Appalachian History

Thanks for posting this! I'm going to have to watch it and see how they portray us. The Appalachians don't usually get media coverage unless its glossed-over idealistic mush or stereotypical derision. And it will be interesting to see how ol' Billy Ray hosts this as well!

Well I have mixed emotions about this documentary. One of the main things we hear Billy Ray say is that we are a misunderstood group of people and he wants to educate outsiders about who the Appalachian people really are. Yet the topics dealt with are about moonshining, violence in the coalfields, snake handlers and the extreme topics. I do not have a problem with these topics being addressed. They are very important topics, because they are at the heart of what people think of when they hear the word "hillbilly." What I have a problem with is the fact these were the only topics addressed. Who are the real people of every day Appalachia? Are we all living in run down shacks or trailers along narrow hollows? That is all I saw. So if I were an outsider, I would assume that is how everyone there lives. I would assume everyone moonshines or works in the mines during the week and goes to the snake handling church on Sunday.

I grew up on a farm in Pipestem, WV where my mother's people had settled the region back in the 1700's. We grew a lot of our own food and kept livestock. I went to school in a four room school house. I was taught the importance of an education. I was the first generation in my family to go to college. I did not hear anything about education. Even generations ago my family was not so isolated and uneducated as this special would have others believe.

I realize that it is difficult to deal with such a large region with a long history in only two hours. I have a degree in Appalachian Studies from Virginia Tech and there is so much to cover. I still believe the real story has not been told here. There may be some bits of truth dealt with here, but I agree with my husband who is an outsider that these were topics that make for good television. Beverly Hillbillies anybody?

Beverly D.

I am from southeastern Kentucky. I know we get a bad rap. I moved away 25 years ago and plan to move back in a few years. One thing I can say about "mountain people", true mountain people, not the ones you find in town, but the ones up the hollers, they have it right. They do want they need to do to stay alive. The government stays out of their business for the most part cause nobody wants to go up them hollers. As the way it should be. They are a god fearing people. As they should be. They may not have material riches, but they have riches of the heart. They are kind and they stick together. Nothing is more important than kin. If you have crossed one in a bad way, they will let you know it for sure. I don't think they are misunderstood or dumb. Used to be they were uninformed cause there was no cable or a radio station that you could pick up. I kinda miss those days. The days when you could go play outside all over the mountain and only have to worry about ticks. You can actually still do it up there, but now all the kids want to watch TV. Anyone up there without cable nowadays ain't missing nothing but smut. And with what's on the news, I'd rather be in the dark about it too sometimes. I'd say them there mountain folk ought to be proud. Cause they would be but just a few that could survive on their own if they had to. So to the outsiders I say make fun of us all you want. We don't care. Just stay out. Every now and then we may let you take a peek, but laugh you should not. The Appalachia mountains is a place rich in history, tradition and values. If there's one life lesson I have learned, it is that it is what you take with you when you go. Only eastern Kentucky can give me those kinds of things.

Some other comments I have concern where the people who settled the region came from. This show is saying that most of the people came from Ulster Ireland or were Scots-Irish. Many were. But there is also Irish, English, Welsh, French, German, and Dutch. There are also other European descent, Native American, and African-Americans, which was not dealt with either. The route they show the migration into the region does not include those of my ancestors from the elite of colonial Virginia or the skilled tradesmen of the Germanna colonies of Virginia. Many of those in Appalachia are descented from nobility and royality as well as everyday folk. So to say we are mainly pure Scots-Irish or Anglo-Saxon stock is not totally correct.

Another topic I was not totally happy about is this idea of the extreme poverty in Appalachia. Yes, there is poverty. I was just discussing this topic with a nurse at Duke University and I hope I enlightened her a little bit. Most of us never knew we were not "rich" because everybody else was pretty much like us. The important thing is we had what we needed and we were relatively happy. There is always the extreme poverty wherever you go. I just don't like to be considered poor because I did not "have" the things outsiders considered the sign of wealth.

Beverly D.

Like the program said, we hillbillies can trace our ancestry back a thousand years. I'm descended from claimants to the Scottish throne. My Scots Irish ancestors crossed the Applachians to colonize the New River Valley in 1820. Lots of my ancestors and relatives are buried in Grayson County, VA, but my great great grandfather moved on to better land in Illinois and and my great grandfather tried to homestead in six different states before winding up in
in California. Manifest Destiny and the various homestead acts promised wonderful opportunities for
immigrants to realize the
American Dream of being independant and debt free on their own land, but lack of money to improve the land and labor to work the land caused those dreams to dissolve in the swirling dust and poverty of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. So, it didn't matter where they lived, the Scots Irish usually stayed poor.

I was born in Fontana during the time the dam was being built. Your show brought back a lot of memories. Thank you for a documentary wll done.

"The History Channel's special isn't an expansive historical chronicle or a touching humanistic portrait. But as an addition to the library of film about Appalachia, it's easily understandable for a broad spectrum of viewers. The special will be success enough if it stirs more interest in the region, and what it faces today."

--Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, 9/24

See the rest of their review over at http://itsallabout.typepad.com/its_all_about/2007/09/review-hillybil.html

"I was pleasantly surprised to see The History Channel run a two-hour documentary last night, entitled Hillbilly: The Real Story. Billy Ray Cyrus hosted it and he did a pretty darned good job of it. Yes, it covered some of the more well-known aspects of Southern Appalachian history, such as moonshining and NASCAR. It did a bit about TVA and the impact of the railroads. But, it also went into some lesser known aspectsI was pleasantly surprised to see The History Channel run a two-hour documentary last night, entitled Hillbilly: The Real Story. Billy Ray Cyrus hosted it and he did a pretty darned good job of it. Yes, it covered some of the more well-known aspects of Southern Appalachian history, such as moonshining and NASCAR. It did a bit about TVA and the impact of the railroads. But, it also went into some lesser known aspects..."

Tim Hooker comments at:
http://www.sushituesday.com/home/whats-a-hillbilly.html

Thanks, Dave, for including my review of "Hillbilly: The Real Story" on your site. I hope you'll consider including Sushi Tuesday on your "See The Sites" section.

My only concern about the documentary is that it didn't go far enough. Granted, it was a big improvement over most of the stuff that comes out about us, but it didn't spend any time on modern-day Appalachia. If an outsider were to use the documentary as their only source of information about us, they could still be left with the impression that we didn't have shoes and indoor plumbing.

It would really be nice to see two more hours added to the documentary, two hours that focused on modern Appalachian cities, like Asheville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. I'd like the rest of the world to know we have writers and thinkers and folks who are making significant contributions to the world.

TWH

Moonshine, Feuds, Snake Handling, NASCAR? Seriously? I would think the History Channel could have done a little bit more research on this. True, these are all topics that have their place, but what about all the GOOD things that the people of Appalachia (at least they said it right) have given the country.

Also, Marijuana was the only aspect of modern Appalachia that was even mentioned. Come on... things like this are why the stereotypes are still around today. Don't patronize us by pretending to show the "true" mountain people.