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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How was it started? By whom?
A: The McIntyre and Kimmons families come from a long line of homesteaders. Tools, experience, and knowledge have been passed down from generation to generation. The land around Moonshadow (200 acres of steep mountainside) was purchased in 1965 by Ed McIntyre. In 1971 Ed, his wife Nona, their daughter Carol, her husband Johnny, and their kids Patrick and Joel moved onto the land. Within the next five years, using tools and help from both Carol and Johnny’s parents, they cleared three acres for gardens, orchards, and living space. They lived in tents, a trailer, and a shop/work space built out of salvaged materials. That was the beginning. In 1993 they purchased an additional 100 acres. In 2000, 37 acres were purchased by the Kimmons family as part of our conservation program.



Q: Were you trying to get away from something? Back to something? 
A: By 1971 there was plenty of information questioning the American lifestyle – work, nutrition, politics, play. The Kimmons' were definitely trying to get back to the basics. The "back to the earth movement" embodied these ideas and had amassed enough information so that a small group of people with no background in living off the land could actually do it. Carol and Johnny did the early research and everyone learned a lot through trial and error.



Q: Is Moonshadow completely self-sufficient?
A: What is "completely self-sufficient" anyway? Isn’t it true that we’re all connected to everything in the universe? Never totally independent, right? But, we are trying to be as self-reliant as possible. If we were to grow all of our own food and make everything we needed ourselves – it would take all of our time… We feel a responsibility to be involved in things that are happening on the other side of the creek as well. Our main house has a fully functioning solar-electric power system that even powers our refrigerator. We grow most of our nutrition, if not most of our food. Our stove and "water-on-demand" water heater are propane operated.

Q: Where does your money come from?
A: First of all, the land was cheap and easily paid for. Johnny’s folks had a small ranch in New Mexico - they passed down tools and the knowledge to use them. Johnny and Carol have often worked overseas and in nearby communities as science teachers. Our artwork and crafts products have always been a contributing factor to our finances. We have also received (and are always looking for) small grants for our work. The Sequatchie Valley Institute doesn’t allow for much income, but does bring in money for equipment and workshops.

 

 

 

Q: Do you sell food/herbs that you grow?
A: We have sold organic salad greens to our local health food store. We’ve used herbs in crafts such as dream pillows. But, we’re more involved in providing for ourselves and experimentation, rather than production. We would like to join our local farmers' market and are thinking about what we would like to sell there.



Q: Do you have any animals?
A: You mean besides us? We have a dog named Pepper, but we also have a skunk, mice, a flying squirrel, and other mammals living with us–or do we live with them? In the past we’ve had geese, ducks, chickens, dairy goats, dogs, cats, horses, mules, pigs, and guinea fowl. Although we’ve found that animal domestication takes a lot of work, we have added two llamas, Quipu and Llullillaco, to our ecosystem. The forest around us hosts many animals indigenous to Southern Appalachia. We share our daily lives with hawks, turkey vultures, owls, woodpeckers, cotton hispid rats, raccoons, foxes, frogs, fish (in our pond), copperheads and rattlers, and many others.



Q: How many hand- crafted buildings do you have? What are they built out of?
A: We have one large farmhouse made from hand-hewn logs from the forest, stone from the creek and mountainside, and concrete (which certainly IS mistreated in the industrialized world – but used wisely a little bit can go a long way and last a very long time). Other structures built with similar methods include: a log cabin (our first home – now used for workshop space), a Swedish-style pole-barn (once our goats’ home – now used for storage and living space), two bungalows (used as living space for staff), and a few other structures… Great Grandmother Nona has a round earth-bermed Mother Earth News house which was built by a contractor and is on the grid. Our other Great Grandmother, Nana, is about to move into her new house. It is built with 95% wood from our land, milled on site with our portable saw mill.



Q: What is your decision-making process?
A: Every morning we have a community meeting. Being a small open group (usually between 10-15 people), we don't have much difficulty making decisions. We use a consensus decision-making process, if necessary. We also have formal SVI staff meetings. SVI has a terrific Board of Directors that meet 3 or 4 times a year to help guide the organization. Here we also use consensus, if needed.