 29-30, July 1 37th Annual Cherokee Pow Wow

July 13-14 8th Annual Festival of Native Peoples

Sept. 1 Open Air Indian Market

Sept 14-15 Southeast Tribes Festival For more information about these events and others, visit cherokee-nc.com.

The Warriors of Ani Kituhwa bring to life the Cherokee War Dance as described in Lt. Henry Timberlakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1762 journals. CHEROKEE NC PHOTO

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SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:27 PM Page 20

DEPARTMENT

mountain music

Songbird sings a quirky tune BY JOE HOOTEN

The group converged on Omni Artists Studio in Weaverville, N.C., to begin recording “What We Want,” their ﬁrst album in January 2011. With Eric Willson producing, the group enlisted the help of several bands to add to their overall sound, including regional favorites like Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Uncle Mountain, and For the Birds. The lyrics throughout the record, at times, are dark and considerate of the melodies as they bounce around in joyous indie-pop fashion.

SML: Who were some of your musical influences growing up? Who is your go-to songwriter when you want to hear a great song? Ellenberger: I love Julie Andrews. “The Sound of Music” is still one of my favorite movies of all time. Her voice is so pleasing and soothing and classy all at once. As far as pop music influences, I used to love Amy Grant, Whitney Houston, The Mammas and The Pappas, Neil Diamond, and Karen Carpenter. Her voice is like smoky butter. Mostly, I grew up listening to what was on the radio and classic musicals. Nowadays, Regina Spektor never lets me down. Her lyrics are so concise, but her sensibilities remain in pop somehow. And Tallest Man on Earth—his songs can make me cry on my happiest days, and I think that’s great. In your experience, are there any challenges or benefits to being an up-and-coming artist in WNC? I’d say that the benefits outweigh the challenges, for sure. I love that there are so many local and regional artists I can not only look up to and learn from but actually play a show with!

DONATED PHOTO

or the better part of a year and half, Dulci Ellenberger and her band, the wildly popular folk-trio Now You See Them, have worked steadily on their ﬁrst fulllength album. The folk songstress contributed several songs on the 11-track debut, based on the band’s experiences in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, N.C., and beyond. Sticking with the folk philosophy of writing what one knows, the everyday experiences come through in Ellenberger’s songs; personal and engaging, the melodies throughout this stunning release showcase a band with talent and determination. Ellenberger writes, plays guitar, melodica, and keyboards on many of the songs. In a live setting, she captivates all audiences and is the spark that can ignite fellow band members Shane Conerty and Jason Mercer to take it to the next level. Born in Pennsylvania, Ellenberger immediately was immersed in music at the time she was born. “Both of my parents taught music in public schools and churches. I was brought up singing in choirs, and my mom says I could match pitch by the time I was two years old. She taught me about harmonies, because she was always singing along to the radio with her own part, and I loved how much prettier the songs sounded once she adder her part,” Ellenberger said. Following high school, Ellenberger went on to attend Baldwin-Wallace College to study voice and musical theater. With big hopes, she moved to New York City and slugged it out for ﬁve years before she formed Now You See Them with Conerty and Mercer. Ellenberger and crew moved to Asheville in 2008. It was this move that changed the band’s path as their star began its rise. “The community of Asheville welcomed me and my band with such warmth; it was a nice transition from hard city life of New York City. I think the people of Asheville are a huge part of what makes it so special here,” Ellenberger said.

Q&A with Dulci Ellenberger

hear more:

To hear samples and learn more, visit nowyouseethem.net. “What We Want” charges off with the rousing, “We Will Never Be Young Again,” as the melodica riffs a funky intro, the song surely signifies the “time and place” phase of this recording. Growing older and becoming more secure with their craft, the band has developed a knack for quirky arrangements and chord changes, but it all flows wonderfully as the dramatics give way to the solemn moments without batting an eye. Ellenberger’s voice is like that of a songbird—not like the fluttering Jeff Buckley but more of a 21st century Joni Mitchell. Ellenberger and Now You See Them are capable of becoming an unforgettable band destined to move beyond Asheville, but hopefully always taking us with them. SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

What’s it like to be playing in a band with a bunch of dudes? Smelly! Just kidding. For the most part, it's great. I grew up with two sisters, and even our dog was female, so there wasn’t a ton of “man energy” in my life, aside from my dad. I always had male friends, but living with two in really tight spaces was a whole different story. It took a little getting used to, but I’m tougher now as a result, and I get to learn a lot about how men think. It makes me feel safe and special, and I’m proud to say that Jason and Shane rarely ever smell bad. Tell me about your songwriting process—is it a collective effort or do you write your own songs and present them to the band? I write my own songs and present them to the band. Until Now You See Them formed, I was mainly performing other peoples’ songs, you

SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:27 PM Page 21

know? I studied voice and musical theater in college, and I was trained as an entertainer. I had only gotten my first guitar and started writing my own songs a few months before we all got together. I’m still figuring out how to be open with my songs, how to get outside of my own perspective, and how to get over writing about really personal stuff when my boyfriend is in the band. Usually, a line or a thought will play over and over in my mind obsessively for a while, and I’ll try to write about it, but it almost always comes together in my sleep. True story. I’ll wake up and suddenly know what I want for a song … probably because I’ve been obsessing about it, even in my sleep, and my mind is like, “Enough! Write it down!” Besides playing in Now You See Them, tell me about any side projects that you’re involved with. I’m in a fabulous side project called For the Birds with Melissa Hyman (The Moon and You), Amanda Platt (The Honeycutters), and Amber Sims (great singer/professional massage therapist). We sing a lot of cover tunes from the 50’s and 60’s girl groups, like the Chiffons, The Shirelles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, along

JOE HOOTEN PHOTO

with our own original songs. It’s so fun to have three other voices to work with, and cello (Melissa), banjo (Amanda), percussion and melodica (Amber). We all really love singing and playing together, and maybe because it’s all girls, or maybe because it’s a side project for us, there seems to be a lot less ego involved, so we

collaborate really well together. We have marathon practice/giggle sessions, and we’re currently putting together an album recorded by Dan Shearin (Uncle Mountain). He says we ought to have our own reality show. The arrangements on “What We Want” are very rich and grand. Was that a hard task to tackle being a three-piece band? How will that transcend to your live shows? It was surprisingly not hard to tackle. Our producer, Eric Willson has a great ear, and we highly value his input. All three of us had ideas of what we wanted to hear once the album was complete, and putting those ideas into play was made much easier by the many talented friends we have locally/regionally. We’re hoping that people will hear our album and realize our maximum potential. If they want to hear the same show live, we can do that. We’ll just have to ask for a little more money so we can get our super band on the road. Otherwise, when it’s just the three of us, we always put our whole heart into our shows, and I believe that translates to the audience—giving them a great show and a strong sense of connection to the message of our music.

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DEPARTMENT

out & about

Commemorating Timberlake’s Tennessee excursions

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PHOTO

n June 23 and 24, 2012, the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum will host a 250th anniversary celebration of Lt. Timberlake’s visit to the Cherokee in the Tennessee Overhill. The celebration is held in conjunction with Fort Loudoun State Historic Area and the Museum of the Cherokee Indians. Lt. Timberlake and his party went to the Cherokee Overhill as a sign of good faith for the newly created peace between the Cherokee and the British. Timberlake, Sargent Sumter, and three Cherokee leaders traveled to London to meet King George III. Lt. Timberlake remained in England and Sgt. Sumter escorted the three Cherokee back to the Overhill. Timberlake eventually returned to the colonies but was persuaded to take another group of Cherokees to meet the King. However, his venture was ill-fated. Timberlake was thrown into debtor’s prison where he wrote his memoir containing descriptions of Cherokee life in the 1760s in the Overhill. Lt. Timberlake died in 1765 while in debtor prison.

The 250th Anniversary celebration’s living history demonstrations at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum will include a Cherokee stickball game, finger weaving, stamped pottery, rivercane basket weaving, 18th century demonstrators in period dress, and the Warriors of AniKituhwa Dancers. Other presentations will feature the flute and storytelling, guns and diplomacy, moccasin making, and authentic Cherokee food. At Fort Loudoun there will be guided tours of the Little Tennessee Valley, scholarly lectures on the visit of Lt. Henry Timberlake in 1763, and living history presentations on 18th century cartography.

info:

y sequoyahmuseum.org y fortloudoun.com y cherokeemuseum.org

The tours, led by certified Cherokee guides, will depart from Fort Loudoun six times a day with stops at Toqua, Ballplay, Tanasi, and Chota. The tour route will follow the footsteps of Henry Timberlake as described in his memoirs. There will be a nominal reservation fee for the tour. Lecturers will be speaking on both Saturday and Sunday at the Fort Loudoun Visitor Center and include Barbara Duncan of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Tom Belt, a Cherokee scholar. Admission to the lectures is free.

A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE MAKING OF JAMES CAMERON’S ‘TITANIC’

The Titanic Museum Attractions marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with a Rose Petal Ceremony on the North Atlantic on April 14. TITANIC MUSEUM ATTRACTION PHOTO

This spring marked the centennial of the Titanic’s sinking, and in commemoration a special exhibit at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is dedicated to James Cameron’s Hollywood blockbuster film, “Titanic.” The exhibit uses video, photos, costumes and props to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. The Titanic Museum Attraction, which honors the memories of the 2,208 passengers and crewmembers who were on board, will host a series of special activities throughout the year. The Titanic Museum Attraction features a $1-million recreation of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase built to scale from Titanic blueprints, a third-class hallway, a first-class cabin, an iceberg and an opportunity to plunge one’s hand into water at the same frigid temperature into which the ship sank. For more information, visit titanicpigeonforge.com or call 800.381.7670.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

SML_Vol.12-Iss.3 TRAVIS:Layout 1 5/2/12 12:28 PM Page 23

PIGEON FORGE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM PHOTO

Dollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest ride soars 21 stories high Dollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wild Eagle coaster, the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst steel wing coaster, opened this spring to launch the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 27th operating season. Wild Eagle starts on Dollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest peak and rises 21 stories into the sky. Riders experience the sensation of ďŹ&#x201A;ight as the coasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twisting track swoops and soars along a 3,127-foot-long journey that reaches 61 miles per hour. Passengers sit on â&#x20AC;&#x153;wingsâ&#x20AC;? extending along either side of the coasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trackâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with nothing but air above and below. The nearly two-and-a-half minute â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ&#x201A;ightâ&#x20AC;? affords panoramic Great Smoky Mountains views before passengers plummet down the initial 135-foot drop. There are four inversions, including a giant loop, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;zero-Gâ&#x20AC;? roll and a giant ďŹ&#x201A;at spin in route back to the loading station. In connection with the historic roller coaster, the theme park commissioned the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest ďŹ&#x201A;ying eagle steel sculpture, which features a horizontal wing span equivalent to a four-story building. Created by Canadian metal sculptor Kevin Stone, the one-of-a-kind threedimensional sculpture weighs more than two tons and is made primarily of stainless and mild steel. It includes the individual creation and welding of thousands of intricate feathers. Dollywood offers more than forty rides and attractions; award-winning live entertainment featuring country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music; and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood also includes the 35acre Dollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Splash Country. Dollywood also will hold largest kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; festival in the South from June 22 to July 29. For more information, visit dollywood.com or call 888.750.7986.

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DEPARTMENT

mountain arts

FIRE UP YOUR CREATIVITY Children and adults can exercise their creativity at Claymates, an art studio in Dillsboro, N.C. At Claymates, one can paint his or her own pottery, learn how to work with wet clay, create a work of glass art, take the kids after school or for kids’ night on the first Friday of each month, or get together with a group of adults for art appreciation accompanied by tasty libations. The spacious studio presents affordable options for easily completed paint-your-own projects—piggy banks and holiday ornaments—but also stocks items that are worthy of the dinner table—tea pots, serving plates, pitchers—for those who have skills to put to use. Glass work options range from free-form sun catchers to multilayered colors on shaped pieces, a process that involves two firings. Special events include regular ladies’ nights and a summer camp for kids

that is planned for late June. For more information, visit claymatespottery.com or call 828.631.3133.

