Appalachian Life

Our Appalachian ancestors had to learn to live off the land. They built cabins, grew crops, and hunted for meat. This was necessary to survive and raise their families. A lot of the families moved together to new areas,  while some family members stayed behind. It was all new country back in those days, full of risks and dangers that we really can't appreciate. Medical care was limited and a lot of them succumbed to illnesses that are no problem today.  A woman's job was to keep the home and raise the children. The man was the sole supporter of the family. Entertainment came in the form of barn dances and get-togethers. People had the time to visit and life was slower.

Mountain Music

The traditional folk music of the Southern Appalachians. This music was based on fiddle music of the British Isles mixed with the influences of black musicians, both slave and free. The fiddle came over from Europe with the emmigrants, the banjo came from Africa in primitive form and was refined and developed in the US cities starting before the Civil War. The Civil War spread the banjo and the minstrel tunes popular in that time into the remote Appalachian mountains, where they were adopted. The guitar came somewhat later, around the turn of the century. Prior to radios and recordings, people made their own music. A good fiddler was highly respected and prized in the community. Old-time music was dance music; it was also parlor music, as well as ballads, accompanied or unaccompanied. It was not concert music. Each region, even each county, had unique styles. Until the advent of recordings and radio, the tunes and songs were passed by oral tradition.

This page was last updated on: February 7, 2002