HARROGATE, Tenn. – The mysterious people known as Melungeons are the topic of a gathering through Saturday at Lincoln Memorial University.
“Claiming Kin: Mapping Melungeons and Related Groups” is the theme of the 14th annual meeting of the Melungeon Heritage Association.
Since the early 19th century, the multiethnic people known as Melungeons have been the subject of folklore, speculation and occasional scientific inquiry in the southern Appalachian region. In some places, Melungeons faced legal and social stigma because they did not fit into America’s accepted racial categories.
The gathering will also visit the historic Melungeon community of Vardy, in Hancock County.