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Tag Archives: barns

Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee Best Museum Ever!

“The museum gardens are not only for the benefit of the tourist , they also serve as a food supply for the Irwin’s and their neighbors.” John Rice Irwin is shown here with his wife Elizabeth, and their two grandchildren, Lindsey and John Rice Irwin Meyer. Photo by John Meyer.

AmericanPressTravelNews-May 17th, Clinton, TN.-Bob and Barb “On the Road Again” this time at the Museum of Appalachia–I first met John Rice Irwin over a decade ago. His sparkling eyes and spirit for the past, as he’d dragged it into the present to preserve it for the future shone through loud and clear-not just what he said, but how he told the story of his foraging to collect on to his property the remnants of what is still left of early Appalachia as a living museum. 

John Rice Irwin spent a lifetime collecting the artifacts of the Appalachian people and although the museum’s founder is now retired, he can still remember just about every auction, every smokehouse and barn he has explored–and every good friend that he has made among the rural folks of Appalachia.  Those histories–and the people to which they are connected–are central to his passion for collecting and central to the character of the Museum.  

It was the familiar story of the devastating Barren Creek flood–legendary in East Tennessee for churning past the banks of the Clinch River in the dead of night and sweeping many people and hundreds of farm animals to their deaths–that led to one of his earliest purchases.  The purchase, made at a local auction, was just an old, worn, poplar horse-shoeing box, but the auctioneer mentioned in passing that it had been fished out of the nearby Clinch River over half a century earlier, following the catastrophic flood.  

After that purchase came many others, sometimes at auction, sometimes from making trips over dirt tracks and going door to door.  Earning the hard-won trust of rural folk is never easy, and John Rice will tell you that it was his knowledge of and curiosity about old-time farm implements that often opened the door to friendships.  But conversations with him begin to draw a larger picture, one where it becomes clear that it was—and continues to be—his admiration and esteem for the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and hardy perseverance of the people of Appalachia that has allowed him to forge relationships of trust and mutual respect.  

The purchase of several truckloads of early Appalachian artifacts from Bill Parkey of Hancock County reveals just such a relationship.  Bill’s family had lived in Rebel Hollow near the Powell River for generations, settling there before the Civil War, and the old homeplace had a wealth of early tools and equipment that he continued to use for blacksmithing and wagon-making.  For years, John Rice had been told that Bill would never part with his beloved tools for any amount of money.  The warnings largely were correct, for although John Rice occasionally was able to purchase a thing or two, his trips to “Revel Holler” were generally spent just visiting with his friend.  It was only after Bill’s death that his widow called John Rice, saying that Bill had told her never to sell his cherished tools unless it was to “the professor”—because John Rice had “always treated him right.”  It is illustrative that John Rice insisted on paying Mrs. Parkey twice her asking price for several truckloads of her husband’s tools.  

What grew out of John Rice’s love for this region’s past and its people is an impressive living history that has been nationally acclaimed.  It has been featured in the Smithsonian magazine, which said, “it vividly portrays something ethereal—the soul of mountain people,”  and it has been named one of only a handful of affiliates of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in the state of Tennessee. Location

Cataloochee Guest Ranch, Maggie Valley- A Mountain Afar, But Close To So Many Hearts

 

American Press Travel News- June 27th,-Maggie Valley, Haywood County, North CarolinaCataloochee Guest Ranch was opened in 1934 by Mr. Tom and Miss Judy Alexander. It was  moved to its present location in 1938. The Ranch is still run by the third generation descendants of Mr. Tom and Miss Judy. As their brochure rightly proclaims “The Ranch is “where the march of time slows down to a walk.”  the high mountains here really do have deep roots! Barb and I relaxed, enjoyed country buffet cookouts for dinner of steaks and taters along with all the country fixin’s you’d also love. We also sampled their country breakfast which included their wonderful homemade syrups, jams and biscuits. that you will savor in your mouth and on your mind for a very long time.

This is a wonderful place for your whole family. We watched a small boy catch his first fish in their stocked pond, which the ranch then cooked for his dinner. They have all sorts of planned activities for children as well for adults.  There are so many outdoor recreational opportunities in and around this 5000 foot elevation, cool, over 1000 acre ranch. We hiked, found and identified numerous edible mushrooms, plants and trees with a professional field guide. Their garden, becomes your garden each and every meal! Every day you can take take trail rides. When you arrive you feel like you are a member of their family with their rich local heritage. Every night their local admiring neighbors, were scheduled to come and meet the guests. We listened to local musicians and were even able to pet a real friendly wolf.

Perhaps due to the history of several generations of the Tom and Judy Alexander family, there was a feeling here that we were home, really at home again! It’s really hard to say just how comfortable we were at this ranch. It was very hard to leave and we actually stayed a bit longer than usual before we left the cool mountain air, the friendliness of our hosts and the truly serene nature of this fine resort. So, I guess one way to say it was, we had a very hard time saying goodbye!

Call 1 (800) 868-1401 119 or local 828-926-1401 cataloocheeranch.com located on  Ranch Road., Maggie Valley, NC 28751 Cataloochee Ranch.com

Also, we will review so many fine restaurants in the coming days on aptravelnews.com.  We will be posting these and many more opportunities for visitors in the next day or so.   We took part in visiting the Cataloochee Valley area full of transplanted elk. The bulls were bugling their dominancy over their herd of cows-quite a display! The people we met, the dinner with the Mayor of Waynesville and his wife, the fine other folks we learned so much about them and from them, their Agri-tourism lifestyle and businesses offerings, and their goals, as well as their already fruitful successes will be portrayed as well. 

Boys first fish at Cataloochee Lodge trout pond This ranch is always making "keeper memories."
Boys first fish at Cataloochee Lodge trout pond This ranch is always making “keeper memories.”

 

Special event: Wolf Man who owns 4 wolves introduces this highly tame wolf to guests at the Ranch. A big hit with everyone!
Special event: Wolf Man who owns 4 wolves introduces this highly tame wolf to guests at the Ranch. A big hit with everyone!
A side trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway for never ending views!
A side trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway for never ending views!

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