Weavers of the Southern Highlands: The Early Years in Gatlinburg

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WEAVERS OF

THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS:

EARLY YEARS IN GATLINBURG

by Philis ALVIC
Artist/Weaver
Murray, KY
©1991

funded jJn <Pazt % Db

Tennessee and Kentucky
Humanities Councils

and tkz cyXatlonaL dZnaoojmznt
toi -JriE, c^Tuman.Liiz±

S"2^

Consultants

Geography: J. E. Dobson, Ph.D.
Folklore: Robert (Roby) Cogswell, Ph.D
Education: Gary Schroeder, Ph.D.

The story of weaving in Gatlinburg in the early part
of the 1900's has two major strands and is joined by a
third thread toward the middle of the century. Weaving
was a part of Pi Beta Phi Settlement school. And weaving
was the major cottage industry promoted by the
Arrowcraft Shop which was started by the school. Later,
weaving was a significant part of the Summer Craft
Workshop that grew into the Arrowmont School of Arts
and Crafts .

The March, 1916, Arrow, the Pi Beta Phi
newsletter, in an article about Gatlinburg observed, "in the
'yesteryears' this country was a community of weavers,
but after the war, 'store cloth' was cheap so that one
woman after another put the old loom aside." The passing
of weaving skills from one generation to the next had not
continued within families. The revival of handweaving
came about because there was again a reason to weave.
Household fabric needs could be met other ways and
people were willing to pay for the products of the loom.

THE PI BETA PHI SCHOOL

In 1912 a school convened near the confluence of
Baskins Creek and the Little Pigeon River in the small
village of Gatlinburg, TN. The women of the Pi Beta Phi
Fraternity had decided at their 1910 Convention in
Swarthmore, PA, on an educational philanthropic project
among 'mountain whites.' (Arrow. 1910) The

Washington Alumnae Club had submitted a proposition
that the school be initiated, and dedicated on the 50th
anniversary of the founding of the fraternity in honor of
their founders. The Pi Phis by starting a school joined the
larger settlement school movement active in the southern
Appalachian mountains. By 1920, religious denom-
inations had established most of the over 150 social
settlement schools within the highlands of eight southern

1

states.

In the summer of 1910 a committee of three
women, Emma Turner, May Keller, and Anna Pettit,
investigated sites for the school. The Grand President,
May Lansfield Keller, went on alone to Gatlinburg, after
the three had visited several eastern Tennessee
communities. She reported back to the membership that
this was the ideal situation. "Illiteracy is perhaps not so
bad as represented, but the advantages for higher work are
nil, and household economies, scientific farming, etc. are
unknown quantities." (Arrow. January, 1911)

During this trip to the mountains, Anna Pettit
stopped at Allanstand Cottage Industries near Asheville,
NC. She was "amazed at the skill shown in weaving and
basket work among the work for sale by the
'mountaineers."" (Arrow. November, 1910) The seed
was sown very early for wider work that might be done by
the Pi Phis.

The objectives of the school, as stated by the
settlement school committee, in a report to the greater Pi
Beta Phi membership, were—

"What we wish to do is to join in the effort to
show them how to use their own resources, to
develop industries suitable to their environment,
and to lead more happy, healthful lives. We
want to help, insofar as we can, to educate
mountain boys and girls back to their homes
instead of away from them. (Arrow. April,
1912)

Early on it was realized that helping the children
also meant helping their families. Health needs and
methods for families to earn a cash supplement to their
subsistence farming became some of the major concerns.
Within the first year of the school's operation, a part-time

nurse joined the staff. This service soon expanded into a
full health clinic.

The economic problem did not present such a direct
solution. In 1915 the head teacher Mary O. Pollard
observed that "Many of the women make exquisite
patchwork quilts, and some still make the hand woven
coverlets and blankets. If a sale could be found for these
articles, many might undertake the work." (Arrow.
March, 1915) Within the year Caroline McKnight Hughes
came to engage in 'business and industrial work." She
was typical of the teachers in that she was a Pi Phi and had
received degrees from northern schools — the University
of Minnesota, Cooper-Union in New York City and
teacher training from Prang Normal School.

