that charm to the wider world. There were a considerable number of folks already established here who felt no need to go out of their way to extol the many virtues of county to outsiders.
The old-timers were content to live their lives as they saw fit. They had been getting along without recourse to modernity and didn’ t see a lot of advantages in the complexities of trying to keep up with a world that didn’ t know how to be content. But the future cannot be held at bay for long, and many of those caught up in the heedless rush for the next new thing felt that maybe something had been lost in a past that was so quickly being discarded.
When stories about the beauty of the hills and the hand-built log cabins that nestled in the hollers by little spring-fed creeks got published in big city newspapers, people took notice. To those people living their modern lives in those big cities, Brown County sounded like a way to go back and visit simpler times. And so, the tourist industry was born.
It wasn’ t until the 1920s that tourism in Brown County really caught on. Before that, the unimproved dirt roads were barely drivable and the same could be said for most of the early automobiles. In the times before that, horses, wagons, and carriages were the only modes of transportation making day trips impossible. You could get to Helmsburg or Fruitdale by way of the railroad that came through in 1906. But then you had to hire a carriage to get to Nashville. It took most of a day to get there— that is if it didn’ t rain and the roads weren’ t muddy, because then it took a lot longer.
When tourism became popular, it brought quite a few changes to the county. Tourists needed to be fed— so the restaurant business took off. Automobiles needed gasoline, oil, tires, and repairs— so blacksmiths and livery stables gave way to mechanics and garages. Folks needed places to stay— so hotels were provided. And tourists wanted souvenirs to take back home as mementos of their visit.
The desire for souvenirs led to county folks turning their talents towards crafts like basket making, wood carving, quilting, and more, to create those souvenirs. And then shops were needed to sell the local crafts. Pretty soon the little village of Nashville, that consisted of fewer than four hundred people in 1900, began to resemble the tourist destination it is today.
Like the artists who came to Brown County and made important contributions, tourists have also made major changes to the way of life here. The qualities that make the county what it is, the surviving attitude of self-reliance, the crafts people and artists, and the people who come to visit, are all part of a symbiotic web that we call“ Our Brown County.” •
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Sept./ Oct. 2024 • Our Brown County 31