People of the Mountains

Danny McConnell is a huge fig fan, selling fig jam, fig pan pies and more.

The Fruits of His Labor

Danny McConnell grows figs and other unusual produce in the North Carolina mountains.
When run in the blackpot style, the large submarine still eliminate[d] the need for mash barrels or boxes.

In Search of Copper Kettles and Corn Mash in the Moonlight

Franklin County, Virginia, is not called the moonshine capital of the world for nothing. The history is deep, tragic and instructive.
Chattanooga Mayor, Tim Kelly

The Mountain Q&A – Tim Kelly: Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee

Mayor since 2021, Kelly led Chattanooga in becoming North America’s first National Park City in 2025 and a global destination. He calls his hometown “a city inside a park.”
Virginia State Parks Director, Dr. Melissa Baker

The Mountain Q&A – Dr. Melissa Baker: Director of Virginia State Parks

She leads Virginia State Parks, the first state in the nation to open a system of parks. “From the mountains to the piedmont, you can get just about anything you want in Virginia.”
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.
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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