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foothills
Digest
Nature
Art
History
Culture
Music

Blue Ridge
Craft Trails

$8.95 Traditional
Appalachian Crafts
Display Until 6/08/22
The Artisan Issue

INTRODUCING

2

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(828) 328-5581 On the Cover: Hamilton Williams
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3

foothills
Digest

Foothills Digest

PO Box 2670
Lenoir, NC 28645

Fall 2021
Phone: 828.475.1323
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: foothillsdigest.com
Stock by Adobe Stock

PRINTED IN USA

PARTNER COMPANY:
ECKARD PHOTOGRAPHIC

CARMEN ECKARD

Editor in Chief
Author

JON ECKARD

Principal Photographer

JOEY OSBORNE

Partner

4

Letter from the Editor

I’m beyond honored to be able to bring this story of Appalachian crafts to you. I’ve
been surrounded by these crafts for much of my life, but until I made this issue, I didn’t
fully understand how important they are to the story of North Carolina.
People on this land have been crafting some of these traditional crafts since before we
have recorded history. There was a time when the crafts were in danger of becoming
extinct, as industry made them less necessary. But a dedicated group of people worked
tirelessly to expose the rest of the world to traditional Appalachian crafts, shaping
the Craft Revival and ensuring the survival of large parts of our culture.
We salute those people, as well as the makers who are keeping the crafts alive today.
Western North Carolina is positively filled to the brim with artisans. They still work
with traditional materials using the old ways, and the work they produce is part of
the continuous thread of history.
We look at pottery, basketry, metalsmithing, fiber work, and woodworking, and we’re
telling you how to see (and purchase) these crafts today. We hope you’ll drive the Blue
Ridge Craft Trails Foothills Road Trip and chat with the artisans you meet along the
way.
It’s also time for MerleFest, a music festival that’s very important to us here at
Foothills Digest. We’re happy to sponsor the festival, and we think it highlights the
very best of traditional music. Be sure to check it out, April 28th to May 1st.

5

Table of Contents

4 Letter from the Editor
8 Traditional Appalachian Crafts
26 Craft Revival
28 Sheep to Shawl
32 Selected Works of Doris Ulmann
50 Blue Ridge Craft Trails
52 John C. Campbell Folk School
58 Folk Art Center
64 Penland School of Craft
66 Crossnore Weavers
70 Green Energy Park
72 Shira Forge
76 Craft Trails Foothills Road Trip
78 Foothills Arts Center
80 Yadkin Valley Fiber Center
81 November Room
82 Yadkin Valley Quilts
84 Blue Ridge Woodcrafts
86 Woodcrafting with Hedrick
88 Alleghany Arts and Crafts
90 Mangum-Cater Pottery
94 Three Crows Metalworks

96 Pottery Place
97 Sunset Fiberworks
98 Wilkes Hardware
100 Taupe Gallery
103 Brey Quality Crafts
105 Kogut Violins
106 Folk Keeper Gallery
108 OSusannah’s
110 Oak Hill Iron + Wood
112 Hamilton Williams
114 West Union Art Studio
116 Whimmy-Diddles
118 MerleFest

We are happy to work with Blue Ridge Craft
Trails to bring you a Foothills Craft Road Trip.
Visit BlueRidgeCraftTrails.com to learn more
about the program. Blue Ridge Craft Trails is
created by Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.
This group is dedicated to protecting and
promoting the unique aspects of western NC,
including crafts, music and Cherokee culture.

Traditional
Appalachian Crafts

Some 16,000 years ago, Native Americans gathered in the Southern Appalachian
Mountains. Most of these were Cherokee, but there were also Iroquois and Shawnee
people. By the time Europeans arrived in the 1700s, the Appalachians were dotted
by hundreds of Cherokee settlements, connected by trails. As Europeans arrived,
they claimed land in the mountain range and settled there. Most of these immigrants
were Scotch-Irish and German, and they brought many traditions with them.

