Traditional Weaver Leota Davy Photo: Gerald Milnes, courtesy Augusta Heritage Center

The Mountain Weavers Guild and Fiber Art Traditions in the Potomac Highlands

This organization preserves the traditional hand weaving that was revived in West Virginia during the Great Depression under the influence of Eleanor Roosevelt. Family based tradition, brought over the mountains by the early settlers, was drawn upon to "help people to help themselves" in developing a cottage industry. Several multi-generational weaving families are highlighted, along with examples of their work

Teachers were and continue to be the mainstay of the craft, assisted today by the Augusta Heritage Center sponsored by Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. Eight audio cassette tapes of interviews with the weavers form an important part of the project, as some of the interviewees are no longer alive. 30 color photographs of intricate overshot and jacquard weavings and the women who created them are included. A nine-page history of the Guild and a short essay on early weaving practices complete the project. Electronic files are included.

Originally submitted by: Robert E. Wise, Jr., Representative (2nd District).

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