Merle Travis had a knack for writing songs that had that authentic older-than-dirt feel to them, like Dark as a Dungeon and I am a Pilgrim .There was a time I would have sworn both were traditional. Same with Jimmy Driftwood. Both Battle of New Orleans and Tennessee Stud have the feel of the 1800s to them.
And Robbie Robertson succeeded surprisingly well with The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down.