The Search for Elisha Mitchell Project
Dylan Wilson, a musician, storyteller, and descendant of renowned bear hunter Big Tom Wilson, is bringing to the stage a remarkable story from Western North Carolina’s history. Following an eleven-day trail over rugged rock outcrops and through dense thickets, Big Tom and four of his neighbors from the small community of Pensacola in Yancey County found the body of UNC professor Elisha Mitchell after he went missing in 1857 on the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. How did they do it?
In his original play, The Search for Elisha Mitchell, Dylan Wilson shines a light on the knowledge, skills, and fortitude of these early mountain settlers. Believing that “DNA has memory,” Wilson cast local descendants of the trackers in all of the major roles. Each is steeped in the rich oral culture that lives on today in the Southern Appalachians and the impressive storytelling and music-making talents of these first-time actors affirmed Wilson’s decision.
Program for Dylan Wilson’s The Search for Elisha Mitchell. View the complete program.
Sensing the value of The Search for Elisha Mitchell to both students and the general public, the North Carolina Arts Foundation began a collaboration with Wilson to document on film the creation of the play and its layers of meaning for residents. Filming was done throughout the summer and was to culminate on October 19-20 when the play was scheduled to open.
The destructive path taken by Hurricane Helene at the end of September shattered these plans. The community of Pensacola suffered some of the worst flooding and landslides in Western North Carolina, with homes swept away and lives lost.
After a month of living with fallen trees on their homes, negotiating washed out roads, and lacking power and water, cast members were finally able to reunite. They vowed to stage the play in 2025 once basic human services are met in the region. With this decision to go forward, our film has now added another dimension—documenting how the arts help both individuals and communities contemplate, cope with, and ultimately recover from, tragedy.
You can help this moving story find its audience. Your timely donation will allow us to complete this film so that The Search for Elisha Mitchell, and the efforts of artists to help rebuild western North Carolina, can be shared throughout the Appalachian region and beyond.
Just click on the button below and make a contribution with a credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or a personal check. Write “Elisha Mitchell” in the description, memo, or “What’s this for?” section of the payment system you choose.