Cheerwine: A Soft Drink from Appalachia

By Michelle Shocklee

I have a confession. 

I love soft drinks. It's true. I have one just about every day. I didn't grow up drinking them often though. My parents didn't keep soft drinks in the house. The only choices to wet your whistle were water, milk, or Kool-Aid made from an envelope of flavored powder and a full cup of sugar. BUT on special occasions, like birthdays, Mom would buy a six-pack of Coke and let each of us kids have one to ourselves! Thankfully, with five kids and two adults, we enjoyed this rare treat seven times a year. Ha! Today, since I don't need the sugar or artificial stuff most soft drinks include, my favorite soda is Zevia Cherry Cola, sweetened with stevia and minus additives for coloring, etc. I only enjoy one a day typically, so I think Mom would approve.

While doing research for my novel Appalachian Song, I discovered a soft drink I'd never heard of! Let me tell you a yummy story from Appalachia.

LD Peeler; Cheerwine.com

In 1866, a man named Lewis D. Peeler was born in North Carolina. He studied at a local Lutheran college and in Virginia, and eventually tried his hand at a number of different enterprises, including farming and wholesaling. When he was 47 years old, he bought into a Kentucky-based bottling company named Mint-Cola Bottling. He and another investor opened a local franchise of the company in the basement of Peeler's general store near the railroad line in Salisbury, North Carolina. In 1917, he formed the Carolina Beverage Corporation.

But times were tough and there was a sugar ration in place due to World War I. Peeler wanted to produce a beverage that used less sugar but still tasted great. His drive to develop his own soft drink led him to a salesman from St. Louis who sold him a wild cherry flavor derived from oil of almonds that blended well with other flavors already being produced. Convinced he'd found the "secret sauce" for his new drink, Peeler named the beverage “cheer” for pleasure and “wine” for its deep red color. 

Cheerwine.com

The taste sensation known as Cheerwine was born. The company's first slogan: For Health & Pleasure.

The delicious sparkling soda quickly satisfied thirsts in Appalachia. The company was renamed Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Company in 1924 to increase brand recognition throughout North Carolina, and Peeler first registered the Cheerwine trademark in 1926. In 1927, he started another bottling company in Charlotte. That business was later sold to Sun-Drop Bottling in 1976.

LD Peeler; Cheerwine.com

Lewis passed away in 1931. His son, Clifford, took over the business. He not only kept the company afloat during the depression, but managed to keep it profitable. The public continued to purchase the drink and felt it was good to have a product with the word “Cheer” in the name during such difficult times.

Today, Lewis D. Peeler's great-grandson, Charles Clifford "Cliff" Ritchie, runs the company that the family says is "the oldest continuously operated soft drink company still run by the same family." Cheerwine can be found in markets in all 50 states, Europe, and China. 

To me, that's a sure testament to a great product. I couldn't wait to try it!!! YUMMM! 

Your turn: Have you tried Cheerwine? What'd'ya think? What is your favorite drink to wet your whistle?

 

Springhouse at the Walker Sisters Cabin, the setting for
Appalachian Song

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             

APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

Appalachian Recipes from Bygone Days

By Michelle Shocklee

While I did the research for my historical split-time novel APPALACHIAN SONG, I came across many yummy-sounding recipes that cooks in Appalachia served to their families for generations. Because mountain families typically raised their own livestock and grew their own vegetables and fruits, meals consisted of what was on hand, since running to the grocery store or dining out at a restaurant was not an option for most residents of the hills and hollers of East Tennessee. 

Four of the Walker Sisters of Tennessee at their home near Gatlinburg. Public domain.

After the book released last October, I received a number of requests for the recipes I used in the story. Things like Stack Cake and Collard Greens with Dumplings. So I thought I'd do something a little different today and share a couple of those recipes with you!

But first...a little history.

You may remember (or not!) that I blogged about the Mysterious Walker Sisters of Gatlinburg, TN back in 2019. My husband and I moved to the Nashville area in 2017, and I was a sponge soaking up all the cool history of our new home state. When I first saw the Walker Sisters cabin, I knew I would set a book there -- now known as APPALACHIAN SONG. The Walkers lived in a 2-room cabin with a sleeping loft built by their father after the Civil War. Eleven children were born into the family, and six of the daughters never married. They became known as the Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier. We know about them because of their resistance to sell their property when the government decided to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Thankfully, the women were allowed to stay in their home for the rest of their lives despite it being owned by the park.

I took this picture of the Walker Sisters cabin
on my first visit in 2017

Like most families in this part of Appalachia, the Walkers grew their own produce. A huge garden was located near the old cabin, full of squash plants, various greens, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, and more. It provided fresh vegetables in the summer as well as vegetables for canning to use in the winter. There was also a large orchard where John Walker grew a variety of apples, cherries, and nuts. Even after their papa passed away, the sisters maintained the orchard and enjoyed homemade jams, canned and dried fruits, as well as maple syrup.

