Southern Appalachia is endless in hidden wonders, bringing us back to our history, our heritage that has made us who we are today. We are listeners, we are creators. We are all that can be found at a museum known as Foxfire.
Located in a small Appalachian town known as Mountain City, in the Northern part of Georgia, the Foxfire Museum illuminates truths about these mountains, the people and the way of life for many over a century ago.
The term "Foxfire" is used to identify a species of bioluminescent fungi that grow on rotting wood in damp forests. Notably this became the perfect word for what would evolve into other ideas of “Foxfire”. Not to be forgotten that this fungi is as much a part of Southern Appalachia as the new. Parts of this definition were taken from the following website http://www.foxfire.org.
Foxfire is also the name of a magazine that became a book series, which went on to become a bestseller. This part of Foxfire became possible in the 1960s when a group of high school students began writing down oral history, folklore and the traditions of crafting in this region.
Money from the royalties of these books enabled the students to purchase a plot of land. This land is also “Foxfire”, again the Foxfire Museum located in the mountains of North Georgia in Appalachia.
Here you can examine century old cabins and a broad collection of artifacts. So much can be viewed, a hog scalding facility, old barns and plows.
Visiting the museum during festivals allow for viewing of unique crafts and the chance to see broom making. This is a unique experience and will be worth the trip into Southern Appalachia. So go ahead, go explore.
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