A book published last fall by an East Tennessee State University archivist that includes more than 300 letters from a World War II U.S. Army tank commander from Erwin has garnered some attention lately in area media.
In her work as assistant archivist in the Archives of Appalachia, a division of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU, Sandy Laws pulled these letters by John Goodin together into “Appalachia to Dessau: Letters of a Tank Commander in World War II.” These letters, along with photographs of Goodin and his family, provide a valuable glimpse into the experiences of this leader and the men with whom he served. Laws has been sharing her knowledge of this history in talks and book signings.
How many people know this kind of treasure – and more – can be found right here on ETSU’s campus in the Archives?
Here are a few of the more unusual finds in the Archives of Appalachia. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Archives staff to digitize its collections, some of these are available to view online, while others may be viewed in person at the Archives, which is located on the fourth floor of ETSU’s Sherrod Library.
Visual time capsules
- If you ever want to know the exact location of each apple, peach, pear, plum and cherry tree in a 300-acre orchard in Altapass, North Carolina, in 1916, there’s a map for that. A Holston Corporation map that is part of Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway records is 2 feet tall by 7 feet long is a scale drawing of this orchard showing the precise location of every tree on the property. “This is one of those weird, quirky things. You think, ‘Why would they possibly count every single fruit tree on this property?’ And I don’t have an answer for that,” said Archives Director Dr. Jeremy Smith, who added that the map is too large to digitize but may be viewed in person.
- If you enjoy walking around downtown Johnson City and ever wonder what it looked like in the early 20th century, you may view a panoramic view of Main Street near Fountain Square from the William Cary Hattan Collection. Although it is undated, it may have been taken in 1914, shortly after panoramic cameras were first mass-produced.
Presidential oddities
- A ticket to the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, who hailed from nearby Greeneville, is also part of the Archives collection. These tickets were issued to various government officials, and this April 6, 1868, ticket for gallery seating appears to have been unused.
- Another item that might be of interest to presidential history buffs – or at least those who have excellent eyesight – is a 1930 Kingsport Press miniature edition of “Extracts from the Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge.” ETSU’s archivists believe this tiny book, measuring three-quarters of an inch tall, was probably produced as an example of the pressman’s skill. “We don’t have a good scan of it because it’s so tiny,” Smith said, “but it’s an actual book, printed in the tiniest of tiny print.”
ETSU history and campus culture
- Those interested in the early history of ETSU might wish to explore the “Sapphonian Literary Society Minute Book, 1911-1927.” It contains the original and revised constitution and bylaws, membership lists and incomplete minutes of meetings of this literary society founded the same year as East Tennessee State Normal School. A founding member of this society was Christine Burleson, who later became a prominent professor at the school and was the daughter of David Sinclair Burleson, the professor after whom was named Burleson Hall, the longtime home of the Department of Literature and Language that has recently undergone extensive renovation.
- Fans of ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program can take a look at three color separations/proofs for the cover design of the “ETSU Bluegrass Band” album that was produced in 2001 by Now and Then Records, the record label for the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services.
Historic film and footage
- A black-and-white silent film shot by itinerant filmmaker H. Lee Waters in the winter of 1940 may be viewed on
the Archives of Appalachia website. Part of Waters’ “Movies of Local People” series,
this 19-minute film showcases the people, merchants and schools of Mountain City,
including footage of the community of Shouns, Tennessee, and depictions of schoolchildren
and the African American community.
“Waters went around the country, primarily the South, just filming local communities at a time when that wasn’t really done,” Smith said. “He includes people doing normal things around the city and the surrounding cities. Importantly, this shows some of the only moving image footage we have of African American children in the region from that time period.” - “The American Bemberg Strike of 1929 Film,” shot by a company photographer, depicts the labor dispute at the American Bemberg and American Glanzstoff rayon plants in Elizabethton. “This is striking footage of a pivotal moment in labor history in this region,” Smith said. “That famous strike was a big moment for organized labor in the country.”
Music and culture
- A 1980 silk-screened poster titled “‘Cause I’m proud to be a hillbilly woman…” may be seen in the Archives. It was illustrated by artist and activist Margaret Gregg with words by singer-songwriter Si Kahn, both of whom have ties to this region.
- An audio recording of a concert by old-time banjo player and singer Dock Boggs is available on the Archives website. This concert took place at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, on Nov. 11, 1966. “This is representative of a real strength of our collection – we’ve got 100,000 audio and moving image recordings, and this is one of a really important musician,” Smith said. “Boggs recorded in the 1920s through 1950s, and then there was a revival of interest in him with the folk music revival of the ’60s.”
The Archives of Appalachia is just one part of what makes ETSU the Flagship of Appalachia by collecting and making available to the public valuable links to the region’s history.
The Archives’ current digitized holdings, including the John Goodin collection as well as various other manuscript, photograph and audio-visual collections and more, may be viewed at etsu.edu/cas/cass/archives/digitalcollections.php.
Planning a class project or researching local history? Visit the Archives and uncover a piece of Appalachia’s past. The Archives is located in room 422 of the Sherrod Library Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to call the Archives Reading Room at (423) 439-4338 for the most up-to-date schedule.
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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