Abstract The Appalachian School was an Episcopal school for children located in the town of Penland, North Carolina. The school was founded by the Reverend Rufus Morgan around 1912. Although Rufus left around 1918, he urged his sister, Lucy Morgan, to come back to North Carolina to teach at the Appalachian School. Lucy Morgan arrived in 1920 and soon became the principal of the school. Over the 1923 winter break Lucy Morgan traveled to Kentucky and attended Berea College’s first 9 week long...

Abstract Begun in 1924 as the Fireside Industries at the Penland Appalachian School, the Penland Weavers and Potters was an economic outreach program developed by Lucy Morgan and initially supported by the Episcopal Church. The program focused on the revival of traditional craft skills, especially weaving. Local mountain women were provided training, equipment, and raw materials and Morgan connected them to markets for the sale of the handcrafted goods. The program was under the aegis of the...

Abstract

Penland's Board of Trustees was formed in 1935, shortly after founding director Lucy Morgan decided to relinquish personal ownership of the school. Penland has been governed by a board of trustees since that time.

For reasons of confidentiality information about certain records at the sub-series and file levels has been supressed from online public viewing. Access to information about these records, as well as the records themselves, are available in the archives.