Smoky Mountains’ Black History Uncovered
The first in a series of the “African-American Experience in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park” project will be a free ZOOM at 11 am June 16, 2021.
Join the East Tennessee Historical Society as they share the first of a series of free ZOOM Brown Bag programs and Saturday lectures to be offered through this summer. The African American Experience program is free. To register, email eths@eastTNhistory.org to receive an email with the Zoom link before the program.
The African-American Experience project started om 2018, led by Antoine Fletcher and research assistant Atalya Dorfield. The project has documented untold stories of African-Americans in and outside of the Smokies. These are stories only shared privately within the Applachian African-American communities around crackling campfires, sun-beaten front porches, and lamp-lit bedrooms.
The research continues and community input is still being sought to help fill in blanks of missing pieces of African-American’s experience in the mountains from 1540 to the present day. If you know of or have factual information, please contact the Great Smoky Mountains Association or the ETHS.
The collection is the result of a collaborative effort with park partners and the community sponsored by the Albers Family Foundation in memory of Harriet Z. Albers and by Gentry-Griffey Funeral Home in Knoxville.
About the East Tennessee Historical Society
Established in 1834, the East Tennessee Historical Society is widely acknowledged as one of the most active history organizations in the state and enjoys a national reputation for excellence in programming and education. The East Tennessee Historical Society aids East Tennesseans to hold on to our unique heritage—recording the events, collecting the artifacts, and saving the stories of the history we all share.
The ETHS is headquartered at 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville; website, eastTNhistory.com; email address, eths@easttnhistory.org; or phone (865) 215-8824.