Newly published on the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources' blog: the story of the Cherokee County, NC origins ...

Newly published on the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources' blog: the story of the Cherokee County, NC origins of the Christmas carol “I Wonder as I Wander.” Folk collector John Jacob Niles based the song on an impromptu performance by Annie Morgan in Murphy, NC in 1933. The folk hymn, since performed by everyone from English choristers to Barbra Streisand, adapted by Langston Hughes and Benjamin Britten, has often been celebrated for its mysterious open-endedness. Our blog post, available via the link in bio, argues that the song’s mysterious power begins with the work and figure of Annie Morgan herself, which in turn represents the experience of Western North Carolinians during the Great Depression. Read more at the link in our bio. Image: “John Jacob Niles and Virginia Howard with an Appalachian Dulcimer,” circa 1933, The Doris Ullmann Collection at University of Oregon, public domain. Alt text: A black-and-white photo of a seated man and a seated woman with their hands on an Appalachian dulcimer.