Neighbors and Community
In the mountains and valleys of the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee 200 + years ago, the area was just beginning to be settled by families moving from North and South Carolina, Kentucky and other neighboring areas. Settlers had to rely on each other to clear land, build cabins, hunt, and grow crops. Their very survival depended on each other. Many had been given land grants from the newly formed United States for their service in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. So their neighbors and small communities were their lifeblood, so to speak. Black Mountain overlook Most of these young men and women found their life partners just “one farm over.” They started their own families, and many times lived on the same land their parents lived on. Small communities formed and grew from these early years. It was an amazing, and also dangerous time for these early settlers. Today, we can hardly imagine how they managed it, at least I can’t. But ...