This blending of people and their cultures built the foundation for the traditional
Appalachian arts. As Europeans worked to survive in this rugged new land, they
learned which wood was best for houses and which was best to make into a toy.
They observed the seasons, the dirt, and the livestock, and they learned how to
survive and even thrive in a land that was far more unforgiving than the world they
were used to.

Each of the traditional arts is a solution to a common problem or need. Basketry
was developed because people needed to carry things. Pottery developed because
people needed to store and preserve food. Weaving, spinning, dyeing, and quilting
kept people warm. Blacksmithing was vital because horses needed shoes, and all
sorts of necessary items can be crafted from wood.

Perhaps it was the fact that these makers were surrounded by the exquisite and
unspoiled beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of
creating something beautiful with their hands. Perhaps it was just that people are
prone to making art. We can’t be sure of the why, but we know that the utilitarian
was elevated to art.

Pottery solved a very distinct need. Food preservation was a matter of survival.
Pottery traditions from Europe adapted for the climate of Southern Appalachia
blended with Native American methods, and potters learned how to make the best
possible pottery. They learned what kind of clay to dig, usually from riverbanks, and
experimented with glazes and firings.

Pottery is a specialized craft, and potters tended to pass the knowledge to their
children. In this manner, the outside world had little impact on regional pottery
traditions. Catawba Valley Pottery is still crafted in a very traditional way. Clay is
dug from specific banks, then processed and spun on a (usually foot-powered)
wheel. The pottery’s glaze is alkaline, made from ash and other ingredients.
The pottery is fired in a wood-fired groundhog kiln. Groundhog kilns are uniquely

8



Sweater by Martha Owen

THE FOLK SCHOOL

CHANGES YOU.

Engaging hands and hearts since 1925.
Come enjoy making crafts and good friends on 270 natural,

scenic acres in western North Carolina.

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL

folkschool.org 1-800-FOLK-SCH

BRASSTOWN 10 NORTH CAROLINA

Southern, built partially underground and featuring an extended, low area for
firing and a large chimney that pulls the heat to the pottery. The kiln can hold
up to 150 pieces, and it is heated for many hours. The firing can be an incredibly
social event, and kiln opening sales have been a fixture for decades.

11

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TO A

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Foothills Digest is created by Jon and
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and we can also help you with any of your
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Interested in knowing more about how
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out to us at (828) 475-1323, or email us at

[email protected].

13

Basketry is an essential
Appalachian craft. The
Cherokee have been
making elaborate,
beautiful baskets long
before Europeans
arrived. In fact, the
Cherokee have been
making baskets since
before history was
recorded. Archaeologists
have found impressions
of baskets on ancient
Cherokee pottery. Their
double-woven baskets
are the oldest form of
baskets in the Southeast.
Clans had unique basket
patterns with different
names that envoke
nature. Historically,
Cherokee have used
rivercane, white oak,
honeysuckle, maple and
hickory bark for basket
making. Most designs
feature dyed materials
and colorful patterns.
The dyes were made of
plants like butternut,
walnut, bloodroot, and
yellowroot. Today, most
large museums feature
Cherokee baskets.

Also crucial to our
history are the white
oak split baskets of the
Appalachian settlers.
Historians assume that
settlers learned how to
make these baskets from
the Cherokee. That’s
because they are built
on a base of split white
oak, identical to a known
Cherokee technique.

14

Above, historical Cherokee baskets.
Below, a woman crafts a basket at Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee.

Photo courtesy of VisitNC.com.
At left, a handmade basket available at Wilkes County Hardware

