GINSENG DIGGERS: A HISTORY OF ROOT GATHERING IN APPALACHIA | History Professor | Luke Manget

Luke Manget is an author, historian, and assistant professor of history at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. After a reading from an 1870’s newspaper about a strange race of beings known as “saugers,” we dive straight into the significance of ginseng on the American frontier [1780’s], specifically in southern Appalachia: Va, WV, NC. We get into such topics as: the commons vs private property; old world mandrake folklore; & deterring poachers with traps. Luke then describes the ginseng digger stereotype as perpetuated & mythologized by newspapers of the late 19th-century, opening a discussion about class in Appalachian society. For the last third of the episode we hear about the other roots and herbs that were dug for profit besides ginseng; the counter-medical-establishment herbalism movement of the 1800's; and lastly, newspaper accounts of The Wild Man of the Woods.

Reading from Ginseng Diggers: A History of Root and Herb Gathering in Appalachia by Luke Manget.

Check out Luke's site The Southern Highland where you can purchase his book, Ginseng Diggers.

Music:

"Ginseng Sullivan"
Written by Norman Blake
Performed by Andy & Graham Ferrell
Courtesy of Old Home Place Recordings

"Ginseng Blues"
Written by the Kentucky Ramblers
Performed by The Bird Family Band

"Weary Blues"
Traditional Song
Performed by Andy & Graham Ferrell
Courtesy of Old Home Place Recordings

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