{"product_id":"death-in-the-mountains-joe-clark-9798244145151","title":"Death In The Mountains: Funeral Customs \u0026 Deathways In Eastern Kentucky","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeath was never hidden in the mountains. It was faced-together.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the hills and hollows of Eastern Kentucky, death was not something quietly handed over to professionals. It was a communal act of love, faith, and survival. Families washed the dead by hand, neighbors sat through the night with lamplight and hymn song, and graves were dug on ridge tops overlooking the very homes the deceased once lived in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeath In The Mountains: Funeral Customs \u0026amp; Deathways In Eastern Kentucky\u003c\/i\u003e is a deeply researched, narrative-driven exploration of how Appalachian communities confronted death long before modern funeral homes reshaped the experience. Drawing from oral histories, WPA folklore collections, church traditions, and historical records, author **Joe Clark-Historian, Funeral Director, and Embalmer-**guides readers through a world where mourning was public, rituals were sacred, and the dead were never left alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside this book, readers will discover: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll-night wakes held in parlor rooms and one-room cabins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eSigns, omens, and death superstitions passed down for generations\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe intimate practice of laying out the dead at home\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eFuneral processions on foot, by wagon, and later by hearse\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eRidge-top cemeteries and the enduring tradition of Decoration Day\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eChurch-centered funerals that doubled as sermons to the living\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe heartbreak of child funerals and epidemic burials\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eFunerals shaped by violence, feuds, lynchings, and executions\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe gradual arrival of embalming and the modern funeral industry\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow Appalachian deathways continue to survive today\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten with respect, clarity, and cultural care, \u003ci\u003eDeath In The Mountains\u003c\/i\u003e is not a morbid curiosity-it is a portrait of a people who refused to let death strip away dignity, faith, or community.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is essential reading for anyone interested in: \u003cbr\u003eAppalachian history - Funeral and death studies - Folklore and anthropology - Genealogy - Cultural preservation - Kentucky history\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joe Clark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798244145151\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 68\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.14d","brand":"Joe Clark","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48454340378879,"sku":"9798244145151","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_96ad8e5e-fec2-435d-a676-6f4f3614fac5.jpg?v=1777305626","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/death-in-the-mountains-joe-clark-9798244145151","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}