15

Textile arts were of the utmost importance. Even the story of Adam and Eve tells us of
people’s most basic need for clothing. In the frigid winters of Southern Appalachia, wool
was vital. To get wool fabric for clothing, one must first keep sheep, shear the sheep, clean
and card the wool, spin the wool, and then weave the fabric.
At the turn of the century, trains were crossing the region, bringing industry. Before then,
the area was very isolated, and making things was necessary. Once the world came to
Appalachia, the culture of Appalachia was at risk.
Fortunately, some people did see the importance of traditional arts and the need to preserve
them. The best way to preserve something in America is to market it, and that’s just what
some enterprising folks from Appalachia did. Across the region, different schools and
centers were opened that helped create a market for hand-crafted Appalachian art.
One of these was Crossnore Weavers, shown in these pictures. It opened in 1936, intending
to help mountain people make a living by creating Appalachian crafts. Crossnore Weavers
is still operational, and they train weavers in the traditional ways.
Weavers use a large loom. Below, you can see the warp, a set of vertical threads set in the
desired pattern. At right, you can see the shuttle which carries the weft, the thread that is
woven through the piece. Pedals are used to lift some of the warp threads, and the shuttle
moves across the piece. As the pedals are released, the shuttle is moved back through in
the opposite direction. This pattern repeats, and the fabric grows longer, row by row. The
tedious process requires constant attention, but the result is genuinely artful. At right, a
weaver is creating the Tartan for the Daughters of the American Revolution. You can visit
Crossnore Weavers and watch the process live.

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17

Spinning wool was also an 18
important craft, using a
specialized wheel and a high
skill level, but it can also be
done using more primitive
tools. At right, this artisan
uses a hand spindle to turn
wool into yarn. Spinning
yarn was always performed
by women.

Dyeing was also essential,
requiring in-depth
knowledge of the plants
and animals used for dyes.
Onion peels create a vivid
gold dye, while Queen
Anne’s Lace creates an
earthy green color. The
poisonous Pokeberry makes
a delightful reddish-purple
color.

Most communities had
one person dedicated to
dyeing fabric, because of its
complicated nature.

Before dyeing, materials
must be treated with a
mordant. A dyer would get
some iron pieces, preferably
rusty put them in a jar, and
cover with vinegar. After
two weeks, this produced
an excellent mordant. The
fabric was soaked in this,
or another mordant then
soaked in the dye overnight.
After that, the dye and fabric
were boiled. The fabric or
wool was then rinsed and
hung to dry. Much of this
was trial and error, which
means there was room for
it to turn into art.

The process of turning wool
into fabric is complicated,
and it took the work of
several artisans.



I build each of my
violins one at a
time, from specially
selected tonewoods,
and finished with
hand tools in the
traditional way.

828-493-4875

[email protected]

The importance of woodworking can’t be overstated. When settlers arrived here,
timber was the most abundant resource. Forest land was cleared to make room
for farms and homes, and that lumber was used to build houses, churches, one-
room schoolhouses, furniture, children’s toys, and instruments, among other things.

Many of these items were necessary for survival, but others exist simply for the joy they
brought to people. Each different species of wood behaves differently when carved. As settlers
learned the land, they also learned the wood. As they learned to make the items they needed,
the settlers created beautiful pieces and then passed their knowledge to their children.

The Brasstown Carvers are a group of carvers based at the John C. Campbell Folk School.
They can trace their start to 1929 when Mrs. Olive Campbell (see page 39) witnessed a group
of men on the porch of Fred O. Scroggs’ general store, idly whittlin’ with their pocket knives.
Mrs. Campbell saw the potential skill and productivity in these men and provided them with
wood blocks and direction. National attention was brought to the group when President
and First Lady Roosevelt happened upon their work at the Mountain Handicrafts exhibit in
Washington DC. A local paper reported that the First Lady was taken with their carvings. They
said she visited the exhibition six times and bought “a whole flock of geese (see page 44).”

22

Carving was traditionally considered man’s work, but World War II saw
women pick up the craft. By 1946, women were the majority in the
Brasstown Carvers. Since then, men and women have participated
equally in the group, which still meets to carve together. The Brasstown
Carvers carved such objects as crèche figures/nativity scenes, animal
figurines, and napkin rings. But woodworking takes many forms.

Crafting furniture has been critical to the foothills since the many small
towns were incorporated. Hickory is especially well-known as a furniture
town, and it’s sometimes called “The Furniture Capital of the World.” It is still
home to many furniture manufacturers, like Vanguard Furniture. Nearby in
Taylorsville, you’ll find Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. These high-end furniture
companies rely on the heritage of woodworking these communities possess.

