Would you like to join me for a walk around the John C Campbell Folk School? I’ll point out a few interesting sights as we stroll through this beautiful, unique, historic campus.
Let’s meet at the main entrance—at 4590 Brasstown Road, Brasstown, North Carolina—which is all decked out for fall. You can’t miss it!
Ready? Let’s go! The first building we see is historic Keith House which opened in 1929. Keith House is the hub of the Folk School—the Community Room on the first floor hosts special events, dances, concerts, special interest groups such as wood carving, and student events such as orientation and closing ceremonies. The main administrative offices and some student housing is also located here. Interestingly, Keith House was the original residence for the local students of the “boarding school” as it was called nearly 100 years ago.
Much has been said and written about the welcoming, red door at Keith House. For many, this humble front door marks the transition from everyday life to creative adventures.
Next to Keith House is the Olive Dame Campbell Dining Hall where students and staff enjoy three meals a day. We won’t go in today—instead we’ll take one of the many wooded paths on campus over to the gardens.
If you look to your left just after the bridge, you’ll see the Craft Shop which sells artwork from over 150 craftspeople. Many of the artists have a connection with the Folk School either as instructors, students or community members. The shop is jam-packed with beautiful items in both traditional and contemporary styles. You might want to check out my previous blog post, My Top 12 Picks from the Folk School Craft Shop, for a look at some of the outstanding items they typically carry.
The spectacular mountains you see behind the Craft Shop are the Southern Smoky Mountains.
The Folk School is blessed with stunning mountain views. Every day, students get to enjoy the changing scenery—the views are completely different from one season to another, from early morning to evening and from one type of weather to another.
The mountains may be covered in heavy, misty fog first thing in the morning…
… and change to wispy mist and fluffy clouds in a few hours.
Now, we’re entering the garden area. I’ve been spending a lot of time in this area for the work segment of my six-week Work Study program so we’ll take a few minutes to look around. Here you can see some very promising vegetable crops. A substantial amount of the produce grown in the campus gardens is used in the Dining Hall for student meals.
Check out the Glass Gem ornamental corn, recently-harvested radishes and fresh garlic!
The Gardens also support various study areas with natural materials. The recently added Cory Brown Memorial Dye Garden features various natural dye sources such as marigolds, indigo and madder which are used in natural dyeing classes and workshops.
The nearby flower gardens provide natural beauty and inspiration for a variety of classes including, for instance, painting, drawing, photography, jewelry and quilting.
Just past the Gardens is the Log Cabin Museum. In 1926, the year after the Folk School was founded, two local log cabins were moved to this location and connected with a central “dog trot” to create what was then called the “Log Museum”. Originally, the intent was for the Log Museum to preserve the “old ways” and craft traditions of pioneer times. Some of the relics, such as a loom, butter churn, hearth brooms and baskets, which were donated by the community are still visible today. Efforts are underway to reconstruct the Log Cabin Museum for the School’s upcoming 100-year anniversary.
Doesn’t it look spectacular in the early morning light?
Next, we’ll head down to the blacksmith’s shop. Along the way, we’ll pass a small farmhouse sitting on the hill. This was the original homestead on the Folk School. The school founders, Olive Campbell and Marguerite Butler, lived there when the school was being established.
For nearly 25 years, from 1926 to 1950, Olive Campbell wrote a series of newsletters about the Folk School. She mentions the Farm House in the second bulletin in August 1926, reporting that the “faded yellow homestead …[which was] sadly in need of paint and repairs [had] become a trim gray farmhouse with green trimmings and rose-covered trellises.”
Nowadays, the Farm House is used for housing guests, primarily instructors teaching at the School.
Don’t miss the view on your left as we descend the hill. The two-story building, known as Tower House, was originally built in 1933 with a blacksmith shop on the ground floor and housing for the chief herdsman on the second floor. Today, it houses administration offices and provides dry storage for the gardens.
We’ll pass more old and repurposed farm buildings as we head towards the blacksmith shop. The half-timbered building, straight ahead, was originally a milking barn for the dairy farm. From the get-go, Olive Campbell wrote about the importance of establishing a working, paying farm that could serve as a “demonstration station” to the neighbors.
The dairy is no longer in operation and the Milking Barn has been repurposed as the Francis Whitaker Blacksmith Shop.
Attached to the original blacksmith shop is a much newer facility—the Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop opened in July 2010. The forges are located in the new building while the original building houses a workshop with equipment for processes such as welding, cutting and fabricating.
We’re all pretty proud of the fact the Folk School’s blacksmith shop is featured in the 2023 season of the History Channel’s Forged in Fire reality TV show about competitive bladesmithing.
Next, we’ll cross the charming footbridge and pass another original building from the Folk School’s farm. This is Spring House where running spring water was used to keep milk and other perishables cool. It is used for storage today.
Up ahead is the beautiful, historic Mill House built in 1928. The water wheel you can see on the front of the half-timbered building was once used to drive power for the shop works on the first floor.
We’ll return to Keith House via this quiet, back path.
Along the way, we’ll catch glimpses of several of the Folk School studios. My favorite is this view from the end of Studio Row. From here, you can see the Enameling Studio on the left, the Jewelry & Metals Studio at the far end and the Wood Carving Studio on the right. If you’d like to learn more about the Folk School’s studios, check out my previous blog post Folk School Studios – Where the Magic Happens.
From here, it’s a short walk back to Keith House. Let’s enjoy the fall colors along the way.
There’s a lot more to see and discover but, hopefully, this brief tour will give you a sense for the John C Campbell Folk School and entice you to come visit in person.
More Info
The John C Campbell Folk School, as described in the class catalog, “fosters a non-competitive learning environment where adults of all ages, skills and backgrounds learn from one another—everyone is welcome. Our rural location, emphasis on communal living, and variety of afternoon and evening activities pull you away from the distractions of daily life and help you to reignite your creative spark and embark on a new chapter as a dedicated hobbyist, professional craftsperson, or lifelong learner.” See the John C Campbell Folk School website for more info.
“John C. Campbell Folk School published a series of newsletters from 1926 to 1950. Written like a letter from the school’s director, the newsletter is a source of information about the classes and activities at the Folk School and their impact on the surrounding community.” These newsletters can be found in the “Craft Revival” collection on the Southern Appalachian Digital Collections.
See the excellent article, Who Was Leon Deschamps? by Rooney Floyd, to learn about the role Leon Deschamps played in designing, building and renovating several of the field stone structures on the Folk School campus.
I’m currently participating in a 6-week Work Study Program. Look for Work Study on the Folk School website for more info or check the FanningSparks’ blog posts about my Work Study Program experience.
Today’s Takeaways
1. The John C Campbell Folk School offers a “unique atmosphere of learning and growing together through…year-round weeklong and weekend classes for adults in craft, art, music, dance, and more.”
2. The School’s rich heritage adds depth and meaning to the Folk School experience.
3. A slow walk around campus is a great way to get a sense for the Folk School.
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