Time Travel & Other Appalachian Tales.

An Antique Soul in a Modern World: How I Found My Way to Mossy Creek

By Jamie L. Schmidt

There is a curious pleasure in uprooting oneself from the brisk ambition of Colorado to the genteel charms of Tennessee. One trades the relentless traffic, waiting lines, and smoggy skies for front porch rocking chairs, rolling hills, and history so rich you might trip over it on your morning walk.

It was not ambition that led me to East Tennessee, but rather a profound affection for beauty, history, and values that push comfortable souls to up and move 1,395 miles away. My husband and I, keen students of quieter living, arrived armed with hope, an inordinate number of shabby bath towels, mismatched Tupperware, and a very open mind.

Fate and a strange addiction to curiosities & rating gift shops, staged my grand introduction at none other than Revisions Gift Store at Old City Hall—a place where the past isn’t just preserved but rather lovingly repurposed, refurbished, and bursting with possibility.

It was there I met two extraordinary women: Teresa Collins and Jeanne Musick. I, armed with nothing but good intentions and a few dollars to spend, asked the question that launched a new journey of sorts… time travel in its most rudimentary form.
"I want to get involved in historical preservation. Is there anywhere around here that could use a volunteer?"

Teresa and Jeanne, both possessing the excellent ability to spot a willing soul from across a crowded room, exchanged one of those glances that women of great enterprise are prone to share. The kind that says, "Why, yes. Yes, indeed."

What followed was a delightful encounter over cocktails at The Battery Tasting House and Mossback Distillery—a place that relaxes the mind and where your soul can sink into a perfectly curated velvet love seat and taste flavors of the past Over the course of a few artfully made libations, I revealed my somewhat peculiar resume: business development, marketing, social media strategy, nonprofit management, and a well-documented history of falling in love with old houses and older stories.

I told them about my time working in a grand, turn-of-the-century historic mansion—a place filled with stained glass windows, creaking staircases, and the constant, thrilling suspicion that the walls themselves were listening. It was there that my love affair with history was properly formalized, although truthfully, my passion began much earlier, in childhood, when I preferred rummaging through antique shops to playing “childish” games.

And so, somewhere between a well-mixed cocktail and the faint strains of laughter rising from the bar, it was agreed: my skills were less suited for dusting artifacts and more aligned with building a vibrant online presence for the Historic Heritage Center at Mossy Creek.
(Though fear not—I am not above donning historical garb and leading a tour when duty calls.)

Thus, I embarked on the noble task of helping the fine ladies of Mossy Creek breathe new life into the old bones of Heritage Center at Mossy Creek.

In short, I came seeking a simple volunteer role and found instead a chance to time travel, and experiencing the blessings of making new acquaintances/friendships and to be a small part of keeping the light of the past burning, preserving the stories that defines this Appalachian treasure so that each of you can stake a claim in the echos of your past.

After all, the past should always be a light that points us towards a better future.

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.