Vernacular Architecture is a term that refers to architecture that is specific to
the traditions of a particular geographic area. The vernacular architecture
of the Southern Appalachians is fascinating. Log homes were created from
cleanly hewn logs. According to Everett Wilson in his 1961 book Vanishing
America, a homestead may also have “a milk house, smokehouse,
woodshed, stable, carriage shed, chicken coop, hog house, or pigpen,
wash house, spring house, ice house, root or vegetable cellar, corn crib,
storm cellar, and others.” More commonly, you might find a house,
barn, woodshed, pigpen, spring house, and an outhouse. Each of those
structures would also be built from logs, crafted by hand. In between
the logs, builders would spread chinking. Chinking was pure red
clay mixed with water until it was sticky. Many of these homes
still exist, sprinkled throughout the mountainsides. Others
have been purchased and preserved in private collections.

Instrument crafting has also been significant for Southern
Appalachia. Specifically, the traditional violin, bass,
guitar, and banjo are very popular. Settlers came to
these mountains with only the bare necessities, and
they were not trained in making the instruments.
Through trial and error and by taking apart old
instruments to see how they work, Appalachian
woodworkers developed excellent methods for
crafting instruments. Now, they are sought after,
and musicians come from across the globe to
purchase violins made in these mountains.

Wood is tremendously versatile, and
knowing how to build, carve or craft with it
has always been an important skill. Without
woodworkers, our earliest communities
would not have been possible. Wood
provides shelter from the environment,
tools, and items of comfort and culture.

23

Perhaps the most important to survival was blacksmithing. Every community needed
a blacksmith to create a variety of things, from horseshoes, knives, and wagon wheels
to nails and hardware for wagons. They made knitting needles, cooking equipment,
latches, gates, fences, tools, chandeliers, and countless tools.

As transportation shifted from wagons to cars, the need for blacksmiths has decreased.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics categorizes blacksmiths as part of the Metal and Plastic
Machine Workers industry, which is an industry that is in steady decline. Industrial
blacksmithing is becoming less common, but artisan blacksmithing is on the rise. Custom
knives, cooking pans, and fireplace tools are especially popular among artisan blacksmiths.

Blacksmithing has always been dangerous, highly specialized work. The metal must be
worked at extremely high temperatures and hammered into shape. It’s a very physical
and demanding job. The John C. Campbell Folk School and Penland School of Craft both
train blacksmiths in traditional techniques.

The traditional arts of Southern Appalachia are a reminder that our people will do
what it takes to survive, and we will do it with style. Consider purchasing traditional
Appalachian crafts. If we want these crafts to flourish, we need to support the artists
doing the hard work. There are artisans all over Southern Appalachia, but western
North Carolina is particularly bursting with creative energy. Explore your community,
and support the people making traditional art!

24

Nestled between Mineral

Springs Mountain and Lake
Rhodhiss, Valdese is the
perfect place to spend the
weekend. Conveniently lo-
cated along I-40, between
Morganton & Hickory. The
quaint small town offers a
great getaway. Plan to catch
a show at the Cranford
Amphitheatre, experience
Waldensian heritage at the
local museum, take a hike
to McGalliard Falls and en-
joy the lake views at Valdese
Lakeside Park.

Upcoming Events

Spring Craft Market April 30, 2022
Hunchback of Notre Dame April 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 & 30

Family Friday Nights Concerts May 27-Sept. 2
visitvaldese.com

25

Craft Revival

Before trains and tunnels that cut nick of time. Author Allen Eaton defined the
through mountainsides, Appalachian movement in Handicrafts of the Southern
communities were isolated. People were Highlands.
incredibly self-sufficient, and they knew
how to live off the land. They made He said, “Every kind of work will be judged
practically everything by hand, and folks by two measurements: one by the product
could go months without leaving their itself...the other by the effect of the work
homestead. But once trains came, the on the producer.” This concept is at the
outside world let itself in. No one could heart of Craft Revival. The movement
argue that life wasn’t easier after modern aimed to improve both the quality of the
amenities arrived, but the traditional crafts and the quality of life of the artisan.
Appalachian ways of being quickly faded.
The Craft Revival required the efforts of two
Starting in the early 1920s, it became clear types of people: the artisans, and another
that the traditional arts would likely die out group, dedicated to marketing traditional
altogether if something wasn’t done quickly. crafts to the world. That group is responsible
And so, the Craft Revival Movement was for creating a marketplace so that these crafts
born out of absolute necessity and in the could support the families of the artisans.