CALL TO YOUR PARTNER Put on your clogging and square dancing shoes for downtown Waynesville, N.C.’s, series of oldfashioned mountain street dances held throughout the summer. The dances are a community event with live mountain music, demonstrations by clogging teams, and square dance instruction. Participate in the dancing or just watch the show in front of the historic Haywood County Courthouse. Dances will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on June 22, July 6, July 20, and August 3. The dance on July 20 coincides with the Folkmoot International Dance Festival’s Parade of Nations, held earlier that day. For more information, visit downtownwaynesville.com or call 828.456.3517.

STEWART STOKES PHOTO

The Southern Highlands Craft Guild Folk Art Center in Asheville, N.C., will host its annual celebration of wood crafts at Wood Day held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 11. Festivities will include live demonstrations and the Eleventh Annual Carve-Off Competition from 1 to 3 p.m. For the contest, participants have two hours to turn a simple block of wood into a work of art. Carvers must sign up by 12:30 p.m. the day of the competition in order to participate. The Folk Art Center's auditorium will be filled with lathes, sawhorses, wood tools, and the master craftspeople who know how to use them. Demonstrations include flute making, wood turning, broom making, and furniture design and construction. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities for children. Admission to Wood Day and the Folk Art Center is free. The Folk Art Center is located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. Headquarters to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center also houses three galleries, a library, Allanstand Craft Shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway information desk and bookstore. For more information, visit craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928. 24

This season Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park celebrates its 50th anniversary. The long run of Art in the Park Saturdays began in 1962, when a handful of area artists and craftspeople gathered to showcase local talent. Now, a half-century later, the event is host to 90 artisans at each monthly show. Some of the region’s best display and sell their handcrafted jewelry, pottery, ﬁber, glass, photography, painting and more. Art in the Park will be held June 16, July 14, August 11, September 8 and October 6. Prices for objects, from a handmade postcard to a large piece of furniture, range from $5 to $5,000. On Friday evenings before Art in the Park Saturdays, businesses on Sunset Drive in downtown host Sunset Strolls from 5:30 t0 8 p.m. Special summer events are being created to celebrate Art in the Park’s 50th. For more information, visit blowingrock.com or call 877.295.4636.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

DONATED PHOTO

A natural medium

50 years of Art in the Park

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North Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Festival Presenting Sponsor

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OUR SPONSORS

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outdoors

Returning lilies to the valley

he memories and lore surrounding a white flower with six petals—once so common in the Cullowhee valley that it was called the Cullowhee lily—have inspired Western Carolina University alumni and community members to bring the flower back. “Cullowhee” is a Cherokee word that some believe translates to mean “valley of the lilies” and hearkens back to a time when the flower populated the area. Today, the lily, which usually flowers in late April or early May, grows in only a few spots on campus, said Roger Turk, grounds superintendent.

The once-common Cullowhee lily is enjoying renewed interest thanks to the efforts of Susan Belcher. WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY PHOTO

A champion’s work is never done Christine Kelly of Asheville, N.C., a wildlife diversity biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has been awarded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’ 2011 Recovery Champion Award. The award, given to nine individuals across the country, honors U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and partners for outstanding efforts to conserve and protect threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants. Kelly was honored for her work with the Carolina northern flying squirrel, an endangered species found isolated in small populations in only the highest mountains in North Carolina. In addition to monitoring and surveying populations of the species, Kelly’s work includes designing launch poles in Western North Carolina. They were installed along the Cherohala Skyway to allow the flying squirrel to glide across the road, making up for gaps where there are no trees to launch from. The crossing structures, installed by Duke Energy in 2008, give the small mammals access to more foraging habitat, den sites and mates. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service award also honored Kelly for a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Appalachian Mountain Joint Ventures to

plant red spruce, an important habitat for the squirrel. The balsam woolly adelgid has ravaged Fraser ﬁr forests, and the hemlock woolly adelgid is reducing high elevation Eastern hemlocks, both important conifers for the squirrel. Kelly also is working with Virginia Tech on a vocalization study of the squirrels using acoustic detectors to help locate the species. This could be used for rapid surveys and long-term monitoring of the squirrel.

BECKY JOHNSON PHOTO

DEPARTMENT

“David and I fell in love with Cullowhee and the area, and we both are dedicated to preserving and deepening the sense of place here,” said Susan Belcher, wife to WCU Chancellor David Belcher. The WCU Alumni Association, the Office of the Chancellor and WCU Facilities Management grounds crews are partnering to re-establish the Cullowhee lily in the community, starting with the WCU campus. Organizers of the initiative, which is still in early planning stages, are seeking additional partners and supporters, and plan to link the effort to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. For more information or to get involved, call 828.227.7335 or magill@wcu.edu. 26

“The Sovereign Sportsman,” cohosted by Forrest Parker, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, was awarded an Emmy® for Entertainment Excellence in Television for an episode of the show shot this past year in Belize, Central America. “This is an unbelievable accomplishment!” Parker said. “It is almost unheard of for an outdoor show to win such a prestigious award. One of our goals is to promote initiatives in Indian Country, and winning an Emmy Award will help us reach that goal in the coming years.” Principal Chief Michell Hicks said, “The Sovereign Sportsman TV series is known for showcasing the lives of wounded U.S. soldiers, Native American Indians, and humanitarian initiatives around the world. This award is well deserved and our tribe is proud of Forrest’s accomplishments on the Sovereign Sportsman and for the work he does for our tribe.” Information and past episodes can be found at sovereignsportsman.com.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORREST PARKER

CHEROKEE SPORTSMAN RECOGNIZED

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N.C. Arboretum unfurls new fern exhibit

new exhibition created by Discover Life in America, a non-proﬁt based in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is now open at The North Carolina Arboretum. “Ferns of the Smokies” reveals the beauty and diversity of ferns and their allies through 20 high resolution scans. Developed with funding from the Knoxville Garden Club, the exhibit showcases almost half of the 49 ferns and fern allies that exist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Though black bears and white-tailed deer are commonly recognized as the mascots of the Smokies, visitors are encouraged to take a closer look through the images of the exhibit to discover another world within the Park. Discover Life in America (DLIA) is involved in a quest to identify and understand all species of life within the 800-square-mile ecosystem of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. DLIA researchers seek to learn more about the components, abundance, and diversity of life, from spiders in the soil to slime molds in the forest canopy. The primary tool of DLIA is the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory

(ATBI), which brings scientists from around the world to inventory the estimated 80,000 species of living organisms in the Park. The project develops checklists, reports, maps, databases, and natural history proﬁles that describe the biology of this rich landscape to a wide audience. DLIA’s mission is to help the ATBI identify and develop resources and partnerships to conduct the inventory and related educational activities. Considered by many to be one of the world’s biggest and most ambitious science projects, the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory aims to decipher the mysteries of the Smokies’ intricate ecosystem by ﬁnding and cataloging every species of plant, animal, and microorganism in the park. Since

collecting began in 1998, the ATBI has uncovered more than 900 species new to science, as well as over 7,300 species that are newly documented to exist in the Park. The ATBI project involves hundreds of “citizen scientists,” volunteers who collect specimens for the scientists to analyze, thereby keeping the project cost-effective. The exhibit will be on display in the Education Center of the Arboretum through July 2. For more information, call 828.665.2492 or visit ncarboretum.org.

Climbing fern. COURTESY OF N.C. ARBORETUM

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DEPARTMENT

mountain cuisine

Epicurean festival showcases Asheville’s best-kept secret

hen millions of food and wine lovers put Asheville, N.C., among their Top 10 food and wine destinations in the U.S., the secret was finally out and this vibrant and eclectic mountain city became a must-visit, must-taste culinary hot spot. It wasn’t that long ago that The Huffington Post named Asheville one of the “Top 10 Undiscovered Local Food Cities.” The honor has been accompanied by high-profile visits from luminaries such as President and First Lady Obama, Anthony Bourdain, and the cast and crew of the blockbuster film “The Hunger Games.” This August the 2012 Asheville Wine & Food Festival brings together the best regional, national, For more information and and international wines, local craft to reserve tickets for any of beer and spirits, exceptional the Asheville Wine & Food restaurants and local artisanal foods Festival events, visit for three days of palate-pleasing ashevillewineandfood.com. indulgence. The event will be held in the heart of the city, where festival-goers will find a treasure of independent, farm-to-table restaurants. The epicurean adventure starts August 23 as two culinary teams face off in a contest to determine the Best Chef in Western North Carolina. After months of hot competition in the WNC Chefs Challenge, the last teams standing will have one hour to win the coveted award. Friday, August 24, will feature sips and samples of luscious desserts and confections, sparkling and dessert wines, and specialty cocktails and spirits at the historic Grove Arcade. Members of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association will commemorate this celebration with banners outside their restaurants. Take the opportunity to dine locally at any participating AIR restaurant, and save room for dessert at SWEET, with tickets only $35 each. Festivities continue on August 25 with the Asheville Wine & Food Festival Grand Tasting. Featuring more than 300 wines, creations prepared by the area's top chefs from Curate and Chef Mo’s, and samples of gourmet, artisan food products such as Lusty Monk Mustard and Imladris Farm jams, the

COURTESY OF UNC PRESS

info:

PHOTO BY JENNIFER HAYNES, COURTESY ASHEVILLE WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

celebration promises to be the largest gathering of regional, national, and international wines and local delicacies that Asheville has ever seen under one roof. There will also be a Mixologist contest, an amateur wine judging competition, cooking demonstrations that include pairing wine and spirits, countless opportunities to meet, greet, and learn from area culinary experts, and plenty of tasty products to purchase and take home. And with a Beer City USA area in one corner, saluting Asheville’s thriving craft beer scene, and a Spirits Central area in another, featuring the region’s newest distilleries, there’s something for every taste. VIP tickets for the Grand Tasting are $65 and grant admission starting at noon before the event opens for regular ticket-holders at 1:30. Besides beating the crowds, these tickets provide full access to the VIP Lounge where full pours of wine and food samplings will be served. General admission is $45. Proceeds from the festival benefit the nonprofit Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and its Growing Minds initiative, a program that works to connect farms and schools and to provide children positive experiences with healthy foods, including farm field trips, nutrition education, school gardens, and local food in cafeterias.

Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides (from UNC Press) has the most genuine personality of any cookbook to come my way. It’s a rare work that elicits hearty guffaws yet still serves up food good enough for company and comfortable enough for family. “Nothing sucks worse than biscuits stuck to the baking pan,” Thompson writes in his introduction, which also directs, “If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, call your mother and demand hers.” My favorite and most used cookbooks all wear a cock’s comb of brightly-colored torn-paper tags marking the recipes I love and ones I will plan to make. This summer will bring Frozen Cranberry-Banana Salad, Zucchini with Bacon Stuffing, and Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Tarragon Vinaigrette among others. Prepare for this year’s holidays with this book, slated for release in September. — Sarah E. Kucharski SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

ADVERTISING SEC TION

STIVAL

Local food pairs with community

Eat well, save money

The Asheville Independent Restaurant group unites the independent restaurant community as committed to local people, local philanthropies, local businesses, local food and the local economy, with a promise to preserve the authenticity of the mountains through genuine food and signature hospitality. AIR’s Green Team takes the lead on educating restaurant members about sustainability initiatives. “I want to help the other independent restaurant owners in AIR find ways to recycle waste, reduce energy, and become greener businesses and ideally do it in a revenue neutral way,” said Kevin Westmoreland of the Corner Kitchen upon the team’s inception. “In some instances at the Corner Kitchen, we have reduced our waste and also reduced our costs and that really makes me happy, especially in this economy.” To support the community, AIR offers scholarships for culinary students at A-B Tech through the “Chefs of Tomorrow” program. Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded to culinary students from Buncombe County. Sponsor FRS Equipment partners with AIR to provide a start-up kit of knives and uniforms, and other AIR sponsors and supporters have made financial and in-kind contributions. As AIR grows, plans are to expand community support to the Asheville restaurant industry and its employees by addressing continuing education, staff training, health and insurance needs, and workforce housing.

