Naomi Hodge-Muse will discuss her new book, “Tales of Koehler Hollow: An African American Family in Rural Appalachia” on Sunday, November 17 at 3 p.m., at the MHC Heritage-Museum, 1 E. Main St., Martinsville.
The book tells the story of Amy Finney and her descendants. Finney, a formerly enslaved Black woman, gained her freedom and established a homestead in the Appalachian Mountains during a time in American history when she was dehumanized for the color of her skin and devalued for being female. Hodge-Muse, working with Christopher A. Brooks, recounts stories from her family history, starting with her great-great-grandmother and going through her parents, aunts, uncles, and siblings and their rural life in that once vibrant community between Martinsville and Fieldale.
Their family story represents a microcosm of the African American experience in southern Virginia from the mid-19th century to the present – along with the complications, joys, tragedies, and sorrows that surrounded them.
The talk is part of the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society’s Sunday Afternoon Lecture Series, and admission is free. Hodge-Muse will have copies of her books available to autograph and sell.
