Blacks in Appalachia

"Wherever the black man is found in Western North Carolina,
he is industrious, faithful, and usually prosperous."

Edward King, The Great South, 1875

Click here for an image map of the case.

Blacks have been in the Appalachian mountains since the 1500s. Early Spanish and French explorers brought with them African slaves, and free persons of color were among the earliest settlers. While a plantation economy never developed in the region, many mountain elites owned slaves who worked in stores and inns, logging, and mining, as well as on farms. After the Civil War, many freed Blacks obtained land to farm and lived rural lifestyles very similar to those of their White neighbors.

Black Appalachians have endured the same kinds of racial problems which exist elsewhere. While they recognize their ties to the larger Black American population, they also have a unique identification with the region. Celebration of family heritage through the collection of family memorabilia and attendance at family reunions strengthens their separate identity as Black Appalachians.