Historic Log Cabin Museum
In 1925, under the direction of Olive Dame Campbell, the John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS) opened its doors with the mission of preserving and sharing the crafts, techniques and tools that Appalachian people used in their everyday lives. She and her husband John had spent years traveling the Southern Appalachians and studying how the region’s people lived and created. When John died in 1919, Olive kept the dream alive, traveling with her friend Marguerite Butler to Europe to visit folk schools. In 1925, Campbell, with Butler’s help, was ready to open the John C. Campbell Folk School.
On Monday, September 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly restored Log Cabin Museum will kick off the school’s centennial celebration. “The reopening of the Log Cabin Museum is a deeply meaningful moment for the Folk School and the surrounding community,” says Rachel Lomauro, the school’s marketing and communications manager. “As the first building constructed on campus, the Log Cabin holds a special place in our history: it’s where the school quite literally began. Restoring and reopening it as a museum gives us the opportunity to honor our roots while sharing stories, artifacts and photos that have shaped a century of craft, music and community in Brasstown.”
In recognition of the Campbells’ vision and the continuing success 100 years later of the school in upholding and keeping alive Appalachian traditions, special exhibits, performances and gatherings will be held throughout the fall. The annual Fall Festival, with live music, craft demonstrations, artisan vendors, food and family activities, takes place the weekend of October 4–5. “We also invite everyone to explore the new walking tour of historic campus sites, developed in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and visit the Log Cabin Museum, which will remain open as an exhibit space beyond September,” Lomauro says.
Besides recognizing the years of existence, JCCFS also wants to celebrate the thousands of people who have been inspired and educated there through the years. “For 100 years, students have come to Brasstown not just to learn a skill but to slow down, find inspiration and connect with others,” says Lomauro. “The dedication of our instructors, staff, students and the wider community has sustained and shaped the Folk School into the vibrant cultural hub it is today.” This centennial year, she adds, offers “the perfect time to visit the Folk School, take a class, attend an event or simply experience the magic of this place in southern Appalachia.”
These days, the school’s mission remains even more crucial as administrators look to the decades to come. “Institutions like the Folk School are vital because they preserve and pass on cultural knowledge that might otherwise be lost,” says Lomauro. “We offer people a place to engage meaningfully with heritage, tradition and creativity. In today’s fast-paced, digital world, the Folk School offers something rare and essential: a space to learn by doing, to live in community and to find joy in the simple act of making. It’s more than a school—it’s a way of life, and its survival ensures that future generations will continue to benefit from these timeless values.”
John C. Campbell Folk School is located at One Folk School Road, in Brasstown. To learn more and to see a complete schedule of Centennial events, visit FolkSchool.org or call 800.365.5724.
