Hurricane Helene: Appalachian History

East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, was founded in 1911 as East Tennessee State Normal School to provide teachers for the state's public schools. The institution originally offered two courses of study: a four-year high school program and a two-year normal school curriculum, which initially enrolled 29 students. Today ETSU serves more than 14,000 students and offers over 100 undergraduate programs, 75 master's programs, and a dozen areas of doctoral study. The university is organized into 11 colleges and schools. Approximately 700 full-time faculty members, 80 percent of whom hold doctorates, serve the institution's students. Indicative of embracing its Appalachian heritage and location, the university boasts several unique programs, which include bluegrass studies and storytelling. While ETSU offers all the opportunities and resources of any large university, it also has many advantages typically found only in small colleges.

Oconee County, nestled in the foothills of the Upstate, possesses a rich history intertwined with its geography, which extends from the fertile Cherokee lands along the waters of the Tugaloo to
the mountain forests of the churning Chattooga River. Equal to the challenges of the region's harsh
yet beautiful terrain, the people of Oconee County
entered the 20th century with an agrarian economy
established by Revolutionary War veterans, cultivated
by German settlers, brutalized by the events from the
Civil War, and advanced in part by educators from the county's military institute, Clemson College.

Author and East Tennessee historian Joe Guy unearths tales from the Volunteer State's most distinct region - the Southeast - in this new volume.

With lost lore of Cherokee natives, forgotten stories of Civil War strife, recollections of cherished regional traditions and much more, The Hidden History of Southeast Tennessee offers a captivating collection that possesses the air of mystery reflected in the hills and hollers from which these tales originate. Join Guy as he recounts the fascinating history of this one-of-a-kind corner of Appalachia and presents stories peppered with mountain flavor, all supported by scholarly research and historical inquiry.