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About Us
The Digital Heritage Project is a part of The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
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Cultural Traditions Archive
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Penland School of Crafts
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsThe widespread poverty that the Great Depression brought to Appalachia led to the founding of one of the area’s most valuable treasures: the Penland School of Crafts. Nestled deep in the hills of western North Carolina’s Mitchell County is the small community of Penland. . . -
John C. Campbell
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsIn a time of turbulent change in Appalachia, John C. Campbell helped define America’s understanding of this great mountain region. Campbell was born in Indiana in 1867 and studied theology at Union Theological Seminary. -
Mountain Heritage Center
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsThe Mountain Heritage Center was created by Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, in 1975. Combining a museum with a research center, it preserves the history and culture of western North Carolina in a time of rapid change. -
Cecil Sharp
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsIn 1915 Cecil Sharp, an important collector of traditional English ballads, was informed that many Appalachian singers were singing old English songs. Between 1916 and 1918 he toured western North Carolina and other Appalachian states, recording over 500 ballads with English roots. -
Allen Eaton
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsFor over forty years Allen Eaton was an important figure in the arts and crafts movement in Appalachia. In 1919 the Oregon native met Olive Campbell who was beginning her work as founder of the John C. Campbell Folk School. -
Walker Calhoun
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsSeveral hundred years ago the Cherokee people lived in parts of what are now Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Virginias. The Cherokee people were not migratory. Instead they farmed, hunted, and tended livestock. -
Ray Hicks
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsWhether you are visiting the Coney Island Appalachian Festival, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, or the Lake Eden Art Festival in Black Mountain, NC, there is one attraction that is sure to be a favorite of all ages. To locate it simply scan for a large but quiet crowd, gathered close to a small stage, usually under a portable cover or shade tree, with their attention fixed on a lone orator. -
Earl Lanning
Posted on August 30, 2010 | No CommentsEarl Lanning of Waynesville, North Carolina is a master gunsmith who has contributed enormously to the revival of American flintlock rifle building.