Clemson cultural anthropologist explores the importance of land in Appalachia in latest book

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023

As Joe Sherman, Clemson University, Class of ’34, writes, “There’s something in these hills,” and for many Appalachians that’s very true. However, it can be difficult to find the words to fully explain what that something in those hills is, as cultural anthropologist John M. Coggeshall found.

For those who live here but whose families did not own land in Appalachia, the mountains are beautiful and a great place for hiking, fishing, and vacationing. But for those whose families have owned mountain land for generations, the earth beneath their feet is as much a part of the family as their own parents.

Coggeshall writes of this connection to land in his latest book: Something in these hills.

Five years of conversations, 90 interviews, hundreds of pages of transcripts and many miles of driving led to the book, Something in these hills published by UNC Press.

“The more I listened to these stories, the more I realized that there was a deep emotional connection to the country and losing family land was almost like losing a family member,” Coggeshall said.

In the book, he refers to those who grew up on family lands that have been passed down through the generations as residents, and those who live here but have no attachment to the family lands are referred to as residents.

Through his interviews, he learned that residents find an almost spiritual connection to their family land; while residents view land as a commodity that can be easily bought and sold.

This book grew out of a simple request from the Department of Natural Resources to document stories of people who used to live where Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee are now. To form these two lakes, thousands of acres were flooded between 1965 and 1973 when the Whitewater, Thompson, Toxaway, and Horsepasture rivers were dammed to create Lake Jocassee, and the Little and Keowee rivers to form Lake Keowee . The lakes were created by Duke Energy for hydroelectric power and to cool the nuclear reactors at Oconee Nuclear Station.

Coggeshall said this book contributes to the body of literature on Appalachia and what this region means to those who have lived here for generations and have endured significant landscape changes, such as the formation of these lakes.

“This book gives people a clearer picture of the country, its people and why the country is so important in this culture,” he said. “It allows us to see the land as its people do.”

Royalties from this book will be donated to Upstate Forever, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families in the Appalachian Mountains preserve their family’s lands.

Katherine Weisensee, chair of the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Criminal Justice, describes Coggeshall’s research and book as examples of how the college works to fulfill its mission of helping people and communities.

“This ethnographic research not only provides excellent academic scholarship, but also furthers the department’s and college’s commitment to the local community,” said Weisensee.

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice is part of the Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences (CBSHS). Established in 2016, CBSHS is a 21st century land grant college combining work across seven schools and departments – Communications; Care; park, recreation and tourism management; political science; Psychology; Public Health Sciences; and Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice — to further his mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.