Notice appeared in the Arrow of the first loom
appearing at the school during 1915, with the prospect of
three more looms to be donated by the Springfield, MO,
Pi Phis. A 1916 profile of Hughes said she was
"instrumental in reviving among the older women that
almost forgotten art of spinning and weaving." (Arrow.
March, 1916) To encourage interest in the craft, she
organized a Spinning Bee with prizes.

A financial report of the time explained
unanticipated expenses as the need to pay weavers and
other 'industrial' workers for their products. The workers
did not understand the concept of the school acting as an
agent and consigning goods for later sale. Because they
demanded immediate pay for work, the school, in fact,
became their employer.

By the early twenties the school had grown from 14
pupils to over 130, with five teachers in attendance. The
teachers were Pi Phis from all over the country who lived
in the Teachers' Cottage on the school grounds. Some of
the students also boarded at the school, in dormitories.

Caroline Hughes only supervised weaving for a
couple of years. Other teachers also taught for short
periods of time , with Mr. and Mrs. Norman Pickett

assuming 'industrial' duties for the longest stretch. By
1924 a former student, Allie Ownby, headed the weaving.

The Pi Phi Annual Report for 1924 contained the
information that the Fireside Industries was paying for
itself and suggested that new designs were needed for the
weaving. Baskets were the most abundant and best sellers
of the products offered, with chairs and stools also
produced. The term "Fireside Industries" was a very
popular term referring to several craft makers producing
items in their own homes for cooperative sale.

The Pi Phis educated the children of the Gatlinburg
area, with increasing state and county financial aid being
infused, until the school system was entirely transferred to
local control in 1966. At that time, the new elementary
school was named the Pi Beta Phi School in appreciation
of the work of the fraternity.

Even though the major thread of this tale will now
pick up, it is important to remember that weaving did
continue at the school. Upper elementary grades and
some high school students took weaving. Sometimes
Arrowcraft weaving supervisors taught the classes, but
more frequently the responsibility was given to another
teacher, often a former student.

ARROWCRAFT

Weaving in the Gatlinburg area entered a new
phase in 1925 with the arrival of Winogene Redding from
Wollaston, Massachusetts. Gene later described her first
interview with Miss Evelyn Bishop, the school director.

"She said I was to teach weaving. My next
question was 'how and to whom,' and she
left me to my own devices when she said I
was to find my job and make it." (Arrow,
September, 1945)

And, she did 'make it.' She rounded up about a
dozen weavers almost immediately, and had them
weaving her designs or new color combinations of
patterns they had known In less than a year, Redding had
recruited 30 women to weave, had rejuvenated the school
weaving program and had even inspired most of the
teachers to take up weaving after their classroom duties
were finished.

The Arrow Craft Shop became a separate entity in
1926, with its own space in Stuart Cottage on the school
grounds. The name was drawn from the Pi Beta Phi arrow
symbol. Previously, sales of items took place from the
basement of one of the school buildings, while the storage
and shipping happened in any available place. In the new
shop, the furniture, baskets and woven goods were
attractively displayed around a stone fireplace, or on an
historic bed, or in other decorative arrangements. In May,
the first month of operation, sales reached almost
$1,000.00, about three times the amount recorded for the
same month the previous year.

Winogene Redding established a way of working
with weavers that has persisted with only slight revisions
through the years and other supervisors. After she
designed an item, the weaver learned it in her own home
under Gene's direction. The first year of operation, Gene
walked from one weaver's home to another, but she
switched to horseback as more distant weavers became
involved with the program. The school supplied materials
that were later charged against the finished products.
Furnishing good yarns was one of the methods of quality
control. On the average, twice a month a weaver
presented completed items to the supervisor to be
checked for craftsmanship.

