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David McCormick

The preserved Puckett Cabin was moved to the property for one of John’s sisters, and while John and Orelena Puckett lived in a nearby larger cabin, this one is preserved by the National Park Service to keep the memory of Orelena Puckett alive.

Orelena Puckett: Mountain Midwife

From 1889, after having lost 24 of her own children at birth or soon after, Orelena Puckett found a calling in midwifery, which she undertook for the rest of her life.
This somewhat fanciful illustration of Lulu Hurst’s powers is from the cover of her 1897 autobiography, “Lulu Hurst (the Georgia Wonder) Writes Her Autobiography, and for the First Time Explains and Demonstrates the Great Secret of Her Marvelous Power.”

The 1880s’ Georgia Wonder Girl

What’s the secret behind a 15-year-old girl visiting the major cities of the nation, leaving audiences amazed at her powers and then retiring at age 16 to lead a long and normal life?
North Georgia’s U.S.-sanctioned Dahlonega Mint building, shown here in the late 1870s, was opened to supplement the original U.S. mint at Philadelphia.

Curios: Mountain Mints of the 1800s – First U.S. $1 Gold Coin Was Carolina-Made

The pre-California gold rushes in North Carolina and Georgia overwhelmed the Philadelphia mint to the point that gold coins came to be struck here in the Southern Appalachians.
Soldiers scale the Humphrey’s Head rock formation at Seneca Rocks, August, 1943 during West Virginia Maneuvers.

Maneuvers, Minglings & Marriages: The Blue Ridge Plays Sicily, 1943

Our mountain terrain served as a World War II training ground for U.S. Army troops preparing for combat in Italy.
This daguerreotype of Claudius Crozet, ca. 1855, is from the Virginia Military Institute Archives. Crozet was VMI’s first president.

How Claudius Crozet Tamed the Blue Ridge

A difficult man conquers difficult terrain.

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Behind Blue Ridge Country

Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes

Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it

April 12, 2018

CALENDAR OF EVENTS