Growing Up In The Blue Ridge Mountains Of Virginia

This book tells the true story of the people who had made their homes for many generations in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the hardships and sorrows the mountain people endured for being poor and secluded for living their way of life in the mountains. They were put out of their homes and put off their land to make way for the Shenandoah National Park. Memories linger in their minds of days gone by—what it was like not to have enough food on the table, hard work every day, thinking what the next day might bring. The history that has been left behind by the mountain people should never be forgotten. Oh, what secrets those Blue Ridge Mountains hold.

"Growing up in a home under the strict guidance of a Blue Ridge Mountain father, we learned to accept responsibility, to live frugally, to appreciate what we had and how to cooperate like a team. We developed a strong work ethic and learned that if we wanted something, we had to work for it.Dad believed in "tough love," and at the time, we felt he was extremely hard on us. But, he forced us to work diligently, and even though he seldom expressed his love for us openly, we knew deep down he really cared. Through this collection of memories from my childhood, I believe you will see the perserverance typical of the displaced people from the Blue Ridge Mountains and how they struggled to eke out a living."

This biography of Reverend Bob Childress of the Blue Ridge Mountains has been compared to the tales of Mark Twain and the Mississippi. Shows Childress' transforming effects on rough and wild mountain communities.

Born on January 5, 1907, Zetta Hamby spent much of her life in the northwestern mountains of North Carolina, keenly watching the changes in her community of Grassy Creek and in the world. Families, homes, weddings and funerals, politics, health, world war, race relations, the telephone--those are among the topics touched on in this firsthand look at rural Appalachia in the early decades of the present century. Sometimes poignant, often humorous, and surely authentic, these stories are yet another reminder of recent history that is all too quickly being lost.

Many people have fond memories of their childhood. As parents, we tell our children and grandchildren our stories of growing up. Stories of playing outside with the neighborhood kids, being on the farm, our pets, and things we did on vacation. These are stories that cannot be lost but must be told and retold. Reading these stories will help you remember your childhood and inspire your children to enjoy life and have adventures as kids. And come to love their parents and later appreciating the chance to create lifelong bonds and memories.

This book is about growing up in a home under the strict guidance of a Blue Ridge Mountain father where we learned to accept responsibility, to live frugally, to appreciate what we had and how to work together as a team. We developed a strong work ethic, and were taught that if we wanted something, we had to work for it. Our dad believed in "tough love", and at the time, we felt he was extremely hard on us. But, by forcing us to work diligently and seldom expressing his love for us openly, we knew deep down he really cared. In this book, you will see and hopefully, appreciate the perserverance so typical of the displaced dwellers of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and their way of life.

?Over in the Country? is a rich collection of stories about life on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the first half of the twentieth century.In 1904 Paul and Eula Simms bought one hundred acres of raw land on rolling hills with a valley level enough for a house and a garden. To make their farm prosper, they brought their experiences growing up in the country, eagerness to try new ideas and inventions, willingness to work hard, and determination to succeed; almost as essential were the pleasure they took in good fun, good food, a healthy sense of humor, and, every now and then, a bit of moonshine to temper the relentless routine of farm work.

Dabney offers an evocative account of growing up on a backwoods Virginia farm during the 1920s and 1930s, the struggle to survive in the face of financial hardship, and the family and friends who surrounded her...

The Bridge Crew is the story of a group of kids growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain village in the 1940s and 50s. This was a time before television, video games, personal computers and personal automobiles. Adults labeled them the bridge crew for their meeting place on the pedestrian walkway underneath the canopy of a huge sycamore tree in the center of town. There the kids met to plan their activities. These activities included such antics as building huge spider webs on the bridge from Horace Isenhowers waste socks from his tiny hosiery mill to oiling the tracks to watch the Virginia Creeper attempt to leave the Warrensville depot. The Bridge Crew demonstrates the creativity of youth who never realized they were poor until the government began telling them. They were rich with a village full of characters that helped form them into responsible adults. It was a great time and place to be young and energetic. There were times when the adults did not think so. Many antics were not funny when they took place; however, time has a way of turning bad situations into humorous ones.