Handweaving is a slow process. Weaving is the
interlacing of two elements; the warp, or vertical yarns are
crossed at right angles by the weft or filler. Before the
actual weaving can begin, the loom must be set up. The

Ainer Maples at the loom, while
Mary L. Ownby and Winogene Redding watch

first step in dressing the loom is to measure warp threads
so they are all of equal length. At Arrowcraft this was
done by winding the yarn around widely spaced pegs.
Family members commonly helped each other wind
warps. On the loom the yarn passes through a reed that
spaces the yarn at a set number of threads per inch. The
yarn then proceeds through a heddle on a pattern harness.
When this mechanism is raised during the weaving
process by different foot pedal or treadling sequences,
different patterns are created. The warp is stored around a
back beam on the loom and brought forward when needed.
Since loom dressing is always a time consuming process,
the Arrowcraft weavers put on very long warps of 80 to
120 yards. The preparation time was thus spread over
many finished items. The weaver also usually did the
hemming, knotting fringe or other construction required to
make a finished article.

From its inception, the Arrow Craft Shop did not
supply items for local consumption. Tourists were the
walk-in purchasers. Pi Phi sales have also always been
substantial. Fraternity members bought an array of
products offered in the Arrow newsletter. And, Con-
vention sales and organized sales events sponsored by
Alumnae Clubs accounted for a significant volume. Also,
in the mid-1930's, a catalog began to offer items to mail
order customers. Because of this diverse clientele, many
goods were woven that never would have appeared in a
mountain cabin, such as place mats, or decorative guest
towels. The designer attempted to supply items that
would be attractive and useful to the women who
purchased them.

For the most part, there was no need for a specific
marketing strategy, because the items were well designed,
of good quality materials, and carefully crafted. Products
were not represented as authentic mountain crafts, but as
produced by mountain people. Implied with a sale was
the good a buyer was doing. As Gene Redding wrote,
"We want those who buy our weaving to realize that they
are not buying just an article, but that they are supplying
some woman with contentment and perhaps food; they are
helping us to work out an economic problem of
widespread influence for progress; they are helping to
keep the Arrow Craft Shop and the Weaving Department
in the community..." (Arrow. May. 1928) This approach
especially appealed to the Pi Phis who always felt great
ownership for 'their' school.

By 1929, the shop found it necessary to operate
year-round, and it moved into the original school cottage
located near the intersection of Baskins Creek with the
main road through town. The site proved an excellent
location, and successive shop expansions have replaced
the early building.

Big changes were in store for Gatlinburg when the
idea of Great Smoky Mountains National Park became a

reality. By the late twenties a highway connected
Gatlinburg to Knoxville. Land was bought and people
were moved out of the Park area. A branch of the Pi Beta
Phi School at Sugarlands (now the site of a National Park
Visitor's Center) was forced to close. In the early
Depression years, local men worked on a rotating basis,
developing roads and trails within the Park. The town was
hardly ready for the thousands and eventually millions of
tourists that stopped in Gatlinburg on their way to the
Smoky Mountains National Park. After many years of
development, the Park was dedicated by Franklin D.
Roosevelt in 1944.

The Mountain View Hotel received a new addition
in preparation for the expected visitors, which included a
branch of the Arrowcraft Shop, like the Baskins Creek
shop, this location also had a loom in the display area.
Since most people have only scant knowledge of how
cloth is made, the loom served as an educational tool.
Besides satisfying the curious, the description of the
complex process of setting up the loom and weaving the
fabric helped to explain the higher cost of the hand
produced work.

Who were the weavers of Arrowcraft? Looking
down earnings lists, they are women with the names of
Clabo, Carver, Husky, Maples, McCarter, Ogle, Ownby,
Reagan, and Watson — Gatlinburg names. Less common
names appear, too. But, since most of these would have
been married names, exact family lines cannot be drawn.
Gene Redding is reported to have said that she couldn't
say anything about anybody, because everyone was kin.

A summary in 1945 showed 242 different women
weaving for Arrowcraft within the ten previous years.
The Bureau of the Census listed the population of
Gatlinburg at 15 in 1930, with growth to 1300 by 1940.
The relocation of families out of the National Park area
caused the rapid increase. The 1950 census data shows
only one person added, to make 1301.

