Berea, KY - Well-Crafted Living

Handcrafted Birdhouses
Appalachian Fireside Gallery, Main St, Berea, KY

Kentucky had been first on my list of explorations for this trip. It was to have been a simple diversion before starting out on the real itinerary, the Park-to-Park Highway Tour Redux. Unfortunately, time and distance constraints did not allow the luxury of leisurely stops on the way out West, so it was rescheduled for the trip home.

On the way East, however, I took the more southern route from Denver along Route 70. I passed quickly through Colorado, then Kansas, then Missouri and, after a day exploring St. Louis, headed toward Kentucky.

Now, I can't explain exactly why Kentucky has lived so long in my imagination. Certainly it was not horse-racing - I'm not big on horses and I discovered that the season was over by July, in any event. Perhaps I had a vision of myself sitting on a cool veranda somewhere, drinking a mint julep. But then I had an idea of what went into one and didn't think I'd like it anyway.

No, the real reason was Kentucky crafts – a passion of mine. The Kentucky “heritage trail” was billed as a series of places around that state that featured the music, folk art, crafts, and cooking of the Appalachin region. I never did find an actual “trail,” but I did find the town of Berea.

The flourishing little town of Berea not only has many talented crafts people, but it also a remarkable history – one that is still being lived today. One of the central reasons for its prosperity is Berea College, the campus of which is located just off the main street.

Fairchild Hall (ca. 1872), Berea College, Berea, KY

The school was founded in 1855 by Kentucky abolitionist John G. Fee to provide a low-cost, high-quality education to students of all races. Not only has Berea College continued its commitment to interracial education and harmony among all people but it has developed a guiding philosophy that emphasizes the importance of service to communities in Appalachia and beyond, stewardship of natural resources, and preservation of regional culture and traditions.

For more than 150 years, the school has provided tuition-free education to its students. The school brochure notes that Berea College is probably the only school in the United States to turn qualified candidates away because they don't have financial need.

All of the some 1,500 students it admits each year work at least 10 hours per week in College jobs, which funds a portion of their college expenses. Among the jobs students hold are staffing the Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant, an historic hotel owned by the College in downtown Berea, producing regional crafts for sale in several student craft outlets such as the Log House, and myriad other jobs within the school's 100 academic departments and administration. The rest of the funds come from contributions, grants, and other funding sources.

The students I met admitted that the academics were challenging, but that they really loved being there. A more polite and considerate group of young people would be hard to find. The town is “dry,” meaning no liquor is sold or served anywhere – a fact that some hotel guests find incomprehensible at first, but perhaps contributes to good performance at school. Given the poverty of the region, it was inspiring to see how one school could not only live up to its mission, but thrive – even today – without charging its students a penny for a quality education.

Old Artisan Village, Berea, KY

And yes, I did eventually find my crafts in Berea. The student crafts store downtown offered wonderful woven goods, furniture, and pottery – all favorites. And in the “Old Town Artisan Village” about a mile away, there are many other types of regional crafts represented among the several stores. Great finds. Some of the artisans were former students of the college who had stayed on to practice their craft in this supportive environment.

I left Berea much poorer in terms of my wallet, but much richer for having shared in the story of this remarkable community.


For more information about the region, see:

Children of the Mountains Struggle to Survive, Diane Sawyer Reports on Children in Central Appalachia, by Keturah Gray (Feb. 13, 2009)  URL: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6865077

Berea College Website   http://www.berea.edu/  

Berea - Where Arts Live. Website of the Berea Tourism Center, 201 N Broadway, Berea, Kentucky 40403. URL http://www.berea.com/

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