New Digital Resources from the Southern Appalachian Archives

Mars Hill University’s Southern Appalachian Archives was recently annouced as one of six partners in North Carolina selected to be part of a UNC-Chapel Hill Southern Folklife Collection project funded by a $1.75 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Southern Folklife Collection is an archival resource dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating vernacular music, art, and culture related to the American South.

Working with this collection, the Southern Appalachian Archives has been able to digitize historical recordings important to the musical heritage of western North Carolina. These newly digitized resources include video recordings of the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Music of Appalachia Festival; the Byard Ray Folk Festival; ballad swaps; and Christian Harmony. These resources showcase the cultural hertiage of the western North Carolina with video from mountain masters long gone. This project provides a breathtaking new opportunity folks scholars and fans alike. 

Watch online here!

Learn more about the UNC-Chapel Hill Southern Folklife Collection here.

Click here to find out more about other digitized materials from the Southern Appalachian Archives.

Find out more about the Southern Appalachian Archives here.