8

Winogene Redding picking up finished work from
weavers, Mary L. Own by and Cora Morton

Even given that many of the weavers lived outside the
boundaries of the town, this was still a remarkable number
of women weaving within a small area. With the increase
in tourists brought by the Park, other establishments in
Gatlinburg also sold handweaving. Allen Eaton, in his
1937 book Handicrafts of The Southern Highlands, remarks
on the other concerns in the area. "Among these outlets
for weaving in Gatlinburg at this time are Mary F. Ogle,
Wiley's Shop, Smoky Mountain Handicrafts, M & O Tea
Room, Bearskin Craft Shop, Mrs. Amos Trentham, and
the LeConte Craft Shop." Almost all of these other
weavers can be assumed to have received training from
Arrowcraft or the Pi Phi school.

During those years from 1935 to 1945, 104 babies
were born to Arrowcraft weavers. In a ledger denoting
wages from that time, often "baby" was written as
explanation for a low yearly gross. A rule restricted
women from weaving within two months of the birth and
extending to two months after. During the first 20 years
of Arrowcraft, mothers with children at home formed
most of the workforce. As Arrowcraft grew older, so did
the average age of their weavers. Two and sometimes
even three generations of the same family wove for
Arrowcraft.

When queried about their reason for weaving, the
women always answered that it was a way for them to
make money. A 1928 article by Redding reported on how
some of those extra funds were put to use...

"We have noticed in the past two years that
the children from these homes come to
school better dressed; the homes are
gradually becoming better furnished,
especially in the matter of Victrolas; the
women themselves wear winter coats
instead of their sweaters; they have more
pleasure than ever before because they now

10

have money for an occasional trip to
Sevierville and Knoxville. " (Arrow, May,
1928)

During those major years of production, 1935-
1945, there never were less than 90 weavers on the rolls.
The total earnings indicate rather modest yearly totals for
each weaver. In all of those years, half of the weavers
made below $150.00, with only a relatively small few
getting above $300.00 a year. Of course, it should be
remembered that this was a part-time job, and a part-of-
the-year activity for almost all of them. Roughly half of
the weavers worked six months or less with only very few
getting a check in all of the 12 months.

In the mid forties, the federal government requested
Arrowcraft to prove compliance with hourly minimum
wage laws. In 1946 and 1947, a major study recorded
warp preparation, actual weaving time and finishing, in
order to calculate an hourly figure. Most weavers in the
sample group of 40 were found to earn between 45 and 50
cents an hour. At this time, the minimum hourly wage
was 40 cents an hour. Of course, the speed of the
individual weaver was the principle factor. Cora Morton
made 42 cents an hour producing the Whig Rose mats,
while her daughter Jane could produce them at a rate of 46
cents.

Another advantage of weaving was that women
could stay at home with their children. They enjoyed the
flexibility of deciding their own work schedule. And,
among those that have continued on with it, they say that
they would not like the idea of having a boss. They do
not want someone standing directly over them telling
them what to do.

What were all those weavers weaving? In 1945
Gene Redding wrote that she had "designed 246 different
woven articles in hundreds of colors" within the past ten
years. (Arrow. September, 1945) Not all of these items

11

were available at one time. New articles were constantly
being added, while the less popular ones were dropped.

In production were aprons, bags, bibs, baby
blankets, bed jackets, bath mats, neckties, pillows, place
mats (most with matching napkins), pot holders, scarves,
shawls, and guest towels. Within each item category
many separate designs and color variations appeared. In
the nine years from 1936 to 1944, five different baby bibs
were woven while place mats were offered in 17 choices.
During those nine years, 13,580 baby bibs were produced.
For the same time period, the number of place mats woven
in the ever popular Whig Rose pattern came to 16,332. In
contrast to the staggering production numbers for small
items were the 207 coverlets. Considering that coverlets
resided at the high end in time, materials and final cost,
this number, too, was substantial.

A pricing sheet from 1946 gives the sales price of
the fringed Whig Rose Mat as $1.25. The materials costs
were $.18 and the weaver received $.38. At this time, a
bib sold for $.75, with the weaver getting $.35 and using
only $.05 worth of yarn. A coverlet which brought $40.00
at final sale, used $10.25 in materials, with $12.00 going
to the weaver. Most of the prices listed were about double
the sum of materials and labor costs. This at first seems
standard, and would be if only shop overhead and profit
came out of the remaining half of the retail price.
Actually, the budget for the designer, her staff and their
expenses should have been calculated in as part of the
production costs, before that number was doubled to
determine the sales figure.