26

Countless people were responsible for this and was gifted to the Southern Highlands
movement. Lucy Morgan, John and Olive Craft Guild upon her death.
Campbell, George Bidstrup, Marguerite
Butler, Mary Sloop, Edward Worst, Louise The Brasstown Carvers were a cooperative
Pitman, Elanor Vance, and Charlotte Yale group based out of the Campbell Folk
were all essential. Each of them would School, and they also helped create
warrant a chapter in any book on the a marketplace for their carvings.
subject. Photographers Doris Ulmann
and Bayard Wootten photographed these The Cherokee Indian Fair was also integral
people and the artisans they worked with. to the movement. The annual event
has occurred for over 100 years, and by
Several organizations have been integral to selling baskets at this event, Cherokee
the success of the movement. These include basket designs became world-known.
John C. Campbell Folk School, Crossnore You can attend this event each October.
Weavers, and Penland School for Craft.
Because of the work and artistry of countless
Allanstand Cottage Industries was people and intentional marketing and focus
responsible for creating much of the on education, the traditional Appalachian
marketplace for traditional arts. This was arts were saved from potential extinction.
the nation’s first craft shop, with humble Anna Fariello has curated a collection and
beginnings as a roadside shop. The information at: www.wcu.edu/library/
company was started by Frances Goodrich DigitalCollections/CraftRevival/index.htm.

27

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Sheep To

Shawl

When you wrap yourself in something
made from wool, you’re taking part in
one of the oldest traditions on earth.
Archaeologists have found woven wool
garments that date to 400 BC, although
it’s likely that wool was used much earlier.
Man domesticated sheep 11,000 years
ago, and we’ve been breeding selectively
ever since, resulting in sheep will the
typical wool coat we see today.

Generally speaking, wool comes from
sheep. Some wools do come from other
animals, like cashmere and mohair,
which come from goats and angora, from
rabbits. Wool is a fabulous insulator, and
it has helped humanity survive and thrive
in cold climates and during the winter.

As ubiquitous as wool has become,
creating fabricfrom the fur of sheep is
tedious and labor-intensive, with many
steps.

Firstly, sheep must be sheared. The first
shear was used during the Iron Age.
Shearing is important not only for the
wool that it produces but also for the
health of the sheep. Shearing a sheep is
hard work, and if it isn’t done correctly,
it’s easy to cut the sheep, so it’s best to
leave this part to a professional. When
properly sheared, the coat comes off in
one large piece.

Next, the coat is cleaned of dirt and oils
like naturally occurring lanolin. The coat is
separated to prepare it for the next step.

29

The wool must be carded, which
is the process of pulling it through
fine metal teeth. Traditionally, this
is done using carding paddles,
as you see at left. Now, many
manufacturers use machines for this.

Wool is naturally very curly, and
carding gets all the fibers properly
oriented, and it fluffs up the
material. After the wool has been
carded, it’s called wool roving.

Wool roving is spun into yarn. A
spinning wheel is used to combine
between 2 and 5 pieces of roving,
twisting it into recognizable yarn that
is much stronger than the roving.
A hand spindle can also be used.

At this point, you could take this yarn
and use it to knit or weave fabric.
But, most of the time, we don’t want
to wear only ivory-colored or gray
items, so we must dye the wool.

Fortunately, wool is very easy to
dye, and it holds the colors very
well. The goal is to submerge the
yarn into boiling water that has dye
added to it. Generally speaking,
this is done after the yarn has been
formed, but you can dye wool at
any stage during the process. The
longer your wool is submerged,
the more vibrant your color will be.

Wool remains fashionable and practical,
but we shouldn’t forget that it was vital
to the earliest settlers in our region.
Our winters can be brutal, and wool
provided settlers with the protection
they needed from the elements.

Wearing a beautiful woven shawl
created by an artisan is a great way
to honor our heritage, and by making
purchases like this, we are helping to
keep this ancient tradition alive. You
can also take classes to learn to spin,
weave, knit or felt wool.

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31

Selected Photography of

Doris Ulmann
Photos are courtesy of John C. Campbell Folk School Archives.

Doris Ulmann (May 29, 1882 – August 28, 1934)
was an American photographer. She’s known for
her captivating portraits. Many of her subjects
were people in Southern Appalchia. She spent time
at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown
in 1933 or 1934, near the end of her life, and she
photographed many people in the community.
She practiced Pictorialism and was a member of
the Pictorial Photographers of America. Pictorialism
was an aesthetic movement that was very popular
in the early 1900s. Typically these photos have a
much softer focus than standard portraits and
they are often printed in browns or blues instead
of black and white.

“Sarah Sanoma Hatchett with carding paddles and spinning wheel “
This photograph of Sarah Sanoma Hatchett was taken by Doris Ulmann

in the Brasstown, N.C. area, in the summer of 1933. Hatchett, known
locally as “Granny Hatchett,” was a weaver and spinner from Bellview,
North Carolina. Hatchett is shown sitting in front of a spinning wheel with

carding paddles in her lap.

32

33

34

“William Johnson
with Carving“

This photograph
shows William
“Gyp” Johnson
holding his

carving knife and
a small carving.
Johnson was an

early student and
one of the first

woodcarvers at the
John C. Campbell
Folk School.

“Louise L. Pitman at the dye pot“
This photograph shows Louis Pitman dyeing natural fibers.
Louise Livingston Pitman came to the John C. Campbell Folk
School in 1926 as an instructor and later became the Director of
Handicrafts. Pitman was a specialist in natural dyes and dyeing.

35

“Hayden Hensley and Bonnie
Logan Hensley carving“

This is a photograph of Bonnie
Logan Hensley and Hayden Hensley

sitting next to a box of carving
blanks and carving small animals.
Bonnie Hensley and her husband
Hayden Hensley were some of the

first woodcarvers at the John C.
Campbell Folk School participating
in the cooperative that later came

to be known as the Brasstown
Carvers. Their woodcarving

supplemented farm income and
made it possible for them to

purchase a house, often referred to
as “the house that carving built.”

“Bonnie Logan Hensley
with baby John Hensley”
This photograph is of Bonnie
Logan Hensley holding her

son John.

“Hayden Hensley carving“
This is a photograph of Hayden
Hensley with several carving blanks.

36

37

“Marguerite Butler Portrait” “Olive Dame Campbell Portrait”
This photograph shows Marguerite Butler.
Butler cofounded the John C. Campbell folk This is a portrait of Olive Dame
school with Olive Dame Campbell. Butler Campbell. Campbell cofounded
became Marguerite Bidstrup when she the John C. Campbell Folk School
married the school’s Danish farm manager, in 1925 with Marguerite Butler.
Georg Bidstrup in 1936. During Ulmann’s several trips to
photograph in the Brasstown area,
38 she and Campbell cultivated a deep
friendship that lasted until Ulmann’s

death in 1934.

39

“Woman Sewing”

This photograph was taken by Doris

Ulmann in 1933 or 1934, the two years

she spent in Brasstown, North Carolina. “Floyd Laney Carving”
Ulmann was particularly interested in the

work-worn faces of older people This photograph depicts Floyd Laney carving.

Laney was an early student at the John C.

Campbell Folk School. Students could learn

carving through the school and could also

produce and sell carvings through the school’s

woodcarving cooperative, which later became

40 known as the Brasstown Carvers.

