This qualitative research explores the overlooked history of Telford, Tennessee, a small unincorporated Appalachian community confronting the erosion of its distinctive identity. Drawing from oral history interviews with lifelong elder residents and newly unearthed archival materials, this study complicates the prevailing narrative of 20th-century decline. Instead, it reveals a more nuanced evolution, where diminished local commerce and fading social cohesion were offset by expanded regional access and emergent forms of civic engagement. Among the study’s most significant discoveries is the rediscovery of Franklin Academy--a nearly forgotten 19th-century institution whose advanced debates on Native American rights illuminate an unexpectedly progressive intellectual heritage. The findings place Telford at a critical juncture: it can either assimilate into suburban anonymity or actively reclaim its unique communal character. The published paper argues that the true loss lies not only in lost storefronts, but in the fading of the moral imagination and spirit of inquiry. The project concluded with a partnership with the Telford Ruritan Club, launching a local preservation initiative aimed at helping the community navigate this historic turning point with intention and pride.