For more information, visit airasheville.org where the AIR Passport, a coupon booklet representing more than $1,000 in dining savings, may be purchased and used at the 2012 participating AIR members:

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Avenue M Blue Ridge Dining Room Blue Water Seafood Boca Bouchon Chai Pani Chef Mo Chelseas Tea Room City Bakery Corner Kitchen Creperie Bouchon Curate Tapas Bar Dining Innovations Fiore’s Ristorante Toscana Frankie Bones The French Broad Chocolate Lounge The Green Sage Homegrown Horizons Dining Room

Jack of Hearts Jack of the Wood Laughing Seed Lexington Avenue Brewery The Lobster Trap Luella’s Bar-B-Que Mamacitas The Market Place Mela Indian Restaurant Neo Cantina Olive or Twist Pack’s Tavern Pomodoros Sunset Terrace Tupelo Honey Ultimate Ice Cream Vincenzo’s Vinnies Neighborhood Italian

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DEPARTMENT

mountain voices

Hands all around B Y K AT H R Y N S T R I P L I N G B Y E R

Kathryn Stripling Byer seeks out the mountains wherever she goes. DONATED PHOTO

Marion Fry Stripling.

FAMILY PHOTO came to the North Carolina mountains looking for my grandmother. She had been gone for years by the time I arrived, but I hoped to ﬁnd some trace of her spirit here, a spirit that longed to return to her birthplace in the north Georgia mountains before her body died. I imagined her stalking the Blue Ridge, her long skirt a cloud over the full moon, as I wrote in an early poem titled “Ghost Story.” But stalking what? Something of herself that she had left behind? Or was I the woman doing the stalking, tracking mountain stories and songs to their source? Searching for women who carried the same spirit into their daily lives, despite hardship and family histories that might have prevented them from becoming themselves if not for the saving grace of what they loved and their sheer womanly strength. I found them, those women. Early on, while living on Pressley Creek, outside Cullowhee I found Mrs. Alma Pressley right across the road from my apartment. Her husband Roy still kept his outhouse, much to her annoyance. She brought me potted plants and tried to talk me into dating one of her young kinfolk. That didn’t work out. By then I already my eye on a certain English professor at the nearby university. Miss Alma was the ﬁrst in a long line of what I like to think of as guiding spirits, women who welcomed me to Cullowhee

Valley and told me stories that have become woven into my own as surely as garden twine that Miss Alma wove into a lattice for her ﬂowers to climb. A web for what mountain women like to call their “pretties,” as necessary as the looms on which they wove their coverlets. Lately I’ve been thinking about how much we need that patient, yet satisfying and even joyful, weaving of connections, and how much we can learn from the lives of our mountain women, our guiding spirits. I can write poems and stories about them ‘til the cows come home, as my grandmother used to say, but what else can we who love these mountains do to help weave a web of community to meet the challenges that lie ahead? How can I continue to honor the legacy of dear friends like the late Willa Mae Pressley and Annie Lee Bryson, sisters who reached out to me when I was a newcomer to Cullowhee Valley so many years ago? An outsider who was soon welcomed as though a member of their family. These mountain women cared not a ﬁg that I had ties to the university, that I was nonnative. An invasive species, but not, I was determined to prove, like the kudzu that infests our hillsides or the wild boars that ravage the Smokies! I grew up in the deep South where outsiders were welcomed, if at all, grudgingly. Yankees were a special breed of invasive

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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species, if you listened to my kinfolks and neighbors. The world beyond the MasonDixon line was one they could scarcely imagine, nor did they care to. Nowadays, we cannot indulge ourselves in such attitudes; there is and always has been a world outside our homeland, and though it has sometimes brought destruction, it has also brought transplants with their own stories and talents that enrich us, transplants who bring us new energy and help to reinvigorate communities that have found themselves at crosspurposes both politically, environmentally, and economically. The truth is, we need each other, native and nonnative alike, now more than ever. “Solitude is deep water, and small boats do not ride well in it,” another guiding spirit, Emma Bell Miles, wrote decades ago in The Spirit of the Mountains. Mountain women have never been small boats; they have kept themselves atop the deep water of economic and emotional hardship. I don’t think Emma Bell Miles would mind my revising her quote for today’s mountain dwellers: sustaining a sense of community means navigating rough water. Rapids lie ahead. We must learn how to maneuver our way through them.

Annie Lee Bryson. DONATED PHOTO

“What else can we who love these mountains do to help weave a web of community to meet the challenges that lie ahead?”

We mountain women know our place, and we must continue to know it well, its terrain both physical, cultural, and historical. Most of all, we know we must sustain our connection to it, believing that we can continue to sing its legacy in these times when so much seems to be unraveling around us. Last summer I began a blog called “The Mountain Woman” with the intention of focusing on mountain voices and how they can be gathered together to express what matters to us. I wanted to be able to help us listen to each other. Much of my inspiration came from my friend Willa Mae’s favorite quilt pattern, “Hands All Around.” I like to call my blog “Voices All Around.” Since then I’ve posted some of those voices as “guest bloggers,” their reward being a gift certiﬁcate to one of our region’s independent bookstores, City Lights in Sylva. If you drop by my blog, you will ﬁnd a poem about trees by Elijah Morgan, son of my hair stylist Sara Morgan, a short essay by Jackson County commissioner Doug Cody, and posts honoring the late Annie Lee Bryson. The invitation remains open. Mountain men, women, and children are welcome to share their voices on themountainwoman.blogspot.com. Stop by and set a spell, as Miss Alma would say. Tell me what’s on your mind. I’m listening.

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HELEN CLEVELAND SAUTEE 33

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DEPARTMENT

mountain letters and conquest of the Americas and how they played out through subsequent generations. Instead of focusing generation by generation, Alther divides the book into three parts and depicts key moments in southeast settlement such as Diego Martin’s arrival in La Florida in 1567, Daniel Hunter’s move from Philadelphia to Virginia in the 1830s, and the Martin family’s life in east Tennessee in the early twentieth century. Diego Martin is a Spanish pig herder whose mother urged him to go to the New World to earn his fortune and convert the heathens to Catholicism. After a miserable eight weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean, they land at Hispaniola, endure much

Orphans, outcasts and others BY REBECCA TOLLEY-STOKES

A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage by Marly Youmans. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, March 2012. arly Youmans, who grew up in Cullowhee, N.C., sets A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage in Depression-era Georgia and conceives an array of obstacles for the hero Pip Tatnall to overcome. He escapes his young brother Otto’s death by riding the rails and survives by working day labor jobs across the country. He bears savant-like “oddities of memory and behavior [that] might have been diagnosed and his syndrome named” if he’d been born 70 years later. Pip and Otto were the youngest of Gilead Tattnal’s 24 known offspring, but their older siblings couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take them in. Life at the orphanage is rough, but the boys have each other, until the morning Pip awakes to ﬁnd Otto missing. Otto’s death sends Pip toward the rails where he makes a home for many years, ﬂoating from town to town, pilfering books from public libraries to feed his brain. One day a bull, a railroad security guard, catches up with him in a yard near Savannah and beats him about the head severely. Excelsior Tillman, a retired railroad man, rescues Pip, nurses him back to health, and gives him a home along with other boarders: Countess Casimiria a histrionic octogenarian, and a young couple, Bill and Clemmie Shook. Over the years, Pip searches for identity, acceptance, love, and belonging—a universal theme. Youmans’ amazing writing transforms Pip from a hardened boy who lets hurt roll off his back and who doesn’t let people “set hooks into him” into a young man with hope in his heart.

Washed in the Blood by Lisa Alther. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, October 2011. n Washed in the Blood, Lisa Alther imagines an answer to the mystery of the Melungeons’ origins, which spans ﬁve centuries and several continents. With mostly sympathetic characters (and an evil conquistador), Alther presents the complexity of racial dynamics during the European’s exploration

Lisa Alther imagines an

COURTESY OF MERCER UNIVERSITY PRESS

answer to the mystery of the Melungeons’ origins, which spans five centuries and several continents. hardship, and Martin learns that the heathens are not eager to hear how much God loves them. Eventually, the leader of the expedition, Don Sebastian de Silva, receives word to return to St. Augustine, and Martin and several others are left behind. They ally with a small tribe of Indians to survive. By the nineteenth century the people living in the southern mountains of Virginia are isolated and illiterate. Daniel Hunter, a Philadelphia Quaker, establishes a school in the community and teaches children and adults. Torn between duty to his ﬁancé and his lust for Galacia, the mother of one of his students, Hunter must make a choice to be true to himself or to his religion. He breaks other laws by teaching black children to read—then illegal in Virginia—and helping escaped slaves to freedom. Cherokees ﬂeeing from the Indian Removal Act were granted asylum by members of the community. By a turn of events, Hunter is able to offer land for some to live on, as well as members of the Martin family who were forced off their land due to questions about who the property was deeded to, despite their family having farmed it for many generations. Alther deftly incorporates a myriad of themes and political intrigues in this epic tale with likeable characters, perplexing situations, and asks many important questions about race, identity, and ethnicity.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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A DVERT ISING SEC T IO N

Haywood County, N.C. See Yourself in the Smokies! We invite you to experience summer in beautiful Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Canton, Clyde and Lake Junaluska, NC. Discover one of our many outdoor activities, Wheels Through Time Museum, events, delicious restaurants, or just relax and enjoy the splendor of the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway that surround us. June Events: • 6.01-6.02: Ole Smoky Tractor Club Spring Farm Fest at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds • 6.09: Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration in Downtown Waynesville • 6.09: Civil War Commemoration at the Shelton House • 6.22: Mountain Street Dance in Downtown Waynesville • 6.29-7.01: Maggie Valley Swap Meet & Car Show at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

July Events: • 7.02: Mountain Street Dance in Downtown Waynesville • 7.03: The Lake Junaluska Singers Concert at Lake Junaluska Stuart Auditorium • 7.04: Stars & Strips Celebration in Downtown Waynesville • 7.04: Red, White & Boom at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds • 7.04: July 4th Parade and Fireworks at Lake Junaluska, • 7.06: Mountain Street Dance Downtown Waynesville • 7.06-7.29: La Cage Aux Follies at HART Theatre • 7.07: MedWest Triathlon at Haywood Fitness Center • 7.07-7.08: Summer Arts & Crafts Show at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds • 7.18-7.29: The NC International Festival “Folkmoot USA” Haywood County, • 7.20-7.21: Southeastern Gas & Petroleum Expo at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds • 7.21: International Festival Day in Downtown Waynesville.

Connect with us at www.visitNCsmokies.com or on Facebook at www.facebook/SmokyMountainsNC.

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Celebrating 25 years as a NC Main Street City!

WAYNESVILLE PHOTO BY VICKI LYNN PASSMORE • THEMEMORYARCHIVE.COM

Stroll brick sidewalks lined with shade trees. Visit fine shops, galleries & restaurants. Sit on a bench surrounded by views of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

June 1,2 & July 6,7 — the original “ART AFTER DARK”

Visit over a dozen fine galleries on Friday evening, 6-9 p.m. Held the 1st Friday each month through December. Join us again for the SATURDAY STROLL, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

June 9 Sat — APPALACHIAN LIFESTYLE CELEBRATION A heritage themed event, music, dance, storytelling, educational & entertaining, 10am-5pm

June 22, July 6 & 20, Aug 3 Friday Nights — 4 MOUNTAIN STREET DANCES An old-fashioned mountain hoe down, mountain music & cloggin” 6:30-9pm

July 4 Wed. — STARS & STRIPES CELEBRATION July 18-29 — FOLKMOOT USA begins!

Music & entertainment 11am-3pm

Dancers & musicians from around the world entertain us.

