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Vintage HANDMADE Country Hearth Broom by Berea College, Kentucky - $42 (Rockland County, NY)
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Vintage handmade hearth broom by student of Berea College, country primitive, natural wood handle, tag attached. 36" high, not including leather hanging loop.
"Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky, was founded in 1855—it began as a one-room school—by abolitionists Reverend John G. Fee and Cassius M. Clay. Fee believed that education should promote equality and excellence among men and women of all races. The school welcomed men and women, including black men and women, making it the first coeducational and integrated college in the South. From its early days, the college was committed to educating students primarily from Appalachia. J.A.R. Rogers, a first principal of the school, called the area “a neglected region of the country” after a trip through the mountains. (Even today, the poverty rate in Appalachia is higher than in the rest of the country.) