John C. Campbell Folk School

Education seems to be contagious in this region, must be the valley river water or fresh mountain air. Towards the southern end of this valley is the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, located along the southeastern edge of the county at the junction of Old Hwy 64 and Brasstown Road.

John C. Campbell and his wife Olive Dame began to study mountain life from West Virginia to North Georgia at the beginning of the 20th Century. While on their journey, John focused on interviewing local farmers about their farming practices. During the same time Olive studied regional handicrafts, collecting mountain ballads for study and preservation. Both of them were highly influenced by an educational system they were exposed to in Denmark, where the community focused on transforming their countryside into a vital and creative force.

They felt they needed to start a "folk school," meaning "school for life." Its mission was to help Appalachian folks who needed to change a life pattern that caused intelligent young folks to leave their families to obtain work in the cities rather than applying new techniques to improve life in the mountains.

Unfortunately John never saw his dream come true, he died in 1919. John's wife Olive, along with their good friend Marguerite Butler carried on their studies of folk schools in the regions of Denmark and Sweden along with other countries before founding the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown North Carolina in 1925.

The 372-acre folk school campus is situated in a natural rural farm setting that hasn't changed much in nearly 100 years. New school buildings specially designed for the settings stand alongside historic structures dating back to its first "nail and board" or rather "joist and peg." The most recent building structure the "Field House" was built in the true "green" construction method.

The setting at John C. Campbell Folk School is miraculous; rather than having the buildings and structures all clustered together, they are spread out like a farm village along tree covered trails following the natural flow of the landscape, with marked pathways that leads to the different class buildings. The nearly 100-year old atmosphere at the folk school isn't a matter of a period in history but a mind set in what's natural and unimposing.

The best place to begin a tour of the campus is at the historic Keith House (built in 1927) at the entrance to the campus. It doesn't matter which of the two trails you take, the trail is a loop that will lead you through a wooded village setting past classroom and recreational buildings like the History Center, Olive D. Campbell Dining Hall, Davidson Hall, Francis Whitaker Blacksmith Shop, Willard Baxter Wood Turning Studio, Jewelry and Enameling Studio and the Clay Studio to mention a few. At the furthest of the trail is the big festival barn and blacksmith row near the back of the property at Folk School Road.

Wide-open fields surround the other sides of the campus with exceptional mountain vista to the north, south and east. The Little Brasstown Creek flows through the property, part of the River-cane Walk on the farm campus for nature lovers. All the lands southeast of here consist of rural homes and old homesteads along with new homes and developments divided by pristine farms and meadows, this district is called Martins Creek.

Today, the National Register of Historic Places designates John C. Campbell Folk School, as a Historic District. The campus contains over 30 buildings housing studios and classes in pottery, weaving, spinning, dyeing, quilting, doll making, basketry, broom making, wood working, wood carving, stained glass making, blacksmithing, painting, dancing, jewelry making, organic gardening to mention just a few. You can even make your own dulcimer instrument and learn to play it. The school has a large class catalog listing all the opportunities available, published twice a year, or better yet, save a tree and visit their web site; all of their classes are listed on-line. The folk school also has on-campus lodging and an incredible dining hall with wonderful food for the complete village experience. The dining hall is not open to the public its for campus use or certain folk school events only.

The good news is that the folk school is open to the public for visitors to respectfully tour the grounds as well as for week-long and weekend classes. Many visitors coming for classes enjoy residing at the folk school, living the good life away from the stresses of everyday pressures, a great way to get in touch with the creativity within us all.

The folk school is one of Mr. and Mrs. Highlander's favorite places to visit. The atmosphere there is always serene; the air is fresh, no city lights, no pollution, it's just peaceful, creative, educational and good mountain fun. John C. Campbell draws instructors from around the country as well as their resident instructors, always offering new experiences with each new class schedule. I believe these visiting instructors are also looking for their share of that great mountain magic to take back home with them.

The one thing we've noticed is that when unskilled students arrive they're in awe. When they leave, their totting a big smile and the door prize they created themselves with their own hands, taking pride in what they have accomplished at the folk school. They can also take home a change of spirit and a fresh outlook on life in general. Meeting new people of all ages in this unique educational environment is a great way for an individual, a couple, or the whole family to experience a vacation retreat, something unique and bonding.

There's a wonderful gift shop on the campus called the Craft Shop, selling some of the arts and craft-works made at the school by both instructors and students...this is real hand-made in America stuff.

When it comes to festivals the folk school leads the way in Cherokee County with live music, traditional dances, arts, crafts, exhibits and good food. Their Fall Festival is the largest festival in the county and surrounding region, its something you won't want to miss.

 

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