Ellen Coomer has led a storied life. The daughter of farmers, she grew up in a slower time, one where kids ran barefoot all summer, playing with siblings and cousins in the creeks and fields of the remote mountain hollows. In this episode, we sit down with her to hear tales from her childhood, going off to Berea College in Kentucky, and her career as a nurse in a remote rural county in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Ellen attended a tworoom schoolhouse with outhouses on the hill, walking everywhere she needed to go. After graduating high school, she went off to Berea College, known throughout Appalachia as a place where people of modest means from the area could get a great education.

Graduating with a degree in nursing, she began a family, returning home after a few years away to spend the rest of her life serving the people of her community. As you watch, you’ll hear one fascinating story after another from her life, told in her own words. One of our favorites is her tale about her father tying her to the horsedrawn sled so she wouldn’t fall off as they headed home across the mountain with provisions.

Be sure to check out our other episodes and our books about the area at www.barnwellphoto.com

Links:

Mars Hill University:https://www.mhu.edu/

Berea College: https://www.berea.edu/

Madison County: https://www.madisoncountync.gov/