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Delicate handwritten letters, vintage photographs capturing mountain life and rare recordings of Appalachian music.  

These are just a few of the treasures housed within the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.  

Now, thanks to a grant totaling more than $170,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ “Save America’s Treasures” program, these irreplaceable pieces of history will be preserved for future generations. 

“These materials call into question the reductive stereotypes that have often circumscribed public perception of what it means to be Appalachian, highlighting the diverse people and cultures that have formed – and been formed by – the region over time,” officials noted in the grant application. “The records are currently under threat of physical deterioration since they have not been processed, rehoused or digitally preserved according to professional best practices.” 

Created and compiled within ETSU’s Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, the collection contains approximately 1,000 oral history interviews and field recordings of vernacular music performances, 1,500 original photographs of the region and 100 linear feet of paper documents from the early 1900s through this century. Researchers, including experts in oral history, anthropology and more, collected the records between 1983 and 2016. 

Preserving the original media will involve repackaging the photographs and paper documents in acid-free enclosures to maximize longevity. Creating digital copies of the film and audio recordings will further preserve them by ensuring public access to the content without risking damage to or loss of the original items.  

“This collection represents an unparalleled source of original materials that provide nuanced depictions of Appalachia, a region that is all too often reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes that obscure its vibrancy, beauty and depth,” Dr. Jeremy Smith, director of the Archives of Appalachia, said. “I couldn’t be happier that the Institute of Museum and Library Services has recognized what we at ETSU have long known: the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services is an American treasure, and the work it does is worth preserving for future generations.” 

The Archives of Appalachia is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services in ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies.