After too long away, I recently returned to Madison County for the first time since Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the area, inundating the county seat of Marshall, on the banks of the French Broad River. (Yes, I should have come up much sooner to volunteer for cleanup, but I didn’t. My bad.)
I wanted to once again touch the ground in the place that has become a part of my life (and my heart) over the past 50 years. There has been adequate rain, so the county was lush with green vegetation.
Mostly, however, I wanted to reconnect with the Madison County folks who were so integral in making Met Her on the Mountain what it is.
Photo by Sarah M. Brown
Our first stop, of course, was Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs, on the Appalachian Trail, to see its legendary proprietor. Elmer Hall has been my friend since 1960’s Duke undergrad days, when he was the socially conscious assistant Methodist chaplain. Sunnybank was my home and base for every trip I made researching the book. Elmer is 89 and, except for short term memory issues, still has his marbles. He is cheerfully planning for a 90th birthday fete in April. We had plenty of time to sit on his various porches, watching the birds, and reminiscing. And to meet his assistant, Daniel.
Downtown Hot Springs was also hit hard by rising waters from the French Broad River and Spring Creek. The red caboose that at one time was the town’s welcome center was totally washed away. One of those businesses smashed was Bluff Mountain Outfitters, one of the best hiking and camping stores on the AT. Rather than trying to reconstruct, owner Wayne Crosby moved up Bridge Street to a new, larger space which is, if anything, is even nicer than the old location.
Next, we visited with Georgette Penland Shelton, at her recently restored Penland Store in Marshall, which had been nearly wiped out in Helene, with mud and water inside eight feet high. The entire Penland family, some now passed, made me welcome when I first arrived in Madison County, making critical contributions to my understanding of Nancy Morgan’s death and aftermath.
Georgette has been a consistent supporter of Met Her on the Mountain, stocking both the original 2013 hard cover edition as well as the 2023 trade paper update from the University of Kentucky Press and hosting numerous signings in her store. She is always a pleasure to spend time with. We bought regionally made jams for sale; I got a paperback copy of the novel In the Fullness of Time by local author Terry Roberts; and Sallie bought a hat. Georgette gifted us with a jar of her canned green beans. The famed and justly honored photographer Rob Amberg, who has chronicled Madison County for 50 years, dropped in and we had a nice chat.
Our Saturday visit to Marshall coincided with the annual Mermaid Festival and Parade (long story), so the town was bustling with colorful costumes and vendors under white tents.
Photo by Sarah M. Brown
And finally, we had the opportunity to have dinner with renowned folklorist, ballad singer, storyteller and author Sheila Kay Adams. In researching my book, I interviewed her extensively by phone, but until now I had never met her in person. As a high school senior, Sheila knew Nancy Morgan and contributed much to recreating for me the VISTA’s life in Madison County. Sheila and her partner Dennis came to Hot Springs for dinner at the Iron Horse Station restaurant, under new management (which has added Asian dishes to the menu). It was a treat and an honor to sit across the table from her. Sheila is developing an alternative scenario of Nancy’s kidnap, rape and murder to the one I presented, which I was anxious to hear, as I always try to keep an open mind. I’ll present it – or will let Sheila present it – when it is more fleshed out.
We tried and failed to connect with my dearest friend in Madison County, Richard Dillingham, himself an outstanding folklorist. Will try again next time.