July 20 Fri. — FOLKMOOT USA PARADE

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Traces of others

ARCHAEOLOGISTS TAKE THE DUST OFF HUMAN HISTORY BY ANNA OAKES

A group of students and community members work on an outdoor museum exhibit (above) related to Cherokee history in Hayesville, N.C. PHOTO COURTESY OF JANE EASTMAN

f course it’s about finding the answers. But just as intriguing and purely enthralling, when it comes to artifacts, are those questions left unanswered—the dirty details, complex emotions and tortured circumstances that we’ll never come to know about the spear points and cannon balls we’re still digging up after all this time. This arrowhead, this bullet. Did it slay beast, or fellow man? Did it defend families from danger, or did it tear them apart? “Imagining the lives of people associated with the objects was really what captured my interest, and still does,” said archaeologist Jane Eastman.

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DIRT AND DISSERTATIONS Weren’t we all amateur excavators in our early years, prospecting backyards for worthy additions to our prized collections of sparkling mica, whimsical snail shells, and vintage Coke bottles? Some folks never lose the bug, and minor excavations develop into lifelong weekend hobbies. Others take it even further, making it their life’s passion. They become geologists or paleontologists or archaeologists. The latter is an important branch of anthropology—the study of humans and their cultures, past and present. And no, archaeologists don’t spend all of their time hunting for objects to beef up museum displays. Rather, archaeologists have a story to tell. Through their findings, archaeologists support theories about human cultures with hard evidence, and as with any scientific experiment, it’s important that these findings are repeated. And repeated. Many more hours are spent under the fluorescent beams of a laboratory than under the sun at a field site—hours spent classifying, analyzing, interpreting. There are no instant results, and gratification comes only after months and years of work. Jane Eastman loves that part. The meticulousness, the intellectual demands. Actually, she loves everything about the field. “I love being outside and all the physical aspects of it,” Eastman said. “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do my whole life.” Eastman, an anthropology professor and director of Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., found her calling on the open road; she grew up in a family that traveled the country by RV. “Most of my early interest came from traveling with my family throughout the U.S. and visiting museums, mound sites, ruins of cliff dwellings in the Southwest, and the like,” Eastman said. “My family used to camp on a piece of property with archaeological sites on it, and later, our home was on the edge of a farm with several sites.” She also borrowed a book of her sister’s, James Michener’s The Source, “that featured an excavation and told a story based on an artifact recovered from each level of the site”—taking the reader on a historical

journey, from the days of the early Hebrews to the Crusades to present-day Israel and the Middle East conﬂict. Eastman glanced at the book’s cover, noticed a woman in the illustration, and “I thought, ‘that’s me,’” she recalled. Women didn’t always see themselves represented in the archaeology ﬁeld. But as early as the nineteenth century, English women were granted government permissions to excavate in Egypt and Greece, write researchers Martha Sharp Joukowsky and Barbara S. Lesko. Sarah Belzoni, wife of explorer and early archaeologist Giovanni Belzoni, accompanied her husband to Egypt in 1815, and they lived together in the Tomb of Seti I. She traveled alone at times and, because

opportunities, both as a student and a professional archaeologist. Since the first summer I took the field class in archaeological excavation, I have always been able to find a job working in the discipline. I’ve never felt that it made any difference that I was female. I suppose I beat the odds.” Eastman earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include Native American societies of the Southeast, particularly gender relations, pottery analysis, and culture contact studies. She has worked actively on efforts to preserve the Cherokee language and served as president of the North Carolina Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association.

Western Carolina University archaeologist and professor Jane Eastman and a student work at an excavation site in Hayesville in summer 2011. DONATED PHOTO

she was a woman, was able to secure rare interviews with native women; she later authored a 42-page chapter on women of Egypt, Nubia and Syria for her husband’s book. But despite nearly 200 years of work by women in archaeology, academia continues to be dominated by men, and overall women earn less than men in academic jobs. “Cultural resource management ﬁrms, like the one I worked for while in graduate school, is an arena where women have been more successful at both getting jobs and establishing their own companies,” Eastman said. “On a personal level, I’ve been very fortunate during my career to have been given lots of

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“Working and living in Western North Carolina has offered me the opportunity to have Cherokee colleagues and students,” remarked Eastman. “That opportunity takes the practice of archaeology to a whole other level. It makes it more personal and constantly reminds you to be respectful of the site, its former occupants and their descendants.”

RELIC HUNTERS AND AMATEUR COLLECTORS People were digging in the dirt long before it could earn you a paycheck, though, and the simple joy of unearthing

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In 2011, the Appalachian Regional Commission, in conjunction with American Heritage magazine, published a map guide titled “Civil War: The Home Front.” Developed to observe the 150th commemoration of the American Civil War, the guide, available as an interactive map online, highlights 150 sites in Appalachia related to the war. “While most Civil War stories focus on battles and military history, few narratives have explored how sites away from the battlefields on the home front were affected by the war,” the commission said in a statement. “Visitors are invited to see the heritage farms, railroads, restored houses and historic downtowns, national parks and memorials, living history museums, and many other attractions integral to the Civil War era.” Access the map at visitappalachia.com. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development also provides maps, photographs, links and information about Tennessee’s Civil War Trails at tnvacation.com/civil-war. Among the sites with Civil War significance is the Old Mill Square in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The authentic gristmill, established in 1830 on the Little Pigeon River, served the war effort by becoming a makeshift clothing factory, housing looms used to weave articles for soldiers. In Weaverville, N.C., is the Vance Birthplace, where Civil War officer, North Carolina governor and U.S. Sen. Zebulon Baird Vance was born. The two-story, five-room log house has been reconstructed around original chimneys to evoke the period from 1795 to 1840. Clustered about the grounds are six log outbuildings: the corn crib, springhouse, smokehouse, loom house, slave house, and toolhouse. The state purchased the property in 1957. “When they bought the properties, they removed that structure piece by piece, and as they were doing that, they looked at nail holes and saw marks,” said David Tate, site manager at the Vance Birthplace. Using a photograph of the Vance home taken in the 1890s, they decided that material came from an original 1795 log cabin, Tate said. While the log house and artifacts housed at the location give modern folks a sense of how mountain people lived prior to the Civil This pioneer farmstead, tucked in the Reems Creek Valley, features the birthplace of War, one must keep in mind that the Vances were among the elite, Zebulon Baird Vance, North Carolina’s Civil War governor. Before becoming governor, Tate cautioned. Unlike many mountain families, the Vances were Vance served as a Confederate Army officer and later became a U.S. Senator. PHOTO COURTESY N.C. DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL RESOURCES slaveowners, with about 18 slaves. “This provided them with labor and possible resources that your typical backcountry family may not ou can’t understand the South without understanding the Civil War, have had,” he noted. and that goes for the Southern Appalachians, too, where communities Then there’s Connemara in Flat Rock, N.C., where poet, writer and were divided by Confederate loyalists and Union sympathizers. historian Cal Sandburg spent the last 22 years of his life. Originally owned “Southern Appalachia may have been harder hit by the Civil War than by a slaveowner who served in the Confederate government, it would be any other section of the country,” writes Wilma A. Dunaway in Slavery in sold to Sandburg, the biographer of Abraham Lincoln and lifetime member the American Mountain South. “On the one hand, Southern Mountain of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. counties were deeply split politically over secession. On the other hand, By the outbreak of the Civil War, the estate included the main house, this region lay geographically at the heart of the Civil War. Both armies kitchen, and two surrounding slave quarters, which housed cooks, maids, moved repeatedly up and down the valleys of Virginia and Tennessee. In and butlers for the family. The original owner, Christopher Memminger, addition, both armies targeted numerous sites within the region as strategic his family and friends used the place as a hideout during the war. occupancy points because they were located on major rivers, were railroad Confederate Memorial Hall, formerly the Bleak House, in Knoxville, junctures, or were the sites of important resources such as the national rifle Tenn., served as the headquarters for Gen. James Longstreet in November works, salt works, mineral springs, or mines. By the end of the War, eighty and December 1863, during the Siege of Knoxville. Open for tours, the Appalachian counties had been devastated by major battles or campaigns mansion now serves as a museum and features formal gardens, antique or had been overwhelmed by the establishment of military facilities.” furniture, artifacts, a Southern history library and memorabilia. The area, and all the South, was left in shambles. Located in Lookout Mountain, Tenn., The Battles for Chattanooga “Recovery from the war was not only slow, it was confused, violent, and Museum is a great starting point for a tour of the area’s Civil War battle resentful, and arguably it is still in process,” writes author Clarence R. Geier. sites. And if one needs evidence that mountain allegiances were truly While battlefields are most well known to the public, military divided during the War Between the States, venture over to Primitive encampments, where soldiers spent most of their time, are of high interest Baptist Church in Cades Cove, Tenn., where supporters of the Union are to archaeologists and historians. buried in the cemetery.

Still picking up the pieces

Archaeological and historical sites of the American Civil War

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something manmade, but old, maybe real old, and refreshingly, something other than a cheeseburger wrapper or a Bud Light can—well, that’s enough for most folks. Of course, there are plenty of relic hunters who scrub historic sites clean for their own personal profit, and it’s safe to say this group and the archaeological community don’t always see eye to eye. Jackson Bebber, raised on the backside of an apple orchard in the Ellendale township in the North Carolina foothills, found himself employed at the age of 11. He had one job and one job only, and that was to chase away apple poachers from his neighbor’s trees. So during the inevitable periods of downtime, Bebber was free to hunt—for projectile points. Spear points. Arrowheads. Thousands and thousands of years old, from Indian civilizations that settled along the Yadkin River Valley. “I hunted arrowheads as much as I wanted. Then I’d eat an apple,” Bebber laughed. “If you can imagine a better way to spend a childhood, then I would be surprised.” Bebber found arrowheads by the dozens, one after another, and some points were fashioned out of non-native materials such as obsidian, a volcanic rock that must have traveled to the area from afar. “What fascinated me most about them was how little people knew about them and how wide open the story was. It’s really unbelievable how little we know about pre-history. We just don’t have a great handle on it,” said Bebber, who studied history in college. Perhaps his greatest find was a perfectly intact drill, a piece of stone shaped into a narrow, elongated point that Indians used as a tool in making clothing and other supplies. “Every notch in it was perfectly aligned,” he noted. Now a law student living in Chapel Hill with his family, Bebber claims he finds projectile points wherever he goes in North Carolina; well actually, it’s more like they find him. “I find them everywhere, without even meaning to,” he said. “Once you’re dialed in, you can’t help but look for them.” The man can’t seem to escape these ancient artifacts; they come looking for him at night, even. “My

and illegally, for no motive other than profit. This situation’s unfortunate result is that valuable and compelling information cannot be published, for fear of site location reaching the wrong hands,” notes a contributor to the 2006 book Huts and History. But, the author notes, archaeologists have much to learn from the strategies and tactics of relic hunters. Relic hunting, like archaeology, is far from a random activity; searches are well planned and researched in advance. Armed with a metal detector and other tools, relic hunters often try to establish contacts with local landowners, not only to seek permission to hunt on their property, but also for invaluable information on a locality’s history. Relic — Jackson Bebber hunters find that searching on construction sites only recurring dream I’ve had for years is about increases the effectiveness of metal detectors: “It projectile points, arrowheads. I find them all is common knowledge among relic hunters that, the time in my head. I find them in pieces and once an area has been cleared of vegetation and put them together,” Bebber shares. soil overburden, even sites once considered But Bebber isn’t holding on to some vast picked clean or collected for years can still yield collection—he couldn’t even recall what artifacts and intact features.” happened to that exquisite flint drill, for instance. Rather, many of his treasures ended DIGGING SOUTHERN up in the hands of friends and relatives. “I always felt like…I shouldn’t try to hold on to all APPALACHIA of them; to get someone else interested, that In early 1992 in Jackson County, N.C., site was even more fun,” he explained. “In fact, at preparation had already begun for the times I left stuff in the ground, just for construction of a new Cullowhee Valley School somebody else to find.” Bebber is passing on building for grades kindergarten through eight. his hobby to his three daughters, who spent a Joel Hardison, an anthropology student at recent weekend at the beach uncovering fossils nearby Western Carolina University, often and sharks’ teeth. “My kids have actually collected artifacts at the site, and on one visit gotten the digging bug—they just dug through there he noticed a dark pit partially exposed by these piles of dirt all day.” a bulldozer. The disturbed earth, upon further Unlike hobbyists, many professional relic inspection, revealed pottery, charcoal, and hunters are looking for artifacts to peddle in bone. David Moore, archaeology crew pawnshops and on eBay. Fearful that relic supervisor at Warren Wilson College in hunters will disturb, damage or wipe out sites of Swannanoa, N.C., was alerted to the find, and archaeological significance before they can be he in turn notified the Jackson County Schools studied, archaeologists are at times reluctant to superintendent that additional features and publish the locations of sites of interest. human burials were likely to be present. North “Disclosing information on the location of such Carolina law prohibits the disturbance of sites presents a serious problem, as there are unmarked human remains. some relic hunters who choose not to seek The machines grinded to a halt as Moore permission to hunt sites and do so clandestinely and a host of volunteers from North Carolina, These are just a few of the projectile points, including spear points and arrowheads, discovered by Ellendale, N.C., native Jackson Bebber over the years. JACKSON BEBBER PHOTO

“I hunted arrowheads as much as I

wanted. Then I’d eat an apple. If you can imagine a better way to spend a childhood, then I would be surprised.”

