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 KENTUCKY FOLK ARTS AND CRAFTS CAPITAL It is rare that an entire town can be considered an American icon. Williamsburg, Virginia. Salem, Massachusetts. Deadwood, South Dakota. To that select list add Berea, Kentucky. BEREA HOTELS Nestled in the Cumberland Valley, at the gateway of the Appalachains, Berea epitomizes American hope, history and hubris. While colonial history gives Williamsburg its cachet, Salem is all about witchcraft, and Deadwood would be dead without the myth surrounding its two most famous citizens, Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane, Berea's fame stems primarily from a unique college. The beautiful tree-shaded campus of Berea College, with its impressive Greek Revival and Federal-style buildings, began as a one-room schoolhouse in 1855 when the Reverend John Fee had a vision to provide an oasis of learning for men and women of all races. While this may not sound revolutionary today, in pre-Civil War Kentucky, the idea of serious education for women was scoffed at, and teaching blacks was against the law. Fee was undeterred and his passion attracted the attention of Cassius Marcellus Clay, a wealthy landowner and proponent of abolition. It was Clay who offered Fee a 10-acre homestead on the edge of the mountains if he would take up permanent residence there. Fee agreed and soon his 13-member anti-slavery church in the community of Berea, named for the biblical town, was doing double duty as both a place of worship and a place of learning. Fee's Utopian experiment was short-lived, however. Always conscious of the fact that they were breaking the law by educating blacks, Fee and his faculty were driven from Madison County in 1859 by local pro-slavery sympathizers. The college remained closed during the Civil War years, but in 1865 Fee and his followers returned, and with them Berea College. In 1866-67, the enrollment totaled 187: 91 white students and 96 black students. In 1904 the college was dealt another blow when the Kentucky Legislature passed a law prohibiting integrated education, a law that was to remain in force for nearly half a century. When the law was amended in 1950 to allow integration above the high school level, Berea was the first undergraduate college in the commonwealth to re-open its doors to black students. By 1911, the number of students seeking admission to Berea College was so great that the trustees amended the school's constitution to focus on the southern mountain region of Appalachia as its primary service area. And so it remains today. Berea, the town, grew up around Berea, the college, and the students are an integral part of the community. Since they pay no tuition, students are required to work all four years, and they can be found serving mocha lattes at the coffee shop on the square, clerking at shops such as the Appalachian Fireside Gallery, Blue Tail Fly and the Log House Craft Gallery, and working the desk at the famed Boone Tavern, opened in 1909 and today listed in America's Historic Inns. If the college gave Berea its fame, the town's role role as a tireless promoter of Appalachian arts and crafts has cemented its iconic status. First on the scene was David Churchill and his wife Eleanor. As a missionary to India, David had designed and built hand looms to teach impoverished villagers a way to make a living. When they returned to the U.S. in 1922, the couple brought their looms with them, setting up shop in Berea, and the Churchill Weavers tradition began. Today, the much-coveted blankets and fashion accessories are woven on the same looms, employing techniques similar to those used 84 years ago. Proud of its role as the "Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky," Berea opened its newest attraction some two years ago. The Kentucky Artisan Center, located off Interstate 75 at exit 77, is a monument to the state's celebrated artisan heritage. Within its 25,000 square feet of space are superbly crafted glassworks, woodwork, jewelry, woven products and artwork by some of Kentucky's most talented artists and artisans. On Fridays and Saturdays, visitors can get up close and personal with the artists as they watch vases being thrown and glass being blown while listening to the sweet notes of the dulcimer or the click-clack of the weaver's shuttle. In addition to the demonstrations, there are readings and book signings by Kentucky authors as well as art and photography exhibits. From John Fee, who founded a college, to David Churchill, who founded a craft empire, Berea wears its traditions well. Berea is located 35 miles south of Lexington on Interstate 75. The Kentucky Artisan Center is located off I-75 at exit 77. It is open 7 days a week (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's) from 8am to 8pm. For information, call (859) 985-5448. KENTUCKY HOTELS PHOTO: Kentucky crafts – Photo courtesy Kentucky Artisan Center |
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