Hi, I'm Beth Durham and I thank you for checking out my site.  I'm native to Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau - Clarkrange to be specific.  My family has been on the mountain for six generations and I am so proud to be a part of the rich heritage of this people.

I have always been inspired by history – not the kind that makes it into textbooks, but the history that the common man lives every day.  Therein are the struggles of life, crying for another’s pain and rejoicing together.  There we see unlikely and unbreakable bonds formed.  There we can laugh at our own failures and our friends’ foibles.

I’m recording these stories in a couple of different ways – fictional stories and an historical blog.

My books take the characters of the mountain and set them in a fictional story.  I have long thought that no created character can come close to the personalities that developed on our beautiful plateau.  Generally set between 1860 and 1930, I hope these stories will carry you back to the dirt roads and gardens; I hope that you will feel the joys and the hardships. 

The Tennessee Mountain Stories blog shares tales I've always known and some I'm just now learning, sometimes including fictional short stories based on real lives and real experiences.  We’ll also take a look together at books written by local authors or set in our region.  We’ll visit local events and discuss what we can learn from commemorating our shared history.  I invite you to post your comments on the stories, fill in details and expand on the story. 

Come back often, we’ll sit a spell on a virtual porch and spend the afternoon in a good visit.