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Tennessee, and Georgia launched a hurried excavation of the area, which encompassed 71,100 square feet and yielded 132 features and 1,020 postholes. “A lot of it had been destroyed,” Moore noted, “[but] even though it was conducted under salvaged conditions, over a limited number of weeks, with no real funding, at the same time we got some really valuable information.” Jane Eastman and students at Western Carolina University were among the volunteers assisting with the dig. A signiﬁcant feature discovered at the site was a circular trench about 30 feet in diameter, thought to have been part of an earth lodge found beneath mounds. From

outside, the structure would have looked like a hill with a doorway cut into it, said Eastman. “We’re not quite sure how they functioned,” Moore said. Eastman said mounds have been associated with Mississippian culture, which became prominent in the Southeast and in limited areas of North Carolina. “They’re not common.” The Mississippian phase, according to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, N.C., extended from 900 A.D. to 1500 A.D., overlapping with the Woodland Period (1000 B.C. to 1600 A.D.). The earth lodge is part of a palisaded (surrounded with a wall or fence) village that likely dates to 700 to 900 A.D., Moore wrote to the North Carolina Archaeological Society in 1992.

Most of the artifacts recovered at the site were shards of pottery. Pottery is attributed to a speciﬁc cultural phase or time period according to intricate patterns imprinted in the vessels using a carved wooden paddle, which was slapped against the vessels while the clay was still wet, Eastman explained. While the patterns of some pottery recovered at the site are consistent with early Qualla phase (1500 to 1850 A.D., also known as the Historic Period Cherokee), pottery found near the earth lodge was different. The grooves of the patterns are more intense and narrow, associated with the Napier culture more common in Georgia. Some believe the Napier people could have lived in the Western North Carolina area before migrating south. “The degree to which

“We were there for over two months, which seems like a lot, but there were years worth of work that could have been done there.” — David Moore, archaeologist, on the 1992 excavation at Cullowhee Valley School

Artist Frank Weir’s concept of a village from the Pisgah phase (below), which dates to around 1000 to 1500 A.D. Pisgah villages are characterized by a large wall or fence surrounding the village, known as a palisade. Remnants of a palisaded Pisgah village were discovered in 1992 during the construction of the Cullowhee Valley School near Western Carolina University. This map (above), published in the summer 1992 edition of the “North Carolina Archaeological Society” newsletter, depicts the locations of features and Indian villages uncovered at an excavation conducted prior to construction of the Cullowhee Valley School. COURTESY UNC-CHAPEL HILL

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Archaeology students experiment with wood fire cooking (right) to determine how pots may have been used in the past. The design depicted on this shard of pottery (above) found in Hayesville, N.C., is consistent with the Qualla phase of Cherokee culture. Wooden paddles were carved with designs and then slapped against wet clay to create patterns on vessels. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JANE EASTMAN

these people were ancestors to Cherokee, we’re unsure of that,” Moore said. “It’s just rare to ﬁnd this material in that area.” Also on the site was another palisaded village, dating to 1500 to 1650 A.D., associated with the Pisgah phase, a phase of the South Appalachian Mississippian period. The presence of a large Pisgah settlement in Cullowhee is interesting, Moore said. Pisgah villages are more common in the eastern mountains near Asheville, N.C. than they are further west, he noted. “Archaeology works by gathering new information and replicated information,” he said. “In this case, we replicated some information…about what was

known as the Pisgah culture. But we didn’t have good examples of that in that area.” Charred plant remains were found here and at the other village site, and when analyzed, the remains will allow researchers to compare diets from the different time periods. Finally, the construction site also featured artifacts from an early nineteenth century Cherokee homestead, which Moore said probably dates to about 30 years before Removal—when the U.S. government forced Cherokees to move west along the Trail of Tears. And some spearheads collected date as far back as the Archaic Period (8000 to 1000 B.C.).

A student of archaeologist Jane Eastman excavates a large piece of pottery from a Cherokee site in Hayesville.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do my whole life.” — Jane Eastman

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“So there’s a lot of time depth represented in these remains,” Eastman said. Mica with evidence of cuts was among the artifacts, and it’s believed that skilled craftspeople may have traded mica during the Pisgah phase, said Eastman. Soapstone, a mineral shaped into containers for the transfer of hot liquids, was found with apparent ridges from scraping. Soapstone occurs in a small area within Jackson County, N.C. “We can still use soapstone for this…because it holds heat so well,” Eastman said. “People would have been drawn to this area to ﬁnd these resources.” Twenty years later, there’s still no comprehensive report for this impromptu, unfunded excavation. “We were there for over two months, which seems like a lot,” Moore said, “but there were years worth of work that could have been done there.” Moore’s current work focuses primarily on the Burke culture associated with the North Carolina foothills during the late prehistoric and early Historic Cherokee years. This work includes excavation at the Berry site in the Upper Catawba Valley in Burke County, N.C. The site is a large Native American town occupied from about 1400 to 1600 A.D. that also featured a Spanish fort. For the past six years, Eastman has been working in the town of Hayesville, N.C., to preserve a Cherokee site, and her students helped reconstruct a Cherokee homestead there. Western Carolina alumni aid in presenting interpretative and living history programs in Hayesville, and the resulting tourism has helped revitalize the community. “It’s sort of come full circle,” Eastman says. 47

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Clay County < North Carolina Come and enjoy Clay County year round. No matter what time of the year it is, there's always something to explore. From seasonal celebrations and special events to natural beauty and local history, every family member can find something enjoyable. Whether you like hiking on a mountain trail, fishing on Lake Chatuge, or shopping on the square. Also, history lovers will be interested in the Clay County Courthouse, which was built in 1888 and is designated in the National Register of Historical Places, the Clay County Museum, and the John C. Campbell Folk School.

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The 2nd weekend of July is the annual Festival on the Square sponsored by the Clay County Historical & Arts Council. Each year festivities are kicked off on Friday night with a street dance on the Town Square. Then, Saturday and Sunday, everyone enjoys the handcrafted items on display from artists throughout our community and beyond.

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The Ladies of Biltmore

New Exhibit Showcases Treasures Loved by Edith and Cornelia MARLA HARDEE MILLING

Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt, c 1905. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BILTMORE ESTATE

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parade of more than 200 costumed partygoers mingled at Asheville’s grand Biltmore House on the evening of August 23, 1921, to celebrate the 21st birthday of Cornelia, the daughter of George and Edith Vanderbilt. The society page of the Asheville Citizen newspaper the next day presented a view of the range of costumes: “... Japanese geisha girls, Gypsies, Pioret and Piorettes, Chinese coolies, pirates, Dutch girls, Sultans and Red Cross nurses.” The paper also gave nod to Rachel Strong, a close friend of Cornelia, who traveled in from Cleveland, Ohio, reporting she “was charming as an oriental dancing girl, her frock being among the most gorgeous.” But where was the Vanderbilt’s only child? The visitors surely must have been scanning the room once everyone was gathered, searching for the birthday girl. Their curiosity was further piqued when a sedan chair emerged—it’s sort of like a rickshaw that is toted by four men using wooden rails extending in the front as well as behind. A black sedan chair painted with ornate scenes and featuring fringed curtains was the device Cornelia used to make her grand entrance. “We have oral history from a little girl at the party and she talked about how Cornelia popped out. That’s a pretty dramatic way to make an entry,” says Leslie Klingner, Biltmore’s Curator of Interpretation. George Vanderbilt died at age 51 in 1914 following complications from an appendectomy, but this birthday extravaganza illustrates how Edith and Cornelia eventually moved on from their grief and once again ﬁlled America’s largest private residence with fun, laughter and good friends. The newspaper account reveals this birthday event included dinner served in the banquet hall and dancing in the sunken garden, accompanied by The Barber-Davis Orchestra from Atlanta. “This party in particular shows Biltmore becoming a place of celebration again,” explains Klingner. “You can tell it’s a turning point and a really fun party. It’s over the top, but not super showy. You can tell they had a great time planning it.”

RARE TREASURES ON DISPLAY A new exhibit, “The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad,” opened in April of this year at Biltmore’s Antler Hill Village, which is adjacent to the Inn on Biltmore Estate. It’s here that estate guests can get a close view of the sedan chair as well as the Renaissance page costume that Cornelia wore. The outﬁt features a black velvet hat with a dramatic ostrich feather, breeches and a bolero jacket complemented with crystal rhine-

stone buttons, a lacey blouse, and fuchsia waist scarf to match the color of the feather. “The feather is original to what she wore on her 21st birthday,” says Klingner. “We didn’t

The Asheville Citizen Wednesday, August 24, 1921 The social calendar for the week started with one of the most [splendid? spectacular?] of the season’s entertainments - the fancy dress ball given Monday evening at Biltmore House by Mrs. George W. Vanderbilt in honor of the birthday anniversary of her daughter, Miss Cornelia Vanderbilt. Dancing was enjoyed in the sunken garden were masses of palms and ferns made a pleasing and charming background for the two hundred or more fascinating and gorgeous costumes of the guests. The Barber-Davis Orchestra from Atlanta provided the dance music. Late in the evening supper was served in the banquet hall. A special feature of the entertainment was that the assemblage of the guests, at the commencement of the evening, a closed sedan chair was brought in by four attendants and as the curtains were drawn, Miss Vanderbilt stepped forward in a most attractive costume of a page of the period of the French Renaissance. Mrs. Vanderbilt’s gown was a handsome pale green dress covered with crystal beads, which also carried out the Renaissance period, in keeping with the architecture of the Biltmore House which was patterned after the chateau de Blois. Miss Rachel Strong of Cleveland, who is visiting Miss Vanderbilt and was among the chief guests at the party, was charming as an oriental dancing girl, her frock being among the most gorgeous. Among the costumes represented were Japanese geisha girls, Gypsies, Pioret and Piorettes, Chinese coolies, pirates, Dutch girls, Sultans and Red Cross nurses. An eastern princess and a Palm Olive girl were especially attractive. Miss Vanderbilt received many birthday gifts. Notes by Ellen Rickman: June 2004 Found at the Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, NC

even realize it until we put the exhibit together. We had not connected all of the dots.” A photograph in Biltmore’s collection preserves a moment from that night. Cornelia WWW.SMLIV.COM

lounges on a pillow on the left side, while her friend, Rachel Sword, sits on a pillow on the right. Seated next to Cornelia is Edith Vanderbilt, bedecked in a pearl headdress and a pale green dress with pearl fringe running down her arms. Other guests are seated and standing around them, dressed in their ornate costumes. In time, the estate will rotate some of the items, especially those at a risk of deterioration from exposure to light. Cornelia’s outfit is one that will eventually be returned to storage and in its place they already have one of Edith’s costumes on standby. In the mid-1920s, she wore an elaborate mermaid costume (fashioned in pink, black, and silver) for one of the many masquerade parties she hosted. One other outfit currently on display is one of Edith’s traveling outfits featuring a long coat and veiled hat, positioned near her Louis Vuitton trunk.

