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Between June 2012 and September 2018, the Archives of Appalachia created 36 blog posts highlighting some of the ways that researchers used our collections for creative and scholarly projects during that time. While we are no longer actively adding content to this site, we appreciate your interest, and we hope you enjoy the descriptions of …

An Encounter with Lois Herndon in the Lee R. Herndon Chapter, Tennessee Ornithological Society Collection

  Being on the “front lines” of providing archival reference services, I often work closely with the users of our materials.Because the archives is located within a university community, I regularly work with researchers seeking out our materials for academic research.  Occasionally though we get a patron who is simply looking to connect with someone …

From Dora’s Trunk to the Archives: The Cutshaw Family Papers

"Ten more years passed before my mother and I decided to go through the contents of the trunk... " Read more from D. Jean Rushing, historian and archives assistant who recently donated a collection of family papers to the Archives of Appalachia.

Jane Dulaney Hilbert: Aviator of the Tri-Cities

The following post was authored by Jessica Newell, candidate for a Masters in Liberal Studies (Archival Studies Concentration) at East Tennessee State University and Graduate Assistant at the Archives of Appalachia. Jessica researched the Joseph Louis and Jane Dulaney Hilbert Papers as part of her thesis work. Jane Dulaney Hilbert’s materials at the Archives of …

#ArchivesMonth: Staff Favorites

October is American Archives Month, and there's just one more week left! To celebrate, the Archives staff would like to share some of our favorite items! Buna and Bertha (Film, 1973)  Thomas G. Burton & Jack Schrader Films (AppMs 441) Selected by Amy Collins, Archives Director My favorite item is the Thomas Burton and Jack …

“O Lord, Where Will I Put It?”: A Ghost Tale by Mrs. Wesley Metcalf of Del Rio, Tennessee

The Archives has several ghost tales available for research, many of which can be found in the Joseph Sargent Hall Collection. Beginning in the 1930s, Hall recorded stories, remedies, and songs from individuals who still lived in or were displaced by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the early 1990s, his collection was donated to …

Follow the signs to Hotel Windsor in Johnson City, Tennessee

Constructed in 1909 by Henry Wilson Pardue, the Hotel Windsor (also known as the Windsor Hotel) was originally, and unsurprisingly, the Hotel Pardue. Sometime between 1913 and 1915, William F. Green obtained the building and renamed the hotel "Windsor." After Mr. Green passed away, his widow, Reba Green (later Reba Offinger), managed the business until the …

Workshop Announcement

Family Treasures: The Care and Preservation of Family Papers Every family has its own story, a story passed down from generation to generation through family letters, diaries, deeds, scrapbooks, photographs, memorabilia, and books.   The Archives of Appalachia will present a workshop on the care and preservation of family papers on Saturday, October 11, 1:00-3:00. This …

Governor’s School: Part Two

This June, twenty-nine high school students enrolled in the Governor’s School Program at East Tennessee State University have the opportunity to spend four days in the Archives of Appalachia learning about the archival process and arranging and describing a portion of the Empire Furniture Company Records. The second half of the group just finished their …

Governor’s School: Part One

This June, twenty-nine high school students enrolled in the Governor’s School for the Scientific Exploration of Tennessee Heritage at East Tennessee State University have the opportunity to spend four days in the Archives of Appalachia learning about the archival process and arranging and describing a portion of the Empire Furniture Company Records. The first half of …

Washington County, Tennessee Public Schools, 1911-1916

Recently, we've cataloged several publications regarding education in Appalachia into our Special Collections,  which is our permanent collection of books and other printed materials. These materials can be found by searching ETSU's library catalog (accessible by clicking here). A few of these newly cataloged publications include the Annual Reports of the Public Schools of Washington County, …

From Our Collections: Evolution of a Town

Author: Sierra Maxwell, Archives Graduate Assistant For the past week, I have been working on the Mildred Kozsuch collection. Kozsuch graduated from ETSU in 1969 with a M. A. in library service, and continued to D.C. where she obtained archives training at the National Archives' Modern Archives Institute in 1979. She worked for ETSU's Sherrod …

From Our Collections: Criticisms and Cartoons in the William Flinn Rogers Papers

Author: Sierra Maxwell, Archives Graduate Assistant For the past few weeks I have been working on the William Flinn Rogers collection at ETSU. This collection has yielded some interesting pieces on race and culture, since Rogers was a professor from the 1920s through the 1960s. The records within this collect reflect a change in popular, …

From Our Collections: William Flinn Rogers Papers

This fall, we are providing a student enrolled in the History Department's public history course with the opportunity to work in the Archives and gain experience with archival outreach. Sierra Maxwell, who is a new Graduate Assistant in the Archives and enrolled in the course, will be sharing her thoughts on working in the Archives …

From acquistion to preliminary inventory: The Burleson Family Papers

While sorting through donations, we occasionally come across materials that really aren’t suited for the Archives of Appalachia. Maybe we already have several copies of whatever it is, or maybe it’s not relevant to our mission. If the donor has agreed that we can “dispose or disperse” as we see fit, our first step with …

Women Coal Miners Reunion at the Archives of Appalachia

On August 3, attendees of the Women Coal Miners Reunion visited the Archives. The women and their families viewed coal related documents, videos, photographs, and memorabilia from the Coal Employment Project Records, the Marat Moore Collection, the June Rostan Papers, and the Steve Lindner Collection. During their visit, several women were interviewed on camera regarding …

“The Sleeping Beauty” at the Majestic Theatre, Johnson City, Tennessee

We found this film history gem in the Johnson City-Washington County Area Chamber of Commerce Records. The flyer is for the Majestic Theatre's screening of the silent film, "The Sleeping Beauty." This version of "Sleeping Beauty" was produced by Warner's Features, Inc. in 1913. Unfortunately, damage to the flyer's bottom right corner removed the year. However, we …