We at CRA often receive e-mail requests for more information on Celtic culture, genealogy and Appalachia traditions. Such requests are often difficult to respond to due to the broad spectrum of information available on this subject. For those interested in specific areas of Celtic culture and how it arrived in the Appalachian region, there are several excellent museums in the southern mountains that offer the visitor an opportunity to experience Celtic and Appalachian culture first hand.
I am presenting in this issue an overview of four of these museums. Two of these have web pages where those who are unable to visit the museums in person can obtain more information.
The Museum of American Frontier Culture is located in Staunton, Virginia. Its purpose is to provide a view of life in Europe just prior to the immigration of European settlers to America. The museum maintains working farms dating from the early 18th century to the early 19th century complete with actual European buildings and equipment from England, Ulster and the Rhineland region of Germany, three areas from which large migrations occurred into Virginia. In addition to the European farms there is an American farm dating from the early to mid 19th century showing how these settlers adapted to life in Appalachia, then a difficult and mountainous frontier.
The Ulster farm is typical of the small farms inhabited by those who came to be known as the Scotch-Irish after their immigration to America. They were for the most part Protestant settlers who came into Ireland from Scotland, Wales and England at the beginning o the 17th century during the Ulster plantation which resulted from the loss of lands by native Irish nobility to the British crown. Continually engaged in strife with their Irish Catholic neighbors and under difficult conditions imposed by the British government, many of these families decided to immigrate to America by the beginning of the 18th century, settling in Appalachia from Pennsylvania southward.
The Museum of American Frontier Culture is located on Route 250 in Staunton just off Interstate 81, exit #222. Hours are 10am to 5pm from March 15 through December 1 and 10am to 4pm during the winter months. The museum has a very informative web site which can be found at http://www.frontiermuseum.org/.
In eastern Tennessee north of Knoxville, just off the Norris-Clinton exit of Interstate 75, is the Museum of Appalachia. This museum houses a huge collection of tools and artifacts of19th and early 20th century mountain life. Located on the grounds of the museum are a number of original barns, log cabins and out buildings that have been collected and transported here from across the southern Appalachian area. During the first weekend of October every year the Museum of Appalachia hosts a homecoming celebration. Traditional music, food and crafts are demonstrated. One of the features of the homecoming celebration is a writer's table where a visitor to the celebration can meet and talk with writers on the subject of Appalachian culture. The homecoming celebration is an excellent opportunity to meet people who have continued traditions of music, handwork and folklore that have been passed down within their families or learned from older members of mountain communities. The telephone number for the Museum of Appalachia is (865) 494-7680. It is open every day except Christmas.
There are two museums in western North Carolina with collections of interest to those seeking information on Celtic traditions. The Scottish Tartans Museum located in Franklin houses a wonderful collection of tartans that show the evolution of this traditional garment. It also contains the official registry of all known tartans and is the only American branch of the Scottish Tartans Society, headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hours for the museum are 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays. Their web page can be found at http://interkweb.com/tartans/.
In Cullowhee, North Carolina is the Mountain Heritage Center of Western Carolina University. In the center's permanent collection is an exhibit entitled "The Migration of the Scotch-Irish People" This exhibit traces a number of folk traditions and ways of life from their origins with the people of the Celtic nations to the 20th century where they have survived as Appalachian folk traditions. The center also publishes books, tapes and other materials on the subject of mountain culture. The Mountain Heritage Center is open to the public from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday and admission is free. The center hosts Mountain Heritage Day on the last Saturday in September which features traditional Appalachian music, storytelling, crafts and food . The telephone number is (828) 227-7129.
These locations are only a few of the places where travelers through Appalachia can experience first hand the history and culture of the region and in particular the continuation of Celtic traditions as handed down from generation to generation. Pay them a visit if you are in the area. If you know of other museums, cultural exhibits or festivals that would be of interest to our readers let us know. It is up to all of us to preserve and keep our heritage and to pass it on to the 21st century.