Hayesville in Clay County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
A Tribute to Traditional Music
Photographed by Mark Parker, May 10, 2025
1. A Tribute to Traditional Music Marker
Inscription.
A Tribute to Traditional Music. . The term "traditional music" includes the Appalachian music that pre-dated bluegrass. For many decades the fiddle and banjo formed the band for square dances. The two instruments were equal partners. The guitar was added to the fiddle/banjo duo in the 1920s, and the role of each instrument became distinct. After World War II as bluegrass emerged, the mandolin and bass joined the other three instruments. At times the music was melody only, while other times the instruments would accompany folk songs and ballads. Many of the melodies came from Ireland, Scotland and England, while others were written in Appalachia. The banjo originated in western Africa. The Cherokee learned fiddle and banjo music from Anglo-Americans, while in turn, Cherokee dance movements influenced mountain clogging. Old-time traditional music and bluegrass are each ingrained in Appalachian culture, and show the blending of Cherokee, Anglo-American, and African-American traditions.
The term "traditional music" includes the Appalachian music that pre-dated bluegrass. For many decades the fiddle and banjo formed the band for square dances. The two instruments were equal partners. The guitar was added to the fiddle/banjo duo in the 1920s, and the role of each instrument became distinct. After World War II as bluegrass emerged, the mandolin and bass joined the other three instruments. At times the music was melody only, while other times the instruments would accompany folk songs and ballads. Many of the melodies came from Ireland, Scotland and England, while others were written in Appalachia. The banjo originated in western Africa. The Cherokee learned fiddle and banjo music from Anglo-Americans, while in turn, Cherokee dance movements influenced mountain clogging. Old-time traditional music and bluegrass are each ingrained in Appalachian culture, and show the blending of Cherokee, Anglo-American, and African-American traditions.
83° 49.046′ W. Marker is in Hayesville, North Carolina, in Clay County. It is on Sanderson Street north of Herbert Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker and sculpture are in front of Hayesville Town Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 56 Sanderson St, Hayesville NC 28904, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
3. Wide view of sculpture & marker in front of the Hayesville Town Hall
Credits. This page was last revised on May 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 165 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 12, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
