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Folk Arts & Crafts Capital of Kentucky - Berea, KY
Posted by:
silverquill
N 37° 34.080 W 084° 17.946
16S E 738538 N 4161314
This welcome sign is on Chestnut Street as one enters Berea from I-75. The slogan on the sign highlights the town's history as a center for Appalachian Arts & Crafts dating back to the turn of the 20th century.
Waymark Code: WMG6G8
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2013
Views: 1
The Folk Arts & Crafts Capital of Kentucky
The slogan on this sign is small, contained within the logo at the top.
Berea has a unique history as a center of abolitionist advocacy and the site of the first integrated schools in the South. The founders were eventually run out of town for their views, and in 1904 the Kentucky legislature passed a law prohibiting interracial schools. But the legacy of Berea College lives on.
Around the turn of the 20th century there was a increase of interest in Appalachian folk art, and Berea become one of the best known sources of this folk art and it was carefully nurtured over the next century. Today there is still a thriving community of artisans with numerous art galleries, craft centers, antique stores and festivals celebrating Appalachian folk art.