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A CASE STUDY OF CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL VALUES IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN APPALACHIA by Larry G. Cravens Appalachia is 1300 miles of mountains, people, and poverty interspersed with oases of prosperity. Stretching from Vermont to Alabama, this region, characterized by long steep and rugged terrain, has proved to be a barrier to mobility. Traditionally, the people of this area, in this topographical isolation, have been out of the mainstream of "civilization" and "progress." The mountains have protected a special way of life from the brashnesss and impatience of a more modern society. Distinctive religious, familial, economic, and educational values have survived in isolated sections or fragments of Appalachia. Clinch community, located sixty miles northeast of Knoxville in Hawkins County near Eidson, Tennessee, is such a fragment, possessing a distinctive character and unique qualities. Around Clinch, the seasons are visibly distinctive—whether the bursting colors of autumn, the snow of winter, the new green of spring, or the growth of summer. Deserted mills with their broken and rotten wheels stand as witnesses to by-gone industry . Old houses with their cut-stone chimneys, clapboard siding, and outbuildings are reminders of the pride that families took in their homes. Small unpainted boxes of buildings serve as general stores. Each in itself is a direction guide, whether Claude Lawson's to the east, Sam Jones to the west, or Earl Hardin's to the north. Quaint one-room country churches testify to the religious life of the community. These churches abound in Clinch, a Baptist stronghold: Compromise, Grassy Springs, Richardson's Creek, Union, Friendship, and Cobb's Chapel. Shilo Methodist Church holds a minority position in the community's religious affairs. A small one-room post office serves all of Route 1, Eidson. On several occasions this small government building has been faced with extinction. The school remains at the center of the community. This red brick structure, which has seen several renovations and additions , stands as a symbol of educational life. Many Clinchmanites, as many respectfully refer to the people of Eidson, are employed at one of the local industries across the mountain and only farm to supplement their incomes. Agriculture, however, still remains an integral part of the economic base of the community; and the steep terrain yields needed crops. The original settlers found a diverse land at Clinch. Water-fed by the Clinch River, the surrounding soil was different as the area itself, ranging from limestone outcropping at the highest peaks and stretching to fertile silty-loam bottom land.2 Currently, about one thousand inhabitants of Eidson depend on this land. Most of the residents of Clinch community are native, being born and reared there, and trace their 27 roots back several generations. In a recent survey of twenty-four families, nineteen were native to the area, considering Clinch to be their life-long home. ^ The custom of settling close to kin in Appalachia has permitted some valleys to become the domain of a single family. Clinch, too, is an area of valley settlements. Pumpkin Valley , Grassy Springs, Copper Ridge, Stringtown, Warr Creek, Lee Valley, and Kyle Valley have all become prominent settlement areas for related families. Society as a whole in Appalachia is conservative. The status quo is accepted passively . ^ Political and religious views attest to this fact at Clinch. Over 50 percent of the voting population support the Republican Party in conservative politics. ^ As of 1977, there were 403 registered voters in the Clinch area. In the primary elections held during May, 1978, 217 votes were cast, indicating a voter turnout of more than one-half of those who were eligible. " Religious life also reflects the conservatism of the area. Simple buildings serve as meeting houses. Saturday night singings occur regularly, and singing groups and quartets abound. Pastors begin preaching after receiving the "call" and stake their success on faith alone rather than the niceties provided by divinity school. "Renewing up" one's self is a constant sermon theme. Church services are regularly attended by all family members, revealing the cohesiveness of the family. Whereas politics and religion reflect traditional values, the economy of this section is undergoing obvious alterations and affecting the life style of Clinch residents. The...
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