ABG
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us

Cumberland Island

We Want the Funk (Heritage Center)

6/10/2015

1 Comment

 
PictureThe settlers cabin
There's a small town in North Georgia that you may have never heard of. It's tucked away, just outside the reach of metro Atlanta on the edge of the North Georgia Mountains. If you look at the satellite image map you'll find it as an island in a sea of trees. Waleska, home of Reinhardt University, the Funk Heritage Center, and not much else. 
 
But that's enough. 

The Funk Heritage Center is a fantastic stop for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the native people groups that populated Georgia for centuries before the first European settlers arrived until the Indian Removal of the 1830s. 

PictureNative American dugout canoe
The museum boasts exhibits from the earliest days of habitation of the area, including the Reinhardt Petroglyph, an incredible set of carvings in a stone that it is believed to have taken centuries of contributions to complete. Other artifacts tell the story of the Mississippian culture that built the great mounds that can be found along so many of Georgia's rivers.

There is also a dugout canoe that was uncovered by erosion caused by the downpours of Hurricane Hugo. These, along with many other artifacts, give us a glimpse of the every day lives of people that lived 1000 years ago. 

PictureBirchbark canoe built in the 1930's
Newer artifacts such as a birchbark canoe, this one made by Native Americans in Canada sometime in the 1930s show a craftsmanship and artistic ability that adorned commonly used items. This canoe has obviously been cared for and is still in excellent shape. 

There are other artifacts, stories, accounts, legends of the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles - the civilized tribes of the South. These are the groups that made the South possible. People who lived on agriculture, built wood framed structures, espoused democracy and trade.  Their trade routes became our highways. Their fields still grow our crops. Many of their homes were inhabited by our forefathers. Many of their cities are now our centers of commerce. Their names still color our maps on mountains, rivers, and towns. 

PictureThe amazing tool gallery...part of it anyway.
Then there is the tool gallery. This is one of the most amazing museum galleries I've seen. Just pick a trade. Hatter, blacksmith, brush maker, bookbinder, you name it. There is a panel filled with their tools and hung on a wall in this gallery. J. Alan Sellars spent a lifetime researching, collecting, and displaying these tools. Now they all hang on the walls for museum visitors to see. It offers a glimpse at our past, before mass production made such trades obsolete. or at least overrun. This gallery alone is worth the price of museum admission. 

PictureA typical family cabin in the settler era
The last stop on our tour was the short walk to the Appalachian settlement behind the museum. There are several structures that have been moved to this location to educate visitors on the ways of life for the earliest settlers of this area. These are log structures, very simple and practical. No frills. But they are also almost 200 years old and still fit for their intended use. 

The Funk Heritage Center is an excellent stop if you are interested in Native American History or art, the history of Appalachian settlers, or anyone curious about the tools of the trades. If you're in North Georgia, it's not a long drive and Waleska, while small, is a beautiful Southern town and a great change of pace if you are in metro Atlanta. Ride on up and, as always, tell 'em we sent ya. 

1 Comment
Leigha
6/10/2015 02:57:30 pm

Awesome post! So glad you shared this...it was truly a wonderful museum and SO inexpensive!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Sam B.

    Historian, self-proclaimed gentleman, agrarian-at-heart, & curator extraordinaire
    ​READ MORE


    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor - Click for Link
    Tweets by @BiscuitsGA

    Social Media

    RSS Feed

    Books Blog Directory

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Art
    Books
    Business
    Christmas
    Civil War
    Community Revitalization
    Culture
    Education
    Family
    Fashion
    Fiction
    Film & Television
    Food
    Garden
    Hiking
    History
    Home
    Industry
    Local
    Music
    Native American
    Outdoors
    Politics
    Restaurants
    Revolutionary War
    Tradition
    Travel
    World War II

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2010

Copyright 2015
ABG. The celebration and preservation of Southern history, culture, and agrarian ideals.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us