The New Rivers North Fork: Voices from the Headwaters
Ten years of student collaboration with residents of the North Fork headwaters of
the New River, has yielded a 30- minute documentary film, numerous internships and
MA theses, and a rich research collection, including interviews, stories, and historic
photographs. Some of the results of this collaboration include the emergence of a
new state park (Elk Knob), a new community organization (Elk Knob Community Heritage
Association, EKCHO), an annual community festival in the park, and new community development
strategies. We now propose to create a scholarly monograph edition of interviews,
stories, and historic photographs from materials collected through the ATP during
the past 11 years. The monograph will also include an introductory essay about the
project, genealogical notes, and an extensive index. This publication will document
previously unrecorded 20th-century Appalachian history, foster community pride, support
connections between ASU and its neighbors, and be useful to EKCHO and other communities
in their funding efforts toward development of a proposed public art plan, and an
eventual cultural history museum.
Contact Information:
Patricia Beaver, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Appalachian Studies
Appalachian State University
ASU Box 32018
Boone, NC 28608
Telephone: 828-262-408
Email: beaverpd@appstate.edu
Previous Conferences: 2010 2009