It was John's apples that inspired me to include one of the Walker family's favorite recipes in the book: Apple Stack Cake. Here is the recipe a long-time friend of the Walkers provided:

STACK CAKE

APPLESAUCE: 

In 3+ c. of water, cook approx. 10 c. of dried apples until tender. Drain the applesauce. Add 1/3 c. sugar for each cup of apples used. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla to taste. Set aside. 

CAKES:

4 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. shortening

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

Mix well then add:

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 1/2 tsp. cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Bake in thin layers, maybe 4 to 6 depending on the size of the pan or height of the cake. 

She doesn't give a temperature or time for baking, but similar recipes online call for 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. She also doesn't give instructions for assembling, but it is a simple layering process. Cake, applesauce, cake, applesauce, etc. until you have a nice stack. In my book, Sister Jennie decorates the top with dried apple slices. ENJOY!

The other recipe that Appalachian folks can't get enough of is Collard Greens with Dumplings. Now, I have to admit I hadn't eaten collard greens until I moved to Tennessee. But I've become a believer in their deliciousness. Adding a dumpling on top is like adding icing to a cake. The easiest way to make this old-fashioned recipe is:

Wash and cut desired amount of collard greens (you can use turnip greens too). Put in a pot large enough to easily hold them. Add enough chicken broth and/or water to cover. Season to taste using salt, pepper, minced garlic, minced onion, paprika. Simmer 15+ minutes or until desired tenderness. (My Kentucky-born boss cooks hers for over an hour.)

While the greens are cooking, make the dumplings:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat milk

Combine all ingredients. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place spoonful's on top of greens (add more broth if necessary). Cover and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes or until dumplings are done. ENJOY!

I hope you try these authentic recipes from Appalachia. Be sure to let me know if you do! And aren't you glad you don't have to cook them over a fire like the Walker family did? 

Fireplace in the Walker Sisters cabin

Your turn: Do you have a favorite recipe that's been passed down through the generations in your family? Tell us about it!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

History of The Great Indian Warpath

By Michelle Shocklee

Last month I blogged about the Appalachian Trail. I've been fascinated by all-things Appalachia since I began research for my novel Appalachian Song, and I enjoyed learning about the famous hiking trail. What I wasn't aware of, however, is that a trail running from New York to Alabama existed long before the Appalachian Trail was created. 

Let me tell you about it. 

The Great Indian Warpath was and is an ancient network of trails that were used by Native Americans hundreds of years before white European settlers came to this country. It is known by several names, including the Warriors' Path, the Great Indian War and Trading Path, and the Seneca Trail. 

It is believed that many of the trails were broken first by animals, including herds of buffalo in the valleys of Virginia. The native people would follow the trails to hunt and eventually used them for moving from one region to another. Trading and communication between various tribes was aided by use of the trail. Sadly, as the name of the trail indicates, war also took place along the trail. Rivers played a major role in the location of the trail, as having a constant water source was vital. Many of the trails follow waterways through the hills and hollers of Appalachia. 

The Seneca Trail

Like the Appalachian Trail, the Great Indian Warpath, or the Seneca Trail, begins in New York state, not
far from Niagara Falls. (I wish I'd known about it when we visited Niagara Falls this past October! I'll definitely look for it the next time we're there.) This area was home to the Seneca Indian tribe, the largest of six Native American nations which comprised the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations, hence the name of the trail. The trail continued south through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Europeans eventually arrived in North America. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his party are believed to be the first white people to travel the trail when they crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1540. By the late 1600s, British colonists used portions of the trail as they traded with the Indians. The line of the Seneca Trail formed the boundary of "the frontier" at the time of the French and Indian War in 1756. When King George III issued a proclamation in 1763 forbidding further settlement beyond the mountains and demanding the return of settlers who had already crossed the Alleghenies, the Seneca Trail was once again used as a boundary. 

Map of the "Great Indian Warpath" published in the Pennsylvania Magazine in October 1775

Today, parts of the Seneca Trail can still be accessed in various states. However, unlike the Appalachian Trail, it is not a continuous trail due to private land purchases and communities being built on it, but the history remains. People lived and died along those ancient footpaths. They are the souls I like to remember when I read about long ago days. 

Your turn: Do you enjoy hiking in the woods? Would you seek out the Seneca Trail if you could?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

The Appalachian Trail

By Michelle Shocklee

Are there any hikers in the house?

Hubby and I enjoy the great outdoors, especially the mountains, but hiking -- real hiking -- isn't something we've attempted. We like a nice, fairly easy hike of a couple miles there and back at most. A bottle of water, a snack, and a pair of comfortable shoes is all we need to have a grand time basking in the beauty of God's creation. 

