Two Highlands natives are determined to preserve the history of the Town of Highlands by creating a video series titled: Rooted in Highlands.
Kevin Fitzpatrick’s family has lived in Highlands since the 1920s and he said he started recording interviews with local Highlanders since the 1970s.
“I have lived in Highlands all of my life,” Fitzpatrick said. “My family came here in the ‘20s. I have seen this town change in so many ways. My dad was very involved in Highlands and was actually the Nature Center director in 1942. My main focus, as it always has been, is the people that I have gotten to grow with and know. So many of those people you don’t see anymore. I started talking with people in the ‘70s and ‘80s when I got back to Highlands and there were so many people that were disappearing before I got the chance to talk to them.”
Fitzpatrick said there is a certain character to the town that he wants to preserve before it is too late.
“I think of the dances that we had on the fly,” Fitzpatrick said. “There are so many things that have gone by the wayside. We used to have a day called Hillbilly Day and we have lost most of the things like that and with that, we have lost the character of Highlands. I just feel like back when my parents came up here, there was a sense of community. Whenever my mom, dad and brothers moved into a new community, we always got involved right away. I think what’s happened, in so many ways, is that so many people moved up here from bigger cities and they don’t know how a small-town works. For example, in Highlands, everyone used to wave to each other. You don’t see that much anymore. People don’t know what it is. It’s just a wave that let people know that everything was OK.”
Another reason for the video series, according to Fitzpatrick, is to educate the people that visit.
“So many people that come up here don’t care about the history of the town,” Fitzpatrick said. “They come up here for the restaurants and shopping and then go to bed and do it again the next day. In my opinion, Highlands shouldn’t have been a mecca for shopping, it should have been a mecca for science. We have a biological station that has been here since the ‘30s and people that visit and even some people that have been here for years don’t even know it exists. We have more wildflowers in Macon County than all of Western Europe combined. This town is very special in so many ways and I’m afraid that most people don’t know that.”
Fitzpatrick said Rooted in Highlands is a series where locals can have a voice.
“I want this to be something for the locals to enjoy,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think they deserve to have something that they can call their own.”
With the audio recorded, Fitzpatrick said he needed a way for it to be dispersed to the town, which is where Highlands native Waylon Chastain comes into play.
“I’m not really good with computers,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know how to get the audio recorded, but that is pretty much where it ends. I little while ago, I was reached out on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in helping me, and Waylon has really hit the bell for me. He knows about all of the things that I have no idea about. We needed to find a way to get these interviews out there, because a lot of people don’t know that their parents or grandparents have been interviewed.”
Chastain is the owner of The Plateau, a company that helps local businesses prosper. After connecting with Fitzpatrick, he knew that he could do so much more with the audios of the interviews.
“Kevin and I connected and at first, all he wanted me to do was put the audios on Facebook,” Chastain said. “I knew that we could do so much more. I have the capability to sell the digital downloads if we wanted and stuff like that. In the beginning, we only had the audios from the ‘80s, and we are adding visual aspects to it. What he is envisioning is having a sit-down interview with people and just having a conversation about life in Highlands.”
As a Highlands native, Chastain said being a part of preserving the town’s history is exciting.
“This is pretty amazing,” Chastain said. “Kevin is pretty knowledgeable about the area. When you grow up in a small town, you don’t really think anything special of it until you get older. I have already learned things about my great grandfather. It’s very near and dear to me to be able to be involved in this.”
For people that are just moving here, or people that want to know more about the history of Highlands, Chastain said the video series is for all Highlanders.
“People that just move here sometimes don’t know about the small-town feel,” Chastain said. “it’s pretty funny, when I tell people that I’m from here, they don’t realize that people live here year-round. I think this video series will help people appreciate the town a little more.”
The first video, which is an interview with Mett James and Irene Brooks Picklesimer is already up on The Plateau’s website.
Fitzpatrick said feedback has already been heartwarming.
“One thing that was interesting about the interviews is that the sisters would get into little arguments about the timeline of events,” Fitzpatrick said. “They are wonderful people and have done some wonderful things. When they got together and did the interview, they would laugh and say that they forgot about a particular part of the story and that would set them off on another tangent. They were really good, because they enjoyed talking to each other. When we sent these out for people to listen, there are all kinds of stories and recollections of what was happening during the time period of the story. It all builds, and everybody starts thinking about the community and what it was like.”
The videos can be found on The Plateau’s website, www.theplateau.co, on the Rooted in Highlands Facebook, on their YouTube channel, or on Rumble.
- By Christopher Smith