On
Troublesome Gap, Big Pine,
Madison County, NC, 1980 |
| Today's
Mountaineers |
When
I first moved to Madison County, North Carolina, in 1973,
the community’s three-tiered population was in the
beginnings of a circular evolution. First were the old
timers; native county residents who were living their
lives in a manner not far removed from the original Anglo
settlers. They were subsistence farmers and small businessmen
who valued family and land. The children and grandchildren
of these old timers made up the second tier. As a rule
this group was moving away from the land and their individual
communities in search of jobs and opportunity. And while
they honored and followed the values and traditions of
the older generation, there was clearly a change toward
the mainstream. The third tier was the newcomers who were
largely back-to-the-landers seeking relief from the cities
and culture wars. These new mountaineers wanted community,
a slower lifestyle, and lives closer to the land.
Now, thirty-five years later, the old timers have all
but died out. Their children and grandchildren often work
in town and are increasingly separated from their land
and culture. Many of the early newcomers still live, and
are involved, in the county and some continue to farm
and garden. But most have ended up in the careers they
were trained for: musicians, carpenters, businessmen,
and teachers.
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