Absolutely. Asheville is the counterculture enclave too so if you go a little east towards Sam’s Gap you’ll start to get a stronger dose. The Time Machine effect is much more pronounced at the higher elevations. Places like Flag Pond across the border into East Tennessee stick in my mind as the quintessential example of the “holler” aes…
Absolutely. Asheville is the counterculture enclave too so if you go a little east towards Sam’s Gap you’ll start to get a stronger dose. The Time Machine effect is much more pronounced at the higher elevations. Places like Flag Pond across the border into East Tennessee stick in my mind as the quintessential example of the “holler” aesthetic.
The cultural giveaways as to who’s a local are stark. Lesser known, more subtle, there are even entire distinct ethnicities such as the Melungeons that are unique to that tiny area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon.
My dad remembers growing up around Melungeons — they were regarded as quiet and mysterious. None of the scotts/Irish herder-descendent-locals really knew much about their history or origins.
There’s such richness to the area that I never saw or understood until I left. A lot of darkness and trauma too. The best way to experience this without going there physically is to listen to the songs collected by the Carter family. I always think of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” when I think of that world.
Absolutely. Asheville is the counterculture enclave too so if you go a little east towards Sam’s Gap you’ll start to get a stronger dose. The Time Machine effect is much more pronounced at the higher elevations. Places like Flag Pond across the border into East Tennessee stick in my mind as the quintessential example of the “holler” aesthetic.
The cultural giveaways as to who’s a local are stark. Lesser known, more subtle, there are even entire distinct ethnicities such as the Melungeons that are unique to that tiny area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon.
My dad remembers growing up around Melungeons — they were regarded as quiet and mysterious. None of the scotts/Irish herder-descendent-locals really knew much about their history or origins.
There’s such richness to the area that I never saw or understood until I left. A lot of darkness and trauma too. The best way to experience this without going there physically is to listen to the songs collected by the Carter family. I always think of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” when I think of that world.