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"Appalachia", a poem by Muriel Miller Dressler

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"Appalachia", a poem by Muriel Miller Dressler

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Who - Muriel Miller Dressler

What - Digitalized poem, potentially handwritten before

When - 1973

Where - Appalachian mountain region

Why - To portray what it is like to be from Appalachia

How - Handwritten, typed

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Who - Albert Roth

What - Digitalized photograph, potentially printed before

When - December 24, 1949

Where - Blue Ridge Mountains

Why - To capture the "essence" of the swinging bridge

How - Camera, photographed

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Who - Tim Fasano, Andrew Kramer, Will Van Winkle

What - Digital map of Appalachian regions

When - 2009

Where - Created online, depicting lands in Appalachia

Why - To show what is considered to be Appalachian land

How - Digitally created

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Roth, Albert. “Swinging Bridge.” Digital Collections. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://digital.lib.utk.edu/collections/islandora/object/roth%3A1002.

Fasano, Tim, Andrew Kramer, and Will Van Winkle. “Udayton.” Appa-latch-uh: A Story of Complexity. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1323&context=stander_posters.

“Point Pleasant Bridge Collapse.” CONTENTdm, August 1971. https://nistdigitalarchives.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16009coll1/id/15/rec/7.

Dressler, Muriel Miller. “Share Sidebar.” encyclopedia, 1973. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/sidebars/3.

Casto, James. “The Midland Trail.” encyclopedia. Accessed April 4, 2024. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/exhibits/26?section=14.

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Who - James Casto

What - A digitalized post card

When - 1800-1900s

Where - Charleston, West Virginia

Why - Publicity for the city, a keepsake

How - Printed

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The Appalachian mountain region and surrounding land have always been a point of interest to people from all cultures. Author Jean Haskell states after speaking with some people world wide (Zurich, in this instance, that, "I was amazed... that the mythology of Appalachia was so wide spread...". It is important to note that Appalachia holds popularity in folklore and mythology, as their stories have become very popular. From this comes the question, how does Appalachian land relate to its mythological presence? From landmarks to photographs and old writing, there are places in the mountain regions that its citizens tie relevance to their stories. Some say they underwent a supernatural experience and that's why they believe, others believe that the myths and monsters belong to the land and that the stories are simply passed down through generations. Most Appalachian myths can be tied to a widely known event and area. Throughout the exhibit, a closer look will be taken into how the myths relate to different parts of Appalachia, and how its citizens have tried to protect their land with the changing times.

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This is a postcard from Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston is the capital of West Virginia and the largest city in the state. West Virginia has some of the most rugged land in the country and is well known for its terrain and also its mythology. Today, Charleston is home to a variety of exciting cultural and recreational attractions. This colorful postcard was made for people to take from Charleston, or to send to family while in the city. West Virginia is the only state completely within the Appalachian mountain region. Charleston holds an important mythological significance for visitors and residents. The Flatwoods monster, also known as the Braxton County monster, in West Virginian folklore, is a creature reported to have been sighted in 1952. While this postcard does not specifically reference any mythology, it depicts historical landmarks and largely known sightseeing areas in the city. Postcards like these were generated early on (like other cities) in order to gain popularity. By doing this, they attracted more travelers to the city, who then learned more about the history of the city (in this case mythology), which leads to more revenue for the city.

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News Article on the collapse of the Point Pleasant bridge, also known as the Silver Bridge.

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News Article on the collapse of the Point Pleasant bridge, also known as the Silver Bridge.

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Who - National Bureau of Standards

What - Digitalized, printed newspaper article

When - August, 1971

Where - Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Why - To explain the reason for the bridge collapse, to investigate possible causes

How - Printed

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The Silver Bridge was the worst bridge disaster in United States history. With 46 victims, two of which were never found, this was a great tragedy for the people of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This news article explains why the bridge itself collapsed and investigates all possible causes. This event caused the already popular town to gain more traction, because of an already well known myth known as Mothman. After multiple sightings throughout the town and in other places (even around the world) people claim they saw Mothman on the day of the bridge collapse. A lot of people believed that he was an omen of death, and resonated very deeply with his connection to this disaster. From these connections, the town was able to profit through attractions, merchandise, and even a festival all surrounding Mothman. In towns farther from the actual mountain region, they are very family/work ethic centered due to the poorer economy, so while the big event proved to be cataclysmic for the people, they ended up heavily profiting on it.

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"Appalachia" is a poem written by Muriel Miller Dressler, a popular writer who was actually from Appalachia. In this poem, he dives into what it really means to be Appalachian. Writer and researcher Jean Haskell, while on her study abroad, found that Appalachians were known by stereotypes even in other countries. Dressler talks a lot about how people may have studied Appalachia - its origin, its people, its mythology, its land, etc. - but they do not truly know what it is like to experience Appalachian life. He continuously says, "You, who never...". This simply means that people may have studied anything about Appalachia, but they will never know what it is like to live it out in real time. Dressler likes to emphasize the continuity and tradition of Appalachian life because even though the world has changed, tradition and folklore have been passed down for generations, keeping the spirit alive.

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Photographed here is a picture of the swinging bridge. Swinging bridges have long been a part of mythology, even outside of Appalachian folklore. Swinging bridges' purpose is often thought of as to scare off unwanted visitors, eliminate opposers, somewhat of a protective measure. Tying it back to Appalachian folklore, many monsters are believed to be housed in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the bridge pictured was photographed. Creatures such as Bigfoot and Mothman were reported multiple times throughout history, and some believe bridges like these were constructed to deter interested locals and tourists.

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A lot of people do not know exactly what land Appalachia consists of. The states Appalachia consists of are: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, (West Virginia), Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi - as pictured in the map. The project this map is from talks about the changing industries and economy of Appalachia, but the map simply depicts the regions. By using this map, it shows that the economy can differ throughout ALL of Appalachia, so what is true for one town, city, or state, may be different for another. A lot of people generalize Appalachia and its citizens as one type of people, when in reality the growing region differs in culture, ideas, and tradition in more ways than most can realize. Through this we can learn a little more about how different residents view or believe in certain things, and if their surroundings reflect that. For example in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, there is a Mothman museum, a Mothman festival, and it is home to many other supernatural attractions. On the other hand, some states do not capatlize as much as others specifically on Appalachian myths and monsters.

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Overall, Appalachia has a reputation for being a beautiful area of land, home to many well known myths and monsters, and has kept its traditions alive throughout time. Even from early ages, families told stories that were passed down until today, where with the changing times its residents have been able to profit off of what was once simply an "old wives tale". While a lot may not be true, or their people might be considered "different", Appalachia has certainly made a name for itself.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge