thelmasmith

How many of you remember your American history? I learned much of mine doing research on the material detritus of the nineteenth century. I found that handling dauguerrotypes
and old wallpaper, clothing and furniture let history fall into a real place rather than dry statistics and dates.   A grease bucket for a conestoga wagon made history tangible.

In the fifties, the fashion was Davey Crockett and his long rifle and coon skin cap. Today, after traveling a full 24 hours, I saw the state park where Davey Crockett was born.

I’m on the northern edge of the Smokey Mountains. It’s the heart of the Tennessee River Valley Authority.

I have just come past the sign pointing to the home of James Polk. Here’s the image of a stamp bearing Polk’s visage.

The cameras are here. Maybe tomorrow I’ll give you a glimpse of what the south calls mountains. The Smokies and the Appalachians are old, old, very worn down mountains when compared with the Catalinas and the Santa Ritas in the Sonoran Desert.