Creating Culture:
Ethnic Groups in the AFNHA
Over the years thousands of people have called the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (AFNHA) home. Our summer 2019 exhibit, Creating Culture: Ethnic Groups in the AFNHA explored how various ethnic groups have impacted and continue to impact the region today. Due to limited space, the main section of the exhibit focused on six out of more than a dozen ethnic groups that still have a visible impact on the region’s landscape and/or culture today. z
See the full exhibit panels here.
What is AN ethnic group?
An ethnic group is any group of people with a shared culture. Shared culture traits can include food, religion, language, nationality, art, and holiday traditions. People often identify as belonging to more than one ethnic group. For example, someone might identify as both Italian and Catholic.
Folk Dancers in Helvetia (~1949)
Photo courtesy of Helvetia Historical Project
A lasting impact
People do not often think about how their everyday actions and culture have a lasting effect on the region, but they can impact an area for hundreds of years. The six ethnic groups below have had a lasting influence on the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area. To learn more about them, check out the exhibit panels.
Rocks possibly stacked by prehistoric people
Photo courtesy of Charity Moore
Native American
As early as 16,000 years ago, people lived in the AFNHA. They built villages, hunted, and raised families. Today, many of our highways are built on the trails started by Native Americans and many tribes still have an interest in the area.
Present-Day Beneficiaries of Indian Land Cessions in West Virginia include:
Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
Cayuga Indian Nation
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
Delaware Nation
Delaware Tribe of Indians
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Oneida Indian Nation of New York
Onondaga Nation
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma
Seneca Nation of Indians, Cattaraugus Reservation
Shawnee Tribe
Tonawanda Band of Seneca
Tuscarora Nation
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
![Illicit distillation of liquors--Southern mode of making whisky [sic]Sketched by A.W. Thompson Image courtesy of the Library of Congress](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dc428f0a2f25b37decb3f57/1580162764575-P42TX5KMJR8Z6CFPUM8V/whisket.jpg)
Illicit distillation of liquors--Southern mode of making whisky [sic]
Sketched by A.W. Thompson
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Scots-Irish also brought over the tradition of carving jack o’lanterns, though traditionally they were made out of root vegetables such as turnips! To celebrate this tradition, the Discovery Center hosted a turnip carving event October 2019.
Scots-Irish
The Scots-Irish were some of the earliest immigrants, having moved to the area in the late 1700s. They were known for their independent fighting spirit and love of whiskey and moonshine, which still lives on in many West Virginians. Today you can still hear many saying that are rooted in the Scots-Irish dialect.
Match the Scots-Irish word to its modern translations in this game. All the Scots-Irish words were documented in the region by folklorist Gerry Milnes.
Visitors carving turnips at the Discovery Center, Oct. 2019
Many Germans traveled along the Great Wagon Road (in yellow) to get to what would be West Virginia.
Image courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
German settlers also brought their superstitions with them. Some superstitions were still practiced even a few generations ago. To learn more about these beliefs check out Gerry Milnes’ book Signs, Cures, and Witchery or watch the documentary by the same title produced by the Augusta Heritage Center.
German
Many German settlers came to the area from Philadelphia in the mid-1700s. With them they brought many inventions that have influenced the area. These include the Kentucky rifle which influenced hunting in the region, the Appalachian lap dulcimer which can still be heard in many folk concerts, and the Saxony spinning wheel which is still used by folk artists.
Woman using Saxony spinning wheel
Image courtesy of Helvetia History Project
Clarence Tross, Hardy County banjo player, 1975
Photo by Carl Fleischhauer
During the exhibit, the Discovery Center was privileged to host a screening of the Riverside School Oral History introduced by Melvin Marks, who attended the school. The Riverside School was the black school in Elkins, WV and played an important part in the community. For more information on the oral history contact the Discovery Center.
Black
Black residents have lived in the area for almost as long as European settlers. Though many came to the area as slaves and even after the Civil War faced discrimination, this group impacted the region from the very beginning. Black slaves introduced banjos to the country and were the first to call out steps at square dances. Want to see this influence in person? Check out a square dance along the Mountain Dance Trail.
Riverside High School Basketball Team
Image courtesy of Alice Sabatino and the Riverside School Association
Joe DePollo Store (1916), today home to the Purple Fiddle
Image courtesy of Joseph Dumire
Italian
During the logging and coal mining boom which lasted from 1890-1920, many ethnic groups moved to the area to find jobs. The largest of the groups were Italian immigrants. They built many stone structures, including the coke ovens near Thomas. One of the biggest impacts on the culture of the region by Italian miners was the creation of the pepperoni roll, now West Virginia’s unofficial state food.
The Ricottilli House
Panfilo Ricottilli designed this house with many Italian features. An alcove by the door holds a family picture and holes were left in the kitchen wall for bees. The top floor of the house was going to be as large as first, so all 14 kids and their families could live together like in Italy. By the time the house was almost done though, it was clear this tradition would not continue in America
Swiss
Many Swiss families moved to the AFNHA in the 1800s to settle in the towns of Adolf, Alpina, and Helvetia. They became known as excellent farmers and had an organization for everything. Today, the community of Helvetia has embraced its Swiss heritage and continues to keep many of the traditions alive, including an annual Fasnacht celebration.
Henry Betler driving hay wagon in Helvetia
Image courtesy of Helvetia History Project
Fasnacht
Fasnacht, sometimes likened to a Swiss Mardi Gras, is a pre-Lent celebration to welcome the coming of spring. In Helvetia, the day is filled with music and dance, a parade of masks, and then a midnight an effigy of old man winter is thrown into a bonfire.
Italian track gang on Cheat Mountain in Pocahontas Co.
Photo Courtesy of USDA/Forest Service
Logging and Coal Mining Boom Era
As logging and coal mining boomed (roughly 1880-1930s), thousands of people immigrated to the AFNHA. In 1910, people representing over 18 nationalities called the region home. Though many found fulfilling lives in the area, they also faced discrimination. Companies would often hire people based on their nationality and stereotypes. For instance, the Virginia Pulp and Paper Company preferred Austrians because of “their hearty, cheerful, and contented nature.”
Arrested miner strikers held on tennis court in Thomas in 1922.
Photo Courtesy of Joesph Dumire
Lumber camps and company towns were also divided by nationality. This was partially because people want to be around others with similar beliefs, but the companies also encouraged nationality to live separately because they did not want unions to form.
Music
Music is everywhere within the AFNHA. It is used to celebrate at weddings, mourn at funerals, and remember our heritage. As people moved to the region they brought with them their own musical styles and instruments. Some styles became associated with specific groups, but often the music was shared with people of all ethnicities. This is why the Swiss community of Helvetia performs polkas at their square dances and Joe Dumire remembers Barbara Milkint Morgan teaching her fourth-grade class Lithuanian songs.
Instruments in exhibit loaned from the Augusta Heritage Center
Mamish family weeding
Image courtesy of Joesph Dumire
The history of immigration to the area can also be seen through the regions instruments. The fiddle, still a popular instrument today, and was first introduced to the region by settlers from the British Isles, such as the Scots-Irish. Black slaves from Africa introduced the banjo to America. During the logging and coal-mining boom, immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe brought the accordion to the area.
food
While many aspects of culture are not practiced by the second or third generation, food remains a long standing tradition.This is especially true for food associated with holidays and events. What would an American birthday celebration be without cake?
Peffernusse (pictured above) is a hard Swiss cookie usually eaten around Christmas time with coffee.
Special thanks to the Hutte for providing us with free peffernusse summer 2019.
Family cookbooks, like the Ricottilli one pictured above, keep food traditions alive.
A good way to see the diverse history of an area is to look at the types of restaurants in it. In AFNHA, most large towns have an Italian and Chinese restaurant. Other places have more unique restaurants such as the Hütte (a Swiss-German restaurant in Helvetia) and El Gran Sabor (a Venezuelan restaurant in Elkins).
How do we remember?
Many ethnic groups have lived in the AFNHA over the years, but many of their stories and traditions have been forgotten. How do we remember and learn about these people?
Gravestones
Tombstones provide the names and dates of past community members, which can be used to search census records for more information. Through their use of symbolism, gravestones may also reveal where the person was born, the language they spoke, and their religion.
Coke ovens possibly built by Italian immigrants.
Structures
The buildings around us tell the stories of the business owners and workers who lived here. The businesses may be gone, but the buildings and faded advertisements remain. Though their names might not be remembered, their role in the community and industry of the area is not forgotten.
Oral History
One of the most important ways we remember the ethnic groups and people of the past is through the stories we pass down to family and friends. Through this we learn the personalities of the people who lived here.
Image courtesy of Library of Congress, American Folklife Center
Meet the Designer
This exhibit was created by AmeriCorps Member Sarah Rosenkrans, who served with AFNHA for two years. Prior to moving to Elkins, Sarah received her Bachelors in History from the University of Arkansas: Fort Smith and Masters in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She loved living and serving in West Virginia where the landscape is beautiful and the people are welcoming.
