ETSU historians are redefining Appalachian history through award-winning research that places the region at the center of Reconstruction, industrialization and the broader American story.
When Dr. Steven Nash set out to write about Reconstruction in the mountains of western North Carolina, he knew he was stepping into territory that most American history books had long passed over.
The result, “Reconstruction’s Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains,” did more than fill a gap in scholarship. The book earned the Weatherford Award for Best Appalachian Nonfiction and challenged longheld assumptions about how Reconstruction unfolded after the Civil War.
Rather than treating Appalachia as a historical afterthought, Nash placed the region at the center of the story.
Historians who know Appalachia
East Tennessee State University’s role as the Flagship of Appalachia is grounded not only in geography, but in deep, sustained expertise. ETSU’s Department of History reflects that clearly, where faculty members have spent decades studying, teaching and interpreting Appalachia on its own terms.
Their work consistently shows that the region was never isolated or static. Instead, Appalachia was shaped by – and helped shape – the same forces that transformed the nation: war, political realignment, industrialization and economic change.
Civil War and Reconstruction in Appalachia
A quick look at bookstore shelves makes it clear that Americans remain deeply interested in the Civil War and the turbulent years that followed. Nash’s work, dubbed by the Journal of American History as “deeply researched and engagingly written” and “further evidence of the upland region’s escape from the margins,” offered one of the most comprehensive examinations of Reconstruction as it unfolded in the Appalachian South.
Drawing on extensive archival research, he traced how white anti-Confederates and formerly enslaved people briefly formed political alliances, only to face violent backlash from entrenched elites seeking to reclaim power and tie the region more tightly to the emerging market-driven New South. His work revealed Appalachia as a place where national policy met local loyalties, often with explosive consequences.
That same effort to recenter Appalachian experiences is evident in the scholarship of Dr. Andrew Slap, professor of history, whose edited volume “Reconstructing Appalachia: The Civil War’s Aftermath” brought together leading scholars to explore a long overlooked chapter of regional history. The essays examined how communities across multiple states grappled with the war’s aftermath, addressing race, political identity, memory and economic change.
Dr. Melanie Storie, master lecturer in history, added another layer to that story with “The Dreaded Thirteenth Tennessee Union Cavalry: Marauding Mountain Men.” Her work focused on East Tennessee’s strong Unionist tradition, shedding light on the lived experiences of local soldiers and civilians caught between competing loyalties during the Civil War.
Appalachia in the 20th century
ETSU historians don’t stop their research at the nineteenth century.
Dr. Tom Lee, associate professor of history, documented the region’s dramatic transformation in “The Tennessee–Virginia Tri-Cities: Urbanization in Appalachia, 1900–1950.” His research examined how the arrival of railroads at the turn of the twentieth century reshaped everyday life in what would become Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol.
Families moved down from the mountains into the valleys. Country stores gave way to cities. Factory jobs replaced struggling farms. But Lee’s analysis went beyond a simple story of progress.
He showed how urban and industrial elites came to shape rural life, how low wage industry was deliberately recruited and how New Deal and World War II federal funding sustained an economy that left rural communities increasingly dependent on urban power.
Why Appalachian history matters
Together, these historians are doing more than documenting regional history. They are showing that Appalachia was never the frozen-in-time place of stereotype. The mountains were a battleground for power, a testing ground for Reconstruction policy and a crucible of industrialization.
That scholarship matters beyond the classroom. It reshapes how students understand where they come from, how communities were formed and how Appalachia fits into the larger American story, past and present.
“Our students deserve to see themselves and their region reflected in serious scholarship, not reduced to caricatures,” Nash said. “When they understand how Appalachia shaped American history, they also understand how they can shape its future.”
Learn from scholars who are writing the history of Appalachia
ETSU’s Department of History offers undergraduate and graduate degrees built around expertise. Students can take specialized courses, including a comprehensive survey of Southern Appalachian history from settlement through the twentieth century, an in-depth examination of the region’s impact on coal mining, and seminars led by faculty actively publishing award-winning research.
Whether you’re interested in pursuing graduate research or deepening your understanding of where you come from, you’ll learn from historians who view Appalachia not as a footnote, but as essential to understanding America.
Learn more about history programs and course offerings at etsu.edu/cas/history.