But there are those who enjoy a challenge when they go hiking. Hundreds of trails wind through national forests and parks all across the country, taking anyone brave enough to gorgeous waterfalls, rock formations, and mountaintop views that can't be seen unless you're willing to go the distance. 

Panoramic image of the Catawba Valley from the McAfee Knob overlook on the Appalachian Trail. Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Something_Original

One of THE most challenging trails, however, has got to be the Appalachian Trail. Friends of ours own property in East Tennessee that backs up to the trail, so I can say I have officially been ON the trail, but I can also honestly say I have no desire to hike it from one end to the other.

The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath in the Eastern United States, beginning in Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending in Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail passes through 14 states and traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally diverse lands of the Appalachian Mountains. 

The idea was first proposed in 1921 by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan—called "An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning"—shortly after the death of his wife. He shared his idea with several politicians, and an article was even written about it in the Saturday Evening Post. People became interested in the project and money was raised. Things took off from there. 

On October 7, 1923, the first section of the trail, from Bear Mountain west through Harriman State Park to Arden, New York, was opened. MacKaye then called for a two-day Appalachian Trail conference to be held in March 1925 in Washington, D.C. This meeting inspired the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy). Arthur Perkins, a retired judge, and his younger associate Myron Avery took up the cause. Built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

Most of the trail is exclusively for foot-travel. A few short sections allow biking, horses, and ATVs, but those are mainly near towns. Throughout its length, the AT, as it's known, is marked by white paint blazes that are 2 by 6 inches. Side trails to shelters, viewpoints, and parking areas use similarly shaped blue blazes. In past years, some sections of the trail also used metal diamond markers with the AT logo, but unfortunately many were taken as souvenirs.

Most hikers carry a lightweight tent, tent hammock, or tarp. The trail has more than 250 shelters and campsites available for hikers who prefer more solid accommodations. Public restrooms and showers are very limited throughout the trail.

"Unofficial registries", which are known as shelter logs, can be found at all campsites, but signing them is strictly voluntary. These logs give hikers a way to leave day-to-day messages while they are on the trail to document where they have been, where they are going, and who/what they have seen. Shelter logs can also provide proof of who summits certain mountains and can warn about dangerous animals or unfriendly people in the area. Hikers may cite when a certain water source is dried up, providing crucial information to other hikers. In the case of an emergency or missing person, the logs can be an invaluable source of information to emergency personnel. 

Although I doubt I'll ever traverse the Appalachian Trail, I'm glad it exists. Getting outside in God's beautiful world is always a great idea!

Your turn: Have you hiked any part of the Appalachian Trail? Is it on your bucket list? Tell  me about it!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

The Delicious History of Oreo Cookies

By Michelle Shocklee

I have a confession. 

I love Oreo cookies. 

I mean, I love Oreo cookies. I can easily eat an entire package of them--regular, Double Stuff, mint, chocolate, etc. -- all by myself. In one day. Sadly, I'm older now, and Oreos and my waistline don't get along as well as they did back when I was a girl. I only allow myself to buy them a couple times a year now, so they are truly a special treat!

In honor of my affection for the yummy sandwich cookie, I included a black-and-white dog in my new novel Appalachian Song and named him Oreo! And because I named a dog Oreo in my book, it got me thinking about where Oreos came from in the first place. 

Until the late 19th century, the biscuit (also known as cookies) and cracker industry was made up of small independent local bakeries preparing and selling their products in bulk. Barrels and crates of these products were delivered by horse and wagon to grocery stores and were sold to consumers by weighing out the desired amount. In 1890, a group of 33 bakers combined to form the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company. In February 1898, 114 factories joined forces with them and formed the National Biscuit Company, also known as Nabisco.

Joseph Loose was a member of Nabisco's Board of Directors, but in 1902, he and his brother Jacob liquidated their holdings and formed their own company, eventually known as Sunshine Biscuit, Inc. It is this company, not Nabisco, who came up with the idea for a cookie, or biscuit, made from two chocolate cookie wafers with a creamy, white center. It was developed in 1908. 

For 90 years, Sunshine Biscuit sold the familiar-looking cookie under the name Hydrox, with the name derived from the hydrogen and oxygen elements within the water molecule, a nod to "purity and goodness." Consumers went crazy for them. Their popularity did not go unnoticed by the powers-that-be at Nabisco. In a move that seems rather underhanded, Nabisco created a similar cookie in 1912 and called it the Oreo Biscuit. The competition began. Interestingly, the origins of the name Oreo are unknown. There are theories out there, with French, Greek, or even Latin connections, but the truth is no one knows. An odd name, however, didn't stop consumers from purchasing the delicious treat. 