EDITH’S FAVORITE ITEMS Living in a 250-room house surrounded by priceless treasures, it’s anyone’s guess what Edith Vanderbilt might identify today as the objects she prized the most. It may be, however, that she would point to her cameras. She was an avid photographer and is credited with leaving an intimate glimpse of what life was like at Biltmore. Some of the most touching photographs are the ones she took of her husband and daughter. She captured George holding his infant daughter in 1900. And when Cornelia was 10, Edith snapped delightful photos of her standing with her dad on the front lawn of Biltmore as she prepared to take a swim in the fountain. The exhibit features two of Edith’s beloved cameras—a No. 4 Panoram Kodak Model B camera and another Kodak model that took snapshots. “We have 8,000 photographs in the collection at Biltmore. I’d say a couple dozen are ones we are sure that Edith took. There are about 12 of Edith’s photos on display at the exhibit,” says Klingner. “Most gilded age families only have formal pictures taken by professional photographers,” she adds, “but through Edith’s passion in photography we have intimate family pictures. I think her cameras were really signiﬁcant.” Along with the cameras, Edith might also gravitate to two books in the exhibit deeply connected to her love for her husband. The ﬁrst is believed to be the small prayer book that Edith carried when they married at the American Episcopal Cathedral in Paris on June 1, 1898. She had received extravagant jewelry from George and certainly had the means for elaborate wedding accessories, but she chose a simple statement for her vows. She wore no jewelry, 51

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Cornelia surrounded by family and friends at a masquerade party in honor of her 21st birthday, 1921. (Cornelia is seated on a pillow on the left. Her mother, Edith, is seated on the bench next to her. Her friend Rachel Strong is seated on the pillow on the right.)

a simple gown and her grandmother’s veil, and carried only the prayer book. Another book on display in the same case as the prayer book is a copy of Quo Vadis that Edith is said to have slipped in George’s Christmas stocking in December 1897. Researchers uncovered that nugget from a diary written by one of George’s best friends who documented details of that Christmas.

“I think it’s a very clever gift,” says Klingner. “It was published in 1897 and is a love story. It’s about a Roman solider from a wealthy family who traveled widely and partook in a decadent culture. He fell in love with a woman who wasn’t as wealthy and lived a simple Christian life. It’s a touching love story and I think it’s an interesting gift because it parallels their lives. “ Behind the books, there’s another item wor-

Sidestepping Tragedy: The Titanic Connection A serendipitous decision in 1912 most likely saved George Vanderbilt’s life. Biltmore Estate has evidence George Vanderbilt booked tickets a month in advance for his family on the ill-fated Titanic, but he changed plans at the last minute. The family was returning to Asheville following a stay in Paris and Vanderbilt switched to riding the Olympic. Owned by White Star Line, the Olympic was the sister ship to the Titanic and Britannic. The Olympic served for 24 years while the other two ships suffered the same fate at sea: they sank. Biltmore researchers aren’t quite sure what led to the decision to change ships, but they suspect it’s one of two reasons. “There was a coal strike in England at the time,” explains Leslie Klingner, Curator of Interpretation at Biltmore Estate. “They may have thought the Titanic might not set sail or be delayed so they took the sure bet. The other reason could have been that they had friends and family on the Olympic and decided to travel back with them.” Since women and children were given first access to the lifeboats, it’s

thy of mention. It’s a 12-sided Tiffany and Company silver teapot sporting a pineapple on the top (a symbol of hospitality) and ivory rings where the handle connects to the pot. The ivory does not conduct heat, which enables the handle to remain cool to the touch. This very feminine teapot was a wedding gift from Anna Roosevelt Cowles, Teddy Roosevelt’s sister and trusted advisor. She was a frequent guest at Biltmore.

believed George Vanderbilt would have suffered the same fate as the more than 1,500 people who died when the Titanic disappeared beneath the water’s surface on April 15, 1912, including John Jacob Astor IV, who Cornelia on the deck of the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, was the wealthiest Titanic victim. c 1910 taken by Edith Vanderbilt. The new exhibit, “The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad,” chronicles the Vanderbilts’ close call with the Titanic and presents items on loan from the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and from private collector Brian Hawley. Featured objects include Titanic menus, dinner plates, glasses, silverware and a replica of the ship. Tragically, the Vanderbilts’ footman was one of the Titanic victims. Edwin Wheeler may have stayed behind the family in order to pack up their apartment in Paris. He was 26 years old.

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A Lady’s Itinerary at Biltmore After exploring the treasures beloved by Edith Vanderbilt and her daughter, Cornelia, in the “Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad” exhibit at Biltmore Estate, plan to spend time enjoying other services that are designed especially with women in mind: Spa Day: The “Her Estate Experience” package at the Spa at Biltmore provides women with a full body exfoliation, botanical body wrap with heated stones, a hydrating facial masque and the Signature Biltmore Massage. The staff pampers guests for 110 minutes and leaves them restored, renewed and ready for the next treat: a cup of tea at the Inn. And yes, even though this is a lady’s itinerary, there is a “His Estate Experience” for the guys. Spa services are available to guests staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate and twelve-month passholders. Afternoon Tea: Enjoy a selection of teas served with an assortment of scones, English finger sandwiches, fresh fruit and pastries when you join friends in the Library Lounge at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. To take part, you’ll need estate admission, be a 12-month passholder, or be a guest at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. Reservations recommended 828.225.1699. Girlfriends’ Getaway: Imagine having private lodging on the estate to have the feel of what it’s like to live there. You can have this experience when you book the Cottage on Biltmore Estate, a twobedroom, two-bath house designed by Richard Howland Hunt, the son of Biltmore House architect Richard Howland Hunt. Guests may even add on such luxuries as meals prepared by a private chef, butler services and grocery services to stock the cottage prior to their arrival. Rates and reservations are available by calling 800.411.4063.

Edith out in the field with her camera. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BILTMORE ESTATE

CORNELIA’S OUTDOOR PASSIONS Cornelia married John Francis Amherst Cecil in 1924 at an elaborate ceremony at All Souls Episcopal Church in Biltmore Village, near the estate’s main entrance. Gifts poured in from around the world, and the new exhibit shows off a few of them. There are detailed bisque ﬁgurines depicting Cupid and Psyche, a stunning hat pin, and an intricate diamond and jade encrusted vanity with attached lipstick case and accompanying cigarette holder designed by Cartier. It’s really stylish and beautiful,” says Klingner as she describes the Cartier items, showcased in the original white box. “I don’t know if it was one of Cornelia’s favorite items, but it certainly would be mine.” During her childhood, Cornelia was more of an outdoors girl. She loved riding horses, playing with her dogs, ﬁshing and exploring Biltmore’s huge backyard. When her father was alive, the estate encompassed 125,000 acres. After his death, Edith sold the majority of land to the government for formation of the Pisgah National Forest. Today, 8,000 acres remain as part of the estate. Cornelia received a donkey, named Jack, as a present for her 10th birthday. Jack’s packsaddle is on display next to Edith’s sidesaddle. There’s also a carriage whip she received when she turned 16. Another gift on view at the exhibit was one she received in the morning of her 21st birthday. Estate workers presented her with a game bag for hunting. It’s embroidered with her initials—a “C” on top of a “V”—on the front. “When you think about birthday presents, they are often reflective of what a person loves to do,” says Klingner. “Cornelia’s gifts often dealt

with the outdoors.” Cornelia also played polo and helped establish the golf course in Biltmore Forest. One large photo in the exhibit shows a smiling Cornelia and two men watching as Edith tees off at the Biltmore Forest Country Club golf course.

LOOK CAREFULLY While there are many valuable and expensive items in the exhibit, curators say one of the rarest items included is one of the Holland House books. It’s currently opened to a page with Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature. This is only the second time it’s been on display. The book is positioned near an intricate chess set once owned by Napoleon.

want to go? The Vanderbilts At Home and Abroad and Antler Hill Village at Biltmore Estate are included with estate admission. Call 800.411.3812 or visit biltmore.com for more information.

The Holland House books consist of a set of volumes from the Holland House in England, which was a gathering place for noted thinkers, leaders and philosophers. The books reveal details of British history from the mid-1500s through the late 19th century as recorded in letters, prints and drawings. Like the clothing, the current page on display is at risk of damage from light exposure, so it will be replaced by other documents—one signed by Elizabeth I and another signed by Catherine the Great.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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George Vanderbilt with daughter Cornelia, c 1910. She is dressed for a swim in the fountain.

The new exhibit is deceiving. Upon entrance, it seems small because there are nooks and crannies devoted to one or two objects—like the area showing Cornelia’s costume and sedan chair. Yet as rooms merge with other display areas, it’s clear there’s a much greater inventory here than presumed. Look carefully. It’s easy to miss some items on the ﬁrst walk through as attention gravitates toward the larger items: a wheelchair Edith used after delivering Cornelia, a large case boasting extravagant formal china and silver, the elaborate armor of a Samurai warrior and a 1920 Harley Davidson motorcycle on loan from the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. It’s almost identical to the 1922 model owned by the Vanderbilts. They owned six early Harley Davidson motorcycles, two 1913’s, and one each from the following years: 1915, 1917, 1922 and 1937. The estate no longer has any of the motorcycles owned by the family. There are also smaller items to discover—miniature carved animals, an impossibly intricate business card holder, and an elephant surrounded by blind men. The exhibit concludes with a movie about the Vanderbilts and Biltmore Estate narrated by George and Edith’s great granddaughter, Dini Cecil Pickering. It’s clear from her words that money and material goods aren’t the things she most reveres when she thinks of her ancestor’s legacy, but the sense of family, hospitality, laughter, love and happy memories.

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Women in the Appalachian Home BY SARAH SMITH NESTER

Dollie Hoskins Turnbill lived at the foot of the great Cumberland Mountains, approximately three miles from Oliver Springs, Tenn., and only a mile or so from the ancestral Hoskins homeplace in Hoskins Hollow. PHOTO BY JOHN RICE IRWIN

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 â&#x20AC;˘ ISSUE 3

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Appalachian women endured much adversity and hardship in carving out a life from the hardscrabble mountains; however, they were the center of home life and its reflections of work, culture, and love.

