The Southern Appalachian area seems to be almost a country unto itself, with its own customs, culture, cuisine and dialect. And, overall, there’s a strong independent spirit among the people of Appalachia.

“How Appalachia Became Appalachia” will be presented by Bob Hutton, PhD, Senior Lecturer of History and American Studies at the University of Tennessee. Hutton will discuss the development of this region at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 9.

This fourth lecture in the Southern Appalachia Studies Series is sponsored by the Blount County Public Library and will be held at the library.

Hutton will discuss how the culture developed in the Southern Appalachians after the Civil War with politics and economics playing a large role in shaping the culture of Appalachia resulting in myths and misconceptions of the inhabitants.

The lecture will address the realities of the Appalachian social history and the culture that subsequently evolved in the region.

Bob Hutton is the author of Bloody Breathitt: Politics & Violence in the Appalachian South which won the Appalachian Studies Association’s 2013 Weatherford Award for non-fiction. The program will be in Main Gallery of the Library.

Open to the public, this program is hosted by the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville, where services are an example of your tax dollars at work for you.

For further information about library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org . To sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email, go to the library’s Home Page and type your email address in the box at the top right that says “Email for library news.”