Copyright Notice: This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. Copyright © 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

See also: Penland School of Crafts.

Appalachian Industrial School, ca. 1911-1914. Image courtesy of Penland School of Crafts Archives.
Appalachian Industrial School, ca. 1911-1914. Image courtesy of Penland School of Crafts Archives.
The Appalachian Industrial School was a coed grammar school founded in Penland in 1912 by Episcopal minister Rufus Morgan. Sponsored by the Diocese of Western North Carolina of the Episcopal Church, the school was situated on more than 200 acres of land originally occupied by Seven
1914 Promotional Brochure. Click to see entire brochure. Courtesy of Penland School of Crafts.
1914 Promotional Brochure. Click to see entire brochure. Courtesy of Penland School of Crafts.
Springs Baptist Industrial School. The school's curriculum included English (as required in the North Carolina Course of Study), Bible study, nature study, music, folk dancing, sewing, and manual training. Boys and girls interested in farm life could help with essential activities such as milking, haying, and vegetable gardening. Games were played on the playground, and, when they reached an appropriate age, students were instructed in gardening, cooking, housekeeping, care of farm animals and pets, and taking care of their own clothing. In a shop, some children worked with wood, leather, clay, and paints.

The school year ran from September to June, and during the summer the property was used for a summer camp. Morgan's sister, Lucy, was principal of the school from 1920 to 1923. She is, however, remembered more as the founder of the Penland School of Crafts. The Appalachian Industrial School was closed in July 1964, and the property was purchased from the Episcopal diocese by the Penland School of Crafts.

References:

Appalachian School, The Appalachian School (1933).

Lucy C. Morgan and LeGette Blythe, Gift from the Hills: Miss Lucy Morgan's Story of Her Unique Penland School (1958).

Image Credit:

Appalachian Industrial School, ca. 1911-1914. Image courtesy of Penland School of Crafts Archives. Available from http://wcudigitalcollection.cdmhost.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4008coll2/id/23 (accessed November 8, 2012).

1914 Promotional Brochure. Click to see entire brochure. Courtesy of Penland School of Crafts. Available from http://wcudigitalcollection.cdmhost.com/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p4008coll2/id/200/rec/3 (accessed November 8, 2012).

Citation

Williams, Wiley J. "Appalachian Industrial School." NCpedia. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. Accessed on December 13th, 2024. https://www.ncpedia.org/appalachian-industrial-school.