What Happened Next

It might have been downtrodden, but the Overhill was still home to all the people whose ancestors had settled the region during more prosperous times. Some people showed an interest in saving and acknowledging the past and had welcomed the Tennessee Humanities Council’s Community Heritage Project, which had been launched in the mid-1980s to help the Tennessee communities research and interpret their local histories. Soon representatives of local arts councils and community action groups began to think in terms of museums to interpret the mill-town legacy in the area. But with no funds, no central organization, nor any idea about how to proceed, the activists were stymied. Then came the National Trust’s Heritage Tourism Initiative, backed by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Seeking underdeveloped arenas around the nation in which to test the theory that preserving and marketing heritage sites as tourism destinations could help replenish weakened economies, the National Trust partnered with such agencies as the Tenn-essee Department of Tourist Development. Through them, the National Trust offered technical and organizational advice to areas like the Tennessee Overhill.

Representatives from around the region—tourism professionals, developers, educators, farmers, artists, forest rangers, and plain townsfolk—formed an advisory council called the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association (TOHA). To overcome territorialism and suspicion among players that one community might benefit more than another, monthly meetings were held on a rotating basis in each town represented.

“By bringing people together on a regular basis over a meal, trust and respect were built. We are convinced that the Overhill meeting structure contributed to the solidarity of this fledgling group,” states TOHA executive director Linda Caldwell.

Under the direction of the National Trust and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, TOHA systematically educated the community about heritage tourism—a new concept in 1990. Overhill created a standing exhibit, brochure, slide show and speakers bureau as early outreach efforts to overcome misconceptions about this new idea.

“Through maps and artifacts, our traveling exhibit demonstrated how the Overhill is a microcosm of the industrial revolution. If we think of ourselves as a compact region instead of individual towns and communities, we can use this heritage to our benefit,” says Caldwell. The exhibit was set up in bank lobbies throughout the Overhill. Brochures were mailed to every elected official in the region, and TOHA members spoke to approximately 40 civic groups during the three-year pilot period.

TOHA created a driving-tour brochure and accompanying book focusing on the Industrial Revolution and how it affected McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties. Entitled From Furs to Factories: Exploring the Industrial Revolution in the Tennessee Overhill, the project linked visitors to existing museums that highlight copper mining, textiles, railroads, and the Cherokee heritage. TOHA installed interpretive signs at 12 locations.

Indigenous arts are as important to cultural tourism as political, social, and industrial histories. With a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the NEA, TOHA hired a folklorist who, over three years, identified and located traditional art forms in the region, then worked with local museums and other venues to develop exciting ways to interpret these arts and educate the public.

Although only 7 percent of the current Tennessee Overhill population includes people of color, the long-reaching influences of Cherokee and African cultures are significant. To celebrate African-American culture in the Overhill region, TOHA worked with two black churches to create a performance of gospel music at the restored Gem Theater in Etowah. Originally funded by the Cherokee National Forest, this annual event’s popularity grows each year and has spurred an offshoot project of photo-documentation at four other churches in the Overhill.

Farming and attendant communities have always been integral to this part of the Appalachians, and so TOHA has created an AgriCulture Trail that directs visitors to places to buy locally grown products and suggests driving tours to view agricultural landscapes and successful conservation projects.

TOHA has followed proven guidelines for developing effective heritage tourism. Over its decade-plus existence it has evolved and adapted, making it a viable regional player in economic development. According to Cheryl Hargrove, much of TOHA’s success can be attributed to Linda Caldwell’s strong, dedicated leadership. “She is a visionary who, through sheer determination, fashioned a highly respected, professional organization in an area that many had deemed a lost cause.”

Timeline

• 1990 - McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties selected to participate in National Trust’s Heritage Tourism Initiative

• 1990-93 - Community education through speakers, exhibits, and brochure
  
  Training to build local capacity

• 1991 - Historic Gem Theater restoration begins in Etowah

• 1993 - Englewood Textile Museum opens

• 1994 - TOHA works with local churches on African-American Heritage Project

• 1995 - Industrial heritage trail developed

• 1995-96 - TOHA works with state Olympic committee to help region host whitewater competition on the Ocoee River

• 1995-98 - TOHA develops Legacy Project to identify traditional arts and artists

• 1998 - TOHA develops AGRICulture Trail
  
  TOHA joins the North Carolina Arts Council and Tennessee Arts Commission to help develop Cherokee Heritage Trail as part of the Blue Ridge Initiative

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