North Carolina is home to a diverse set of musicians, artists, and culture-makers. One such tradition is ballad singing, largely practiced in Madison County and the surrounding area. There, the landscape is characterized by steep hills that rise above pockets, often homesteaded. These “hollers” were settled in part by the English, who brought with them a style of song which, isolated in the mountains, maintained a certain fealty to its original style.
Topics Related to Madison County
In 1916, sang & recorded 25 Southern Appalachian ballads for preservation. Songs were foundational for regional culture & music. She lived nearby.
Marshall sits snug as a town can be in a mountain river valley, making use of both banks of the French Broad River, not to mention the river itself. The town 25 minutes north of Asheville makes for a most adventurous day trip. Morning
"Minstrel of Appalachia." Folklorist, collector, & performer. Pioneered and promoted American folk festivals. Was born here.
Missionary and teacher. Her Allanstand Cottage Industries promoted the revival of Appalachian handicrafts. Lived here.
Thirteen men and boys, suspected of Unionism, were killed by Confederate soldiers in early 1863. Graves 8 mi. E.
English folklorist Cecil Sharp in 1916 collected ballads in the "Laurel Country." Jane Gentry, who supplied many of the songs, lived here.
Baptist; coeducational. Founded 1856 as French Broad Baptist Institute. Name changed 1859. Senior college since 1962.
Pictographs on cliff face were created by Indians ca. 2500 B.C. & long have been landmark for travelers. 5 1/2 mi. N.W.
Health resort since 1800. Name changed from Warm Springs, 1886. Internment camp for Germans in World War I was here.