“These women were a

hearty bunch and joyful—but they didn’t do a lot for themselves, they focused around chores and things that needed to be done,” said Elaine Irwin Meyer, president of the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tenn. Women did most of the caretaking. They made the family’s clothing, cooked and swept the fireplace, and tended to the garden. Many times they were responsible for caring for the livestock. Clothing was handmade, Cherokee families were living in log homes by the 17th century. These homes were similar to the including spinning and dying wool homes one would see on white-owned farms. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PHOTO and weaving it into cloth. Most women kept looms on the front even today. “To us, it’s about a special dish that’s been porch of their homes because the looms were so large. Being handed down. It’s bonding time, preparing that meal able to buy cloth was a luxury. “Appalachian people with together,” she said. money had access to buying processed cloth, so when they Appalachian women made lasting friendships by helping could, they did,” said Paul Koch of the Mountain Heritage each other with their workloads. “While it may not seem like Center at Western Carolina University. the things they did were a lot of ‘fun,’ women would get Cooking often was done over a fireplace. “There was together to complete chores and it really was a social absolutely a lot of maintenance from using a fireplace,” Koch atmosphere,” Meyer said. Quilting, breaking beans, boiling said. “House cleaning and sweeping were a big deal. A lot molasses, canning, and various other means of preservation all people have said it was very dangerous for women to be doing represented a chance to work together. It also was not that work around fireplaces with their long skirts.” Food was a uncommon to see women get together for hog killings, and way to cultivate friendships inside and outside of their homes. shucking corn was an exceptional social event of shared labor. Recipes that are still widely used today were created and When a woman would get married, the community would passed from friend to friend, and the best way to show off come together to help make a wedding quilt. “These women those recipes was during family meals. worked hard and prepared everything lovingly,” Meyer said. “When the men came in from the fields for dinner during Kathryn Stripling Byer, a poet and essayist and former the day and supper at night, everyone ate together,” Meyer North Carolina poet laureate, recalled one of the biggest said. Food preparation is a notable part of Appalachian life

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“The daily grind of life could have so easily worn mountain women down, but they were able to turn their tasks into opportunities for selfexpression. How can we not celebrate these accomplishments?” — Kathryn Stripling Byer

Oldest woman? This photograph shows Mary Faust and her two children, “Coon” and “Sis.” Faust was born and raised in Anderson County, Tennessee, and this picture shows the Faust family in their cabin home near Andersonville. The entire family, although they lived within twenty miles of Knoxville, relied entirely upon their own labor to clothe as well as feed themselves. This photo, taken in 1910, speculates that Faust may have been the oldest woman in the United States at the time. Regardless of her age, she worked from early morning till sundown each day, with the result that her two children and she were entirely clothed with cloth she wove and garments she made. In addition to her spinning and weaving she aided in cooking and household duties. None of the modern commodities of 1910 were to be found in her home, but instead her cabin maintained the same appearance as it did 100 years prior. Faust said she was never sick nor were her children, and her old age she attributed to the simple life she led. She recalled visiting Knoxville in the early 1800s, and at that time there were only a few hundred people in the town. The trip from her home to Knoxville was made on foot and her husband travelled with her to join the band of men who left Knoxville to fight in the Mexican war. She returned alone and lived in that cabin for the remainder of her life. PHOTOGRAPH COPYRIGHT 1910, BY M. H. GASS SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

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or ﬂowers, or songs,” Byer said. “How can we not celebrate these accomplishments? They enriched women’s life in the past and continue to enrich our lives today.” Towns were small in the Appalachian Mountains, often with a meeting area and a church, said Florie Takaki, park ranger and coordinator at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Women weren’t pastors, but they were extremely active in religious life, and that carried to the homestead. Protestant Christianity dominated in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, and many people converted to the Baptist faith from other denominations like Presbyterian where religious leaders had to be formally educated. Churches were a luxury in many towns that didn’t even have a town center, so pastors would often make house calls and religious services were conducted were inside the home, Koch said. “Women were very instrumental in religion; they were the spiritual leaders of the home,” Meyer said. “This was most likely to be a role model for the children.” Children and adults often used church as a form of socialization, and many people met their spouses at church. If the community did have a church Ibbie Jane Weaver Rice, Elaine Meyer’s great grandmother. She was born pastor or a circuit Feb. 4, 1874, and died June 17, 1956. She was the wife of Marcellus M. Rice. preacher, it “was PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FAMILY considered a big deal to have the pastor over for lunch,” Meyer daydream, and enjoy watching the patterns said. Women would spend hours preparing of those beautiful and interesting coverlets Sunday meals and hold cottage prayer take shape. It also was chance to display meetings, often in anticipation of revivals or one’s artistic side, though it wasn’t until after other church-related events. The campthe Civil War that such items began to be meetings (large outdoor revival meetings made and sold for their artistic merits rather that lasted several days) were one of the than simply utilitarian purposes. times families left their homes for extended “The daily grind of life could have so periods of time. easily worn mountain women down, but Otherwise, people tended to stay home— they were able to turn their tasks into women especially, since a primary duty was to opportunities for self-expression. To make tend to the children. “That doesn’t mean you and cherish their ‘pretties,’ whether quilts, differences between Appalachian women and other Southern women having household help. Byer, a Georgia native, said, “Mountain women tended their own houses and gardens; my kinswomen often had black women to help them cook and clean, and they had help cultivating and harvesting their gardens.” There also are examples of women using work as a form of pleasure. Emma Bell Miles recorded in her 1905 book, The Spirit of the Mountains, that weaving work gave a woman quiet time to sit at her loom, sing,

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SARAH E. KUCHARSKI PHOTO

Cherokee women work on crafts (above). NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PHOTO Maude Martin (right) of Panther Creek in Hancock County, Tenn., at age 83. PHOTO BY JOHN RICE IRWIN, SEPT. 1979

On June 16, the century-old buildings at the Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee will come alive as national park staff and volunteers pay tribute to rural women of the past through demonstrations of traditional women’s work at the Women’s Work Celebration. For more information, visit nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm.

wouldn’t see a woman out working a plough or men making cornbread,” Takaki said. As part of the caretaking role, women often treated illnesses when doctors weren’t available, according to Anthony Cavendar’s book, Folk Medicine in Southern Appalachia. For example, putting sulfur in a sufferer’s shoes was used to treat the ﬂu. Both Cherokee and other Appalachian inhabitants believed in “sweating out” diseases; often times this would lead to death due to dehydration of the body. “Both men and women used home remedies, some plants introduced to them by Cherokee neighbors,” Takaki said. “[Western North Carolina] is the most diverse area in the country in terms of plant species other than the Everglades and the Paciﬁc Northwest.” Granny women—an expression unique to the Southern Appalachians that refers to a midwife—were essential for Appalachian women. The number one cause of death for women at the time was in childbirth, Takaki said. Granny women were usually elder women in the community and were often the only healthcare practitioners. Many times a granny woman played the role of obstetrician, pharmacist, psychologist, and birthing coach. She most likely learned these skills from other granny women. Doctors were few and far between and did not always have the highest medical SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

credentials or equipment and often could not make it to the home in time for the birth, Koch said. Midwives and granny women were seldom paid, but they were considered the authorities on childbirth. Often times home healing and midwifery overlapped as home remedies and plants were used to cure medical problems during childbirth. Plants were aids during childbirth—Cherokee women would drink cherry bark to speed delivery. Women were often back to working in the homes very shortly after delivery. Nearly all of the homes of southern Appalachia until the early 1900s were log cabins. Appalachian architecture of log cabins can be attributed the unique combination of German, Scotch-Irish, English, and Scandinavian cultures that migrated to this area, according to the essay, “Historical Survey of Log Structures in Southern Appalachia.” Most structures were basic— one or two room homes. There was often a day room, and perhaps a bedroom shared among several children and family members. Cleaning would have been constant and necessary to keep order even in smaller spaces. Cherokee women also were living in log homes by the 17th century. The Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, N.C., features replicas of 18th and 19th century cabins that were similar to the homes one would see on white-owned farms.

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After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Cherokee Indians who were allowed to stay in Western North Carolina had to portray exceptionally good living conditions. Tyler Howe, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Historical Preservation Office, said, “Cherokee people were very clean in practice; there are a lot of accounts of Cherokee women doing things like sweeping their yards.” Cherokee homes were clean because “they had to be,” Howe said. In the 1870s, writers from travel and religious magazines from the North visited Western North Carolina and wrote colorful tales about the experience. Because of their cleanliness and temperament, the Native American community was well portrayed versus tales of the uncivilized whites. Outsiders noted the phenomenon of women doing things during the Victorian era that were not typical women’s work or observed that their farms were unkempt, Koch said. However, agriculture in the mountains was different from west Tennessee or eastern North Carolina. Appalachians practiced “slash and burn” of crops and letting them grow on their own. Appalachian people did not typically fence in their animals, and they would often roam from farm to farm. The philosophy of Appalachian farming was considered far wilder than neighboring states. Women often would sell or trade surplus from their gardens and livestock in order to earn income for the family. “I don’t think that women had large roles in providing income, but they would often earn a little money and provide pockets of income, like selling chicken,” Meyer said. Women canned their food for preservation but would sometimes sell items like canned sausage, salt pork and beans. Cherokee women also sold their surplus to white townspeople, and while both white and Cherokee women’s roles were not necessarily equal to men, they played a large role in decision-making and providing for their family. According to Howe, Cherokee women had a unique role in the fact that they were a part of government. Quallatown council meetings were open to women and they were active participants. There are records of women suing for personal property, and they often spoke up in attempts to persuade others not to sell land. WWW.SMLIV.COM

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Birds of Summer It’s not Mardi Gras, but it’s still fun BY DON HENDERSHOT

t’s June, spring migration has passed us by and some jaded birders are putting away their binoculars and field guides, getting out their fly rods and golf clubs, content to wait until September when fall migration will once again make the forests and fields of the Smokies come alive with kinetic feathered energy. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With dozens of species of neotropical migrants nesting in the region plus a host of resident songbirds and raptors, there is still plenty to see. And a wonderful thing about the Smokies is you can bird various and varied habitat ranging from 1,200 feet to 6,000 feet in elevation, insuring various and varied species. You can find white-eyed vireos and blue grosbeaks at Kituwah Farms in Swain County and chase magnolia warblers and vesper sparrows on Roan Mountain. Or watch

lemon-yellow American goldﬁnches on your thistle feeder in your backyard. Of course there is a difference between birding during spring migration and birding from now till fall migration. “Spring migration is like Mardi Gras—lively, colorful, musical, stereophonic surround-sound; over the top. In summer, everything slows down. You can focus on a few birds—the wood thrush that might still be singing on territory in the understory ‘ee-ohlay, ee-o-lay’ or the ovenbird’s loud isolated ‘teacher, teacher, teacher’,” is the way author, Ijams Nature Center birdman and senior naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales describes it. Smoky Mountain Living Magazine talked to a number of renowned birders (including Bales) across the Smokies from eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina to get a feel for what summer birding entails.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

When Simon Thompson, co-owner of Asheville Wild Birds Unlimited and owner-operator of Ventures Inc., a birding and natural history tour company that operates here in the Smokies and around the world, thinks about summer birding he thinks about it as an “… opportunity to watch a lot more behavior as nesting is in full swing. We can listen and learn bird songs, watch nesting; raising chicks and territorial behavior.” Thompson said leading tours in summer was a little tougher and that he relied more heavily on bird song to help him ﬁnd birds. Some of Thompson’s favorite summer trips are along the Blue Ridge Parkway. He likes to seek out cerulean warblers along the Parkway from Craven Gap north toward the Craggies. “I love seeing them here in the North Carolina Mountains and then again on their wintering grounds in Colombia,” Thompson said.

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Dr. Fred Alsop, ornithologist, professor of biology at East Tennessee State University, author of more than 100 published notes on birds, 18 books about birds, and working on the Birds of Tennessee, notes that nesting season is a time when much research is done. “During the late spring and summer when many permanent resident and summer resident birds are nesting, a lot of birders work to ﬁnd nests, count clutches of eggs, band nestlings and take photos documenting the nesting cycle. This is the time when many types of breeding bird censuses are conducted and data compiled on the breeding success of many species. Such data may be used by many agencies to manage habitat for breeding species. The migrants are gone and the breeding avifauna of the region holds all our attention,” said Alsop. A couple of Alsop’s favorite summer birding haunts are Roan Mountain and Unaka Mountain in East Tennessee. One thing that draws Alsop to these mountain habitats is, “… the striking elevational distributions that govern the vegetational zones as a birder ascends the mountains. You can bird for ‘southern’ species in the lowlands and in a short time be among ‘northern’ species in the highlands.” Marilyn Westphal is past president of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, retired from the University of North Carolina– Asheville where she worked in the Environmental Quality Institute, compiler for spring migration counts across Western North Carolina and author or co-author of several articles in The Chat, the quarterly bulletin of the Carolina Bird Club. Westphal is also partial to the Blue Ridge Parkway for summer birding because, “… many species found there are not found breeding anywhere else in the region. It’s also usually nice and cool up there in summer, the views are spectacular, the forest trails are lovely…and often harbor surprises.” Two of Westphal’s favorite summer species are both melliﬂuous songsters. “The winter wren has long been one of my favorites because it has such a beautiful song and sings it with such energy. Its whole body shakes when it sings. My other favorite is the hermit thrush whose song to me is the most beautiful of any bird in the region. Listening to the songs of these two species echoing through the woods is something truly special.” Dr. Marcus B. Simpson Jr. specializes in pathology and has penned volumes of medical and/or historical articles and books. But he is probably best known to birders across the Smokies as author of Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains: A Guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah National Park and Neighbor?

