Fiddles, Parlors & Camp Meetings: Entertainment in Eastern Kentucky in the 18th and 19th Centuries

By Joe Clark

Before radio. Before cinema. Before phonographs.
How did Eastern Kentucky entertain itself?

In Fiddles, Parlors & Camp Meetings, Joe Clark explores the rich and often overlooked entertainment culture of Eastern Kentucky during the 18th and 19th centuries.

From elegant courthouse balls and parlor music among wealthy townsfolk...
To barn dances, fiddle tunes, storytelling, and shooting matches in rural mountain hollows...
To the emotional spectacle of camp meetings and the cultural disruption of the Civil War...
To the arrival of railroads, medicine shows, and vaudeville...

This narrative history reveals a region far more vibrant than stereotypes suggest.

Drawing from historical records, newspapers, diaries, and documented scholarship, Clark reconstructs a world where entertainment was communal, participatory, and deeply rooted in identity.

This is not a story of isolation.

It is a story of gathering.

Perfect for readers interested in:

Appalachian history

American cultural history

Folk music traditions

Kentucky heritage

Social class and regional identity

Discover the laughter, music, faith, and spectacle that shaped Eastern Kentucky long before modern media arrived.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GPNWBFQX
• ISBN13: 9798249351649
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"