Preserving History and Culture in
Central Appalachian
Churches
By Ted Olson , PhD
Project Coordinator , Partners for Sacred Places
T he region known as Appalachia is often misunderstood . Encompassing all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states , the region is home to more than 26 million people . Although Appalachia ’ s population is often stereotyped as homogeneous , it encompasses people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic experiences and has seen the evolution of a broad range of religious traditions .
Churches throughout Central Appalachia often steward the unique cultural and folk traditions of their neighborhoods . But many of the historic sacred places in Central Appalachia are at risk , with declining congregational memberships and diminishing resources . Some churches face the possibility of closing , while others have been absorbed by nonprofit organizations that oversee the buildings in collaboration with or in place of congregations . Given this transition , there has been a pressing need to help historic Appalachian sacred places with preservation and restoration projects .
In 2020 , responding to this need , Partners for Sacred Places initiated a new project —“ Preserving and Strengthening the Cultural Heritage of Sacred Places in Central Appalachia ”— with support from Margaret A . Cargill Philanthropies . The project ’ s primary goal was to identify culturally significant historic sacred places in Central Appalachia ( West Virginia and portions of Kentucky , Tennessee , and North Carolina ) and invite them to participate in a program intended to sustain their presence in the community and preserve their folk art , architecture , and cultural traditions . Each sacred place would participate in repair and restoration work that would involve local artists , craftspeople , and artisans .
Ten sacred places were invited to participate . The first component of the program was Partners ’ highly regarded New Dollars / New Partners for Your Historic Sacred Place training , which teaches congregations how to effectively tell their stories to the community , better care for their buildings , and engage with neighbors and outside organizations to cultivate more support .
Partners for Sacred Places encouraged each congregation or organization to deepen its collective appreciation of their historic sacred place specifically and its history and craftsmanship in particular . Rev . Eric Reece found the experience transformative for Old Mother Church of Robbinsville , North Carolina . “ The
Christ Church Episcopal , in South Pittsburg , is the lone Tennessee member of the Central Appalachia program . Joshua Castaño
16 SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2023