By the fall of 1932 monthly weavers' meetings
became officially organized under the name of the
Gatlinburg Weavers Guild. Besides the central programs,
meetings were very social get-togethers, with shaped-note
singing and refreshments. Speakers presented programs
on gardening, household management, subjects relating to
the growth of the area, and, of course, weaving -related

12

topics. A major incentive to attend the meetings was that
the weavers received checks for their month's work. The
Weavers Guild and the school P.T.A. were the only two
organized groups in town. "Civic improvements will be a
big issue locally in the next few years, and here are two
groups of women beginning to realize that they can do
things," Redding observed. (Arrow, May, 1933)

In 1937 the Weavers Guild started the Garden
Club. Also, by the late thirties the women were writing
and producing plays for the summer tourists. The play
"Store Britches" had a 17 performance season in 1941.
Lula Mae Ogle wrote this story of life in the mountains.
As an Arrowcraft coverlet ..weaver, she carried on the
tradition of her mother, which probably went back many
generations. The weavers used the profits from these
ventures to maintain an emergency fund and to finance
trips for the group.

Over the years a total of seven weaving supervisors
have worked for Arrowcraft. The most important in
establishing an identity and charting a course for the
weaving department was Winogene Redding. She spent
over 20 years in the position, in three stints. Meta
Shattschneider took over in the mid 40's and stayed for
three years in the highest production period. Tina
McMoran arrived in Gatlinburg in the fall of 1948 and
presided over a time of decreased activity for the next 10
years. Winogene returned for her final tenure of 4 years
and was followed by two other supervisors that stayed
only a year each. In the mid 60's Nella Hill assumed the
head of the weaving department. A graduate of the Pi
Beta Phi School in Gatlinburg, she worked for Arrowcraft
in several capacities before taking over as designer.
Nella's mother was an Arrowcraft weaver, and five of her
seven sisters have also worked for Arrowcraft.

Definite downsizing of the weaving department
began under Tina McMorran. Her annual report for 1949-
50 states: "Following instructions from Committee, after
the last annual meeting, our department has operated on a

13

Winogene Redding, the Ar rower aft weaving
supervisor for 20 years

14

greatly reduced budget, which I hope is showing the
desired results." The cost control measures she

employed included decreasing the number of weavers,
lowering inventory and designing items that consumed
yarns already on hand Sales could not keep pace with
production capacity.

During her last residence, Gene Redding increased
both the numbers of weavers and articles woven. The
next two supervisors also had problems resulting from low
sales and decreased budgets. In her only year end report
in 1965, Bess L. Mottern observed "Arrowcraft has not
kept up with the times. Your survival depends on
immediate change, as the craft business is a highly
competitive business." She complained of a lack of
freedom in designing and also questioned the wisdom of
producing small inexpensive items rather than expanding
into the higher end market.

Arrowcraft has maintained integrity as a shop
selling fine handcrafted work when almost all of
downtown Gatlinburg has descended to offering mediocre
tourist fare. A wide variety of crafts from throughout the
Southeast graces the display area alongside the weaving.
Under the direction of Nella Hill, the weaving continues
as the only production actually supervised by Arrowcraft.
Baby bibs, pot holders, pillows, bags, aprons, afghans,
stoles, scarves, guest towels, napkins and place mats still
persist as the weaving staples. Designs, patterns and
colors continue to change, but remain within the quality
craftsmanship standards that have made Arrow craft's
name.

