Tri-City Ledger -

According to the dictionary, collective memory "refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity."

For the American South, our collective memory is just another piece of the mosaic that binds us together. Spooky traditions, ghost stories and tall tales told around the camp fire have served to hold these stories together for generations.

Much of our Southern folklore traces to the Scotch-Irish who settled in the region from the 1700s forward. Other stories and traditions descend from Native American...