Nabisco's Oreo eventually surpassed Hydrox in popularity, resulting in the Hydrox cookies being perceived as an Oreo copycat. Compared to Oreos, Hydrox cookies have a less sweet filling and a crunchier cookie shell that doesn't get as soggy when dipped in milk, which as any Oreo cookie lover will tell you, is vital!

Ad for Oreos, 1961

The Oreo Biscuit was renamed in 1921 to Oreo Sandwich. In 1948, the name was changed to Oreo Crème Sandwich, and in 1974 it became the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie, the name that has remained to this day. 

Double Stuff Oreos were introduced in 1974 in various flavors. In 1987, fudge covered Oreos hit the market. Halloween Oreos arrived in 1991, and Christmas Oreos in 1995. Today, Oreo sandwich cookies come in dozens of flavors and colors. They are available around the world. Overall, it is estimated that since the Oreo cookie's inception in 1912, over 450 billion Oreos have been produced worldwide. 

I wonder how many of them I've consumed through the years?! 

Your turn: What is your favorite cookie? Do you dunk them in milk or not?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com


APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.
Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

Midwives in Appalachia

By Michelle Shocklee

Midwives take center stage in my new historical novel Appalachian Song. Because I didn't know a lot about midwives in Appalachia, I thoroughly enjoyed my research into the topic. I thought I'd share some of it with you!

First, a little background information.

Great Smoky Mountains; photo from Wikipedia;

Appalachian Centrist

The Appalachian mountain range begins in Canada and runs all the way down to Alabama, connecting countries and states alike. There are various regions within Appalachia, with different customs, foods, and even their own way to pronounce the name of their beloved mountains. Because I set Appalachian Song in the mountains of East Tennessee, the correct pronunciation for that area is: Apple-at-chin and Apple-at-cha.

Mary Carson Breckenridge;
public domain

During my research, I discovered that many women in Appalachia, then and now, don't seek medical help when it comes time to deliver their babies. Distance to medical facilities is a big problem, as are finances, but tradition, superstition, and distrust also play a role. Instead, expectant mothers relied on local midwives to attend the birth. 

In my novel, Bertie is a midwife for her community. Like most mountain midwives, she was trained in midwifery by her mother, who was trained by her mother, thus earning the name "granny woman." Herbs, tinctures, teas, and time-honored practices were relied upon to help bring a healthy baby into the world. However, infant and mother mortality rates were--and still are--incredibly high in Appalachia.

This disturbing fact needed to be addressed, and in the 1920s, a woman by the name of Mary Carson Breckenridge made it her mission. Although Ms. Breckenridge was born into a wealthy family in Memphis, Tennessee in 1881, she studied nursing in the United States as well as Europe, with a strong desire to serve the women of rural Kentucky. Mary spent the summer of 1923 riding horseback over 650 miles through the hills of Kentucky to conduct a survey of midwives in the region, who averaged 60 years of age. Though she discovered some competence, she also found filth and a medieval level of care. In 1925, she opened the Frontier Nursing Service near Hyden, Kentucky that provided general health care, vaccinations, pre/post-natal care, and birth services. 

Mary is quoted as saying, "Maternity is the young woman's battlefield. It is more dangerous, more painful, more mutilating than war, and as inexorable as all the laws of God." 

Mary's contribution to rural Kentucky's mothers and children were significant. She is credited with building the first modern comprehensive health care system in the United States that focused on all aspects of a patient's wellbeing and provided programs for nursing care and midwifery. She continued to lead the Frontier Nursing Service until her death in May 1965. By that time, Frontier Nursing Service had treated nearly 58,000 patients and delivered over 14,500 babies, with only 11 maternal deaths. In 1998, a US stamp was printed in her honor. 

By the 1970s, midwives in the United States were required to obtain formal training and certifications before they could legally practice. While many mountain people ignored such regulations, the use of "granny women" began to decline. 

The Mary Breckenridge stamp

One of the interesting rabbit trails I took during my research led me to discover the use of midwives in the hippie communities of the 60s and 70s. After learning that there were in fact such communities in Appalachia, I decided that Reese, a 70s midwife in my novel, needed to visit a few hippie moms-to-be. I had great fun writing those scenes. 

As the mother of two sons, I'm grateful for the hospital staff that surrounded me each time I gave birth. But midwifery is on the rise these days, with many young mothers choosing to deliver their babies at home with the help of a midwife. As Bertie says in the book, the ultimate goal is a healthy baby and mama, no matter if you're in a hospital or tucked into your own bed at home.

Your turn: have you ever known anyone who had a midwife attend the birth of their baby?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Michelle's next novel, Appalachian Song, releases October 3, 2023, and is available for preorder. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com


APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.
Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441