In the early part of the century other settlement
schools in the mountains developed crafts for the same
reasons as the Pi Phis. As their operations grew, they felt
the need to cooperate. Arrowcraft signed on as a charter
member of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild at its
organizational meeting in December of 1929. This
federation of craft co-operatives (plus a few individual

15

craft producers) joined together to address common
problems, seek broader markets, and exhibit crafts. With
this affiliation, wholesale marketing became a new
venture for Arrowcraft through the Allanstand Guild shop.
In 1932, Miss Frances Goodrich transferred ownership of
the Allanstand Cottage Industries at Asheville to the
Guild. In 1935, under the sponsorship of the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the formation of another organization
took place, with the very similar name of Southern
Highlanders, Inc. (Eventually these two organizations
merged.) Arrowcraft bought shares in this new
corporation, which entitled it to place products in their
sales outlets. The construction site of the Norris Dam in
Tennessee became the location of their first shop. A
short-lived venture near Chattanooga and a more
successful shop in Rockerfeller Center in New York City
followed.

On July 26, 1948 the Southern Highland Guild
opened the first Craftsman's Fair. The event took place in
tents erected on the grounds of the Pi Beta Phi School.
Gatlinburg became a regular site for the fair, which later
moved to an inside space.

ARROWMONT

In 1945 the University of Tennessee offered the
Summer Craft Workshop in Gatlinburg with the co-
operation of the Pi Beta Phi School. The workshops took
place in the school's facilities, with most of the craft
equipment transported from the University of Tennessee
campus in Knoxville.

Weaving occupied a major place in the course lists
during the early years of the Summer Craft Workshop.
The schedule offered several weaving classes divided
among two instructors. Besides weaving, Textile
Decoration, Recreational Crafts and Metals were among

16

the earliest classes available, with Craft Design, Pottery,
Enameling and Art Related to the Home added slightly
later. The summer school invited faculty from all over
the country to teach in Gatlinburg. Among those who
taught weaving was Berta Frey, well known for her articles

The weaving class at the first Summer Craft
Workshop in 1945

and books on pattern weaving. Allen Eaton, who worked
for the Russell Sage Foundation and wrote "Handicrafts of
the Southern Highlands" was an instructor during the
summers of 1947 through 1950. His course description
read:

Craft Design — Analysis of the craft field;
historic background; social and economic
implications; present day factors influencing
design, techniques and productivity.

17

Enrollment hovered around 75 students during the
late 40's and the 50's. Usually about half of the students
took classes for graduate credit. This tends to confirm
reports that the majority of students were teachers. These
students came from at least 25 states with one or two other
countries represented. In the 60's the pupil population
increased to near 100. In the '70's the class format
changed to one and two week sessions, with the total
student enrollment figures starting in the 300's and
growing to the mid 600's. The new facilities, no doubt,
also accounted for the dramatic increase. The school
continued to attract students from a wide geographic area.

By the early 1960's Sevier County had almost taken
over complete responsibility for elementary and high
school education, and the Pi Phis were seeking a new
mission for their facilities at Gatlinburg. Because of the
success of the Summer Craft Workshop under the
direction of University of Tennessee professor Marian
Heard and the real need for quality instruction in crafts,
the Fraternity decided on expansion of the craft program.

The Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts really
took on its individual character after Pi Beta Phi headed a
successful campaign to provide a major studio building.
In designing the structure the architect, Hubert Bebb took
into consideration the specific needs and usage of the
space. The functional and tasteful building includes
customized art studios, an auditorium, a central art gallery,
a book and supply store, and the administrative offices.
The library resource center has been named to honor
Marian Heard, who served as director through the major
development years. The Arrowmont program has
continued to grow under the leadership of Sandra Blain.
She moved from the position of Assistant Director to
Director in 1979.

Although Arrowmont and Arrowcraft operate
under separate Boards and are managed by separate
directors, the profits of the shop benefit the school

18

program. Throughout the history of the school, the Pi
Beta Phi Fraternity has provided concerned guidance in
meeting the needs that they perceived. The central
organization has given generous support, while
individually Pi Phis contributed to their Fraternity's
philanthropy by buying from Arrowcraft.

The early Pi Phis came to the mountains of eastern
Tennessee as teachers. Even though their principle
mission was to the children, they recognized the needs of
the family. Arrowcraft provided the women with a way to
make money. Weaving allowed them to earn while still
leaving them in control of their own schedules and
permitting them to stay in their own homes while doing it.
When the Summer Craft Workshop grew into Arrowmont,
weaving continued as a major program component.
Arrowcraft and Arrowmont both carry on the tradition of
weaving in Gatlinburg.

