10/01/2026
The Museum of Appalachia recently posted this about an article from the CBS Christy Series.
Artifact of the Week: The Vest of Many Colors
Over the years, several movies and television shows have been filmed on site here at the Museum of Appalachia. One such example, Christy, was aired on CBS from 1994-1995. The show, based on a novel by Catherine Marshall, follows Christy Huddleston (portrayed by actress Kellie Martin), a young woman from Asheville, North Carolina, who leaves the comfort of her home to teach school in the fictional rural Appalachian town of Cutter Gap, Tennessee.
Primarily filmed in Townsend, Tennessee, and around the Great Smoky Mountains, the Museum of Appalachia was heavily featured in the season 2 episode “Echoes.” Our pioneer village served as the fictional town of Freedom, Kentucky, an African American settlement where Christy and Alice (played by Tyne Daly) visit an old friend for his birthday. The episode also stars LeVar Burton of Star Trek, Roots, and Reading Rainbow fame.
The colorful vest and long skirt were worn by Kellie Martin and can be seen in scenes which feature the Peters Homestead Smokehouse and Big Tater Valley Schoolhouse in the background.
Pictured LeVar Burton, Tyne Daly, and actress Kathryne Dora Brown at the Museum of Appalachia during the filming of Christy. Kathryne Dora Brown is Tyne Daly's daughter!