41

”Wanda Scroggs”

This photograph is of Wanda Scroggs Wanda Scroggs is the daughter of Fred
O. Scroggs, store keeper and active community member in Brasstown, and
granddaughter of L. L. and Lillie Scroggs, who donated land to establish the John C.
Campbell Folk School. Ulmann sometimes posed her subjects in old fashion dress, like

the sun bonnet worn by Wanda Scroggs in this photograph.

42

43

“Georg Bidstrup with Wood Toy”
This photograph of Georg Bidstrup was taken at the John C. Campbell Folk School. This
photograph shows Bidstrup holding an Appalachian folk toy called the Limber Jack or Dancing
Man. Bidstrup came to the school in 1926 and was initially employed as the Danish farm
manager and instructor for folk dancing and gymnastics. He married co-founder of the school,
Marguerite Butler, in 1936. Bidstrup eventually became director of the Folk School in 1952.

“Woodcarving: Gaggle of Geese”
This photograph depicts a large group of hand carved geese. These carvings of geese are
representative of the work produced and sold by local carvers through the John C. Campbell
Folk School’s woodcarving cooperative which came to be known as the Brasstown Carvers.

44

45

46

“Jason Reed at the Draw Horse“
This photograph depicts chair maker Jason Reed using a draw knife to shape a piece of
wood. Reed, a native of Blairsville, Georgia, was a chair maker who was commissioned
to produce chairs for the 1927 Dedication Day of the Community Room at the John C.
Campbell Folk School. Ulmann took several pictures of Reed, one of which appears in Allen
Eaton’s 1937 book “Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands.”

“Park Fisher with Bellows”
This photograph depicts Park Fisher holding hand-made hearth bellows. Fisher was in
charge of the woodshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School when the shop was located at

the Mill House. Note the woodcarvings in the background.

47

Blue Ridge
Craft
Trails

48

Traditional Appalachian crafts are alive and well in western
North Carolina. Thousands of artisans create in our hills, mak-
ing pottery, ironwork, weaving, woodcarvings, and baskets.
However, it can be difficult for folks to find the artisans and
their work, and one organization is doing a lot to help that problem.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is the regional steward of liv-
ing Appalachian traditions in North Carolina. They aim to protect and
promote the unique music, crafts, outdoors, foodways, and Cher-
okee culture unique to Western North Carolina. The organization
takes its responsibilities very seriously, and they’ve developed sever-
al programs designed to connect people to the artists of the region.

Their website, blueridgeheritage.org, offers a directory of traditional art-
ists. They are also the creators of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North
Carolina, highlighting the many opportunities to hear live traditional mu-
sic. But our favorite thing on this website is the Blue Ridge Craft Trails.

With more than 200 craft sites across 25 counties, the Blue Ridge
Craft Trails are prolific. The suggested trips weave you through small
towns, mountain hollers, and to places you’ve definitely never been.

Some of the spots on the trail have been hugely important to the pres-
ervation and marketing of traditional Appalachian crafts, like the John
C. Campbell Folk School, the Folk Art Center, Penland School of Craft,
and Crossnore Weavers. Other spots are the workshops of talented
artisans, like Shira Forge in Sylva, or Magnum Cater Pottery in Sparta.

We don’t have enough room to highlight all the stops along the
way. Instead, we’ve selected a few of our favorite stops to share.
We also used the “Plan Your Trip” tool in the top right corner to cre-
ate a road trip. The trip will have you driving for 3.5 hours and
seeing about 20 of the stops along the Blue Ridge Craft Trails.

We begin in Elkin before traveling to Sparta, then Wilkesboro, Lenoir, and
Morganton. We are including an address for each stop, as well as a QR
code that will pull up Google Maps on your smartphone, and navigate you
to the location. We haven’t highlighted every spot along the trail, as we’ve
focused on pottery, weaving, basketry, blacksmithing, and woodworking.

If you aren’t near the particular part of the trail we’ve highlighted, be
sure to check out the website and embark on your own craft adventure.

BLUERIDGECRAFTTRAILS.COM

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John c. Campbell
folk school

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