Hit the Trail for Birds Audubon North Carolina, along with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, North Carolina State Parks, North Carolina Sea Grant, and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service began work on the North Carolina Birding Trail (NCBT) in 2003. The project was divided into geographical sections, creating the Coastal Plains Trail Guide, the Piedmont Trail Guide and the Mountain Region Trail Guide. The Mountain Region Trail Guide comprises 105 sites across the mountains of North Carolina. These sites include: y Cherohala Skyway, site 32, in Graham County — This 40-mile scenic byway between Robbinsville and Tellico Plains, Tenn., along the spine of the Unicoi Mountains provides great birding opportunities. Summer species include common raven, northern saw-whet owl, rose-breasted grosbeak, chestnut-sided warbler, Canada warbler, blackburnian warbler, veery, red-breasted nuthatch, least flycatcher and more. y Stecoah Gap, site 34, in Graham County where the Appalachian Trail crosses NC 143 — Summer species include scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, ovenbird, northern parula, black-throated blue warbler, black-throated green warbler, black-and-white warbler and American redstart. Golden-winged warblers and blackburnian warblers can likely be found in early June. y Ferguson Fields/Kituwah Farm, site 77, in Swain County on U.S. 19 between Cherokee and Bryson City — Kituwah is a treat for mountain birders offering lowland species like white-eyed vireo, yellow-breasted chat, blue grosbeak, common yellowthroat, yellow warbler and willow flycatcher. y Whiteside Mountain, site 48, in Jackson County on U.S. 64 East between Cashiers and Highlands — Peregrine falcons have nested on Whiteside since being reintroduced there in 1985. And while peregrines fledge in May it is not uncommon to see adults and/or immatures in June. Other summer residents of note include yellow-bellied sapsucker, common raven, redbreasted nuthatch and Canada warbler. y Heintooga Spur Road, site 42, in Jackson, Swain and Haywood counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 458.2 — Heintooga is another great spot for high-elevation specialties like common raven, least flycatcher, red-breasted nuthatch, golden-crowned kinglet, least flycatcher, blackburnian warbler, Canada warbler, hermit thrush (at Polls Gap,) winter wren and occasionally red crossbill and pine siskin. y Little Tennessee Greenway, site 50, in Franklin — This site offers some great in-town birding. A colony of cliff swallows may be observed under the Tassee Bridge near the southern end of the greenway. Other summer greenway birds include green heron great blue heron, blue-gray gnatcatcher, orchard oriole, eastern kingbird and red-tailed hawk. y Highlands Biological Station, site 49, in Highlands — Summer residents include blueheaded vireo, black-throated blue warbler, golden-crowned kinglet, red-breasted nuthatch and northern parula. y Lake Junaluska, site 37, in Haywood County — Summer is probably the slowest birding season for Lake Junaluska, which attracts lots of waterfowl and passerine migrants during spring and fall migration. However a trip around the lake in summer can be quite rewarding. Summer residents include, barn swallow, tree swallow, northern rough-winged swallow, purple martin, chimney swift, green heron, great blue heron, eastern bluebird and belted kingfisher. y Pink Beds, site 86, in Transylvania County on U.S. 276 four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway — Summer residents include brown creeper, great crested flycatcher, pileated woodpecker, blackburnian warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, black-throated blue warbler and wood thrush. y Davidson River, site 82, in Transylvania County along U.S. 276 — Site follows the Davidson River from near Brevard to the Blue Ridge Parkway and offers great and varied birding. There are several pull-offs along the highway but traffic noise can sometimes be problematic. However there are a number of gravel Forest Service roads and numerous trails that offer more solitude. Most of the wood warblers like hooded, black-throated-blue, black-throated green northern parula, ovenbird and hooded may be found here. Rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager are also common. Peregrine falcons commonly nest on Looking Glass Rock and early morning and/or late evening forays are often rewarded with the ringing call of the whip-poor-will. Some other great sites include, Craggy Gardens, Mount Mitchell State Park, and the Boone Greenway. To learn more about the NCBT and the Mountain Region Trail Guide visit ncbirdingtrail.org or to order a copy visit ncwildstore.com or your local bookstore. WWW.SMLIV.COM

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ing Areas, a great resources for birders looking for great birding spots. Simpson sometimes does summer sorties along the Blue Ridge escarpment along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. He likes searching for Swainson’s warblers and other birds in protected public areas like Gorges State Park, Chimney Rock, Caesar’s Head, Jones Gap and Blue Wall. Simpson and Westphal have recently been tracking and documenting hermit thrushes and Swainson’s thrushes in the Black Mountains near Mount Mitchell. Simpson said that hermit thrushes have been noted during nesting season in the region since 1979, but the first nest wasn’t discovered until last summer. So it may be awhile before anyone turns up a Swainson’s thrush nest, as they seem to have appeared around 2005. Smoky Mountain Living asked our five experts about any rare or elusive summer nesters they sought out and surprisingly one diminutive puff of feathers with a big voice popped up on three radars. The northern saw-whet owl is a tiny (7- to 8-inch) owl about the size of an eastern bluebird. Bales says the northern sawwhet’s call is “… part mechanical, part other worldly; rhythmic; resonant; spooky.” He likes to listen for this high-elevation nester along Clingman’s Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Peterson’s Field Guide of the Birds of Eastern and Central North America describes the call thusly, “Song, a mellow whistled toot repeated mechanically in endless succession, often 80–100 times per minute: ‘too, too, too, too, too, etc.” Alsop also has a weak spot for this tiny boreal elf. Alsop said he became interested in northern saw-whets while in graduate school at the University of Tennessee in the late 1960s. He said he finally found his “life” saw-whet in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and that he and his graduate advisor, Dr. James T. Tanner, put up nesting boxes for them. Alsop said that while he and Tanner had no success, “Later in the 1990s with my own graduate students at East Tennessee State University, we put nesting boxes on Unaka and Roan Mountains and had successful nesting by these little owls.” Alsop said he and his students were able to provide some of the first documented nesting information regarding northern saw-whets and that one of his students, Mark Barb, earned his master’s degree studying the nest boxes. Simpson also likes chasing northern sawwhets, “… as they are elusive and challenging to find and even more difficult to see.” According to Simpson some of the best spots to look and/or listen for northern saw-whets is along the Blue Ridge Parkway between Devil’s 64

Courthouse (milepost 422.4) and Roy Taylor Overlook (milepost 433.3,) plus Mount Mitchell State Park. Alsop remembers a former professor, David Snyder, who used to stop by his dorm room on weekends and talk him into going birding. “I was amazed that he could identify birds at a distance by sight; by their vocalizations; their posture and their behavior. I wanted to learn to do the same thing. I was hooked and began my life

GETTING STARTED A great place to start birding is in your own back yard. Feeder watching can be an end in itself or it can spur you to want to learn more. You can make feeding birds as simple or as involved as you have the time and energy for. Simple is a couple of different types of feeders like a wooden (most are from cedar) hopper feeder—basically a plastic hopper covered by a

Birding on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

list in the summer of 1963 at my boyhood home in northern Kentucky. I never looked back. Birding has changed my life, taken me birding in all 50 states, most of Canada and to 18 other countries. More than 3,400 life species later, I am still in the hunt, “ said Alsop. “That bird that hooked me back in the spring of 1962 was a male rose-breasted grosbeak.” And like they say—what goes around comes around. Bales said there was a bird feeder in his yard when he was growing up in Gatlinburg and that his mom bought him a “Golden Guide” to common birds. “But,” according to Bales, “the ah-ha moment came when I took a Smoky Mountain Field School class taught by Dr. Fred Alsop. We car-pooled to several spots in the Smokies. The ﬁrst was the parking lot at the trailhead to Rainbow Falls. After getting out of the car, Alsop began naming all the birds around us that we could hear singing in every direction. It was spring and lots were singing. Out of the cacophony of songs he could pick out each individual species. Wow—I wanted to learn how to do that.” SMOKY MOUNTAIN LIVING VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 3

wooden frame. It’s good for large seeds like black oil sunflower, which will attract anything from chickadees to rose-breasted grosbeaks to woodpeckers. Add a thistle feeder for goldfinches and pine siskins and the obligatory hummingbird feeder and you could attract more than a dozen species of birds. Please remember you don’t need commercial red hummingbird food with added dyes—a mixture of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar is much healthier and just as attractive to these little guys. Then if you want to step it up there are tube feeders, platform feeders, suet feeders, peanut butter feeders and even oriole feeders. This is where you may want to seek help from qualified persons like Thompson and his staff at Wild Birds Unlimited in Asheville. The local birding community or the closest Audubon chapter can steer you in the right direction. A couple of helpful websites are; allaboutbirds.org and birdzilla.com. Water features—anything from birdbaths to fountains to drips, to landscaping ponds—help attract birds. And nothing is better for native

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birds than native landscaping. Simple things to remember about native landscaping: layers—different species forage at different levels, so if you provide native grasses and ground cover, native shrubs and native trees you are providing suitable habitat for different species; diversity—like above, different species prefer different food sources so a diverse landscape attracts more species; dense plants—birds feel safer in thick vegetation and Stephen Lyn Bales, senior naturalist at the Ijams Nature Center.

like to use dense plants for roosting, resting and nesting. Native species representative of those layers include: groundcover and grasses—chickweed, panicgrass and sedges if you have wet areas; good native shrubs include blueberry, elderberry and viburnum; trees include oak, tulip poplar, sassafras and maple. A good resource to contact regarding what native plants might be right for your backyard is the North Carolina Native Plant Society and Caroline Douglas at caroline@ncwildﬂowers.org. All of our experts agree getting the best binoculars you can afford is the best way to go. Thompson has some information regarding selecting binoculars on his Wild Birds Unlimited website at asheville.wbu.com. Peterson’s field guide was highly recommended for beginning birders. As your birding skills progress you will likely add a guide or two—most birders do because different guides have different strengths and weaknesses. But Peterson’s is a great companion in the field.

LEARNING FROM BIRDS Blair Ogburn is senior naturalist at Balsam Mountain Trust. She is a certified environmental educator for the state of North Carolina and she has worked as a songbird field biologist for North Carolina State University. Blair and the Trust provide a lot of educational and outreach experiences at Balsam Mountain Preserve (a gated community in Jackson County that helps sponsor the Trust) and for schools and organizations across Western North Carolina. Often, when Blair is leading bird walks at Balsam Mountain for young students, she brings her own birds, perhaps an American kestrel or a screech owl. Face it, trying to get a group of elementary students focused on a warbler that might be three inches tall is next to impossible—but whip a screech owl out of a crate and you’ve got instant attention. “It’s great for the kids,” Ogburn said, “to get to see that bird up close and personal, perhaps hear them and touch them.” The Trust has eight non-releasable raptors that it uses for educational purposes. The birds have either been imprinted on humans or have been injured and are unable to fend for themselves. They range in size from and adult bald eagle to an American kestrel. In more formal sessions Blair and/or other staff from the Trust will fly the birds for the audience. “It’s just a great learning tool,” she says, “people can see how these amazing creatures are adapted for their life of flight.” And Ogburn noted that seeing the other adaptations of the raptors, their hooked beaks and sharp talons, show how different creatures fit into different niches in nature. Ogburn said that one of the favorite classroom birds was the barred owl. It’s a common bird in the region but because it is mostly nocturnal it isn’t seen often, she said. Ogburn said she will often play the barred owl call and then show the bird and kids make the connection immediately with exclamations like, “Oh! I heard that in my yard.” But basically we can learn from birds all the time by simply observing them. Whether we are watching colorful cardinals, striking eastern towhees or golden goldfinches at our feeders or fiery scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks and fire-throated blackburnian warblers in the forests or sitting quietly at dusk listening to see “who cooks for youuu allll” from the barred owl or the wistful tooting of the northern saw-whet, we are learning. We are learning what unique and beautiful creatures birds are and how they fit seamlessly into the fabric of nature, and we learn that if we want to protect them we have to keep that fabric from unraveling. WWW.SMLIV.COM

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