The Museum of Appalachia
- A Bit of History
I hold the strong conviction that the true breed of diminishing mountain
folk of Southern Appalachia are among the most admirable people in the
world. I have always loved these people, even as a child. Social events
I never attended, but instead I hunted, worked, or visited with the old
people of the community, including my four grandparents who were all descendants
of the early pioneers who settled in Big Valley in East Tennessee in the
1700s.
The sons and daughters of the pioneers of Appalachia abounded in gentleness,
kindness, and compassion; and were without pretentiousness. I think those
were their prominent and, of course, most admirable traits. They were also
imaginative, resourceful, and possessed much native acumen.
My interest and respect for the mountain folk of the beautiful Southern
Appalachian region sparked my interest in collecting relics depicting their
heritage. What better way was there to illustrate their culture, and to
understand their past? My grandfather, Marcellus Moss Rice, had a profound
appreciation for his pioneer ancestors, and he had an interesting array
of primitive items, an accumulation from three or four generations. When
I was quite young he started giving my brother, David, and me some of the
ancient relics, stating that we "ought to start a little museum of
these old-timey things sometime."
For well over a quarter century, I have traversed the most remote traces
of Appalachia collecting hundreds of thousands of frontier and pioneer
relics. I have come to know several hundred of these mountain people, and
many of them are on the "lookout" for unusual and antiquated
items which I might be able to purchase.
It was my intention not to develop this museum in the cold, formal,
lifeless manner the word "museum" often connotes, but, rather
I have striven for the "lived in" effect. I have, above all else,
striven for authenticity and have tried to make the Bunch house, the Armwine
cabin and the other dwelling appear as if the family has just strolled
down to the spring to fetch the daily water supply.
John Rice Irwin
Founder-Director
(NOTE: A short History of the Museum of Appalachia, along with
several other books by John Rice Irwin, are available in the Museum Craft
and Gift Shop.)
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