Bibliography

This study was completed with information from
the Pi Beta Phi history room and the files of Arrowcraft
and Arrowmont, Gatlinburg, TN. Principal sources were
the final reports from the Weaving Department of
Arrowcraft and The Arrow, the Pi Beta Phi newsletter
from 1910 to present.

Barker, Garry G. The Handcraft Revival in Southern
Appalachia. The University of Tennessee Press.
Knoxville, TN. 1991.

19

Campbell, John C. The Southern Highlander & His
Homeland. The University Press of Kentucky.
Lexington, KY. 1969. (originally published by The
Russell Sage Foundation, 1921)

Eaton, Allen H. Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands.
Dover Publications. New York, NY. 1973. (originally
published by The Russell Sage Foundation, 1937)

Frome, Michael. Strangers in High Places: The Story of the
Great Smoky Mountains. The University of Tennessee
Press. Knoxville, TN. 1980.

Goodrich, Frances Louisa. Appalachian Mountain Homespun:
The People and the Spinning Crafts of the Southern
Appalachians. The Apple Press. Chester, CT. 1988.
(originally published by Yale University Press, 1931)

Hall, Eliza Calvert. The Book of Handwoven Coverlets.
Dover Publications. New York, NY. 1988. (originally
published by Little, Brown, & Co., 1912)

Trout, Ed. and Watson, Olin. A Piece of the Smokies: a

Pictorial History of Life in the Smoky Mountains. Printers,
Lie. Maryville, TN.

Trout, Ed. and Griffin, Debra. Gatlinburg, Cinderella City.
Griffin Graphics. Pigeon Forge, TN. 1984.

Whisnant, David E. All That Is Native and Fine: The Politics
of Culture in an American Region. University of North
Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC. 1983.

The findings and conclusions of tliis publication do not
necessarily represent the views of the National Endowment for
The Humanities or those of the Tennessee and Kentucky
Humanities Councils.

20

Acknowledgments

Arrowmont School Arrowcraft

PO Box 567 576 Parkway

Gatliiiburg, TN 37738 Gatliiiburg, TN 37738

615/436-5860 615/436-4606

Recorded Interviews

Garry Barker, Director, Student Craft Program, Berea College

Sandra Blain, Director, Arrowmont School

Marian Heard, Director Emeritous, Arrowmont School

Mary Frank Helms, Weaver, Russelville, TN

Nella Hill, Weaving Supervisor, Arrowcraft

Loyal Jones, Director, Appalachian Studies, Berea College

Veryl Monhollen, hiterim Manager, Arrowcraft

Cora Morton, Arrowcraft Weaver

Sue Ogle, Arrowcraft Weaver

Doris Phillips, Arrowcraft Weaver

Bemice A. Stevens, Gatliiiburg Craftsperson & Writer

Shannon Wilson, Archivist, Berea College Library

Special ContributJons

Donald Alvic, PHD.., Geographer, Univ. of TN, Knoxville

Anita Bugg, News Director, WKMS-FM, Murray, KY

Cynthia Huff, Media Specialist at Arrowmont

Barry Johnson, Photographer, Murray State University

Mary Dale Swan, American Showcase, Gatliiiburg, TN

Pi Beta Phi Fraternity

The Staff of Arrowmont School

The Staff of Arrowcraft

The librarians at the Special Collections, Berea College

The Hambidge Center, Rabun Gap, GA

About The Author

Philis Alvic is an artist/weaver and writer who
maintains a studio in Murray, KY. Her loom-
controlled, brightly colored textiles have been shown
in juried, invitational and solo exhibitions throughout
the country. She shares her skills and artistic
perspective through workshops and magazine articles.
Her degree in Art Education was conferred by The
School of The Art Institute of Chicago and she has
earned the Certificate of Excellence from the Hand-
weavers Guild of America.

With the development of the program "Mary
Hambidge: Weaver of Rabun" in 1989 she began the
production of a series of programs and materials
documenting weaving in the southern Appalachian
Mountains.

Philis ALVIC
1622 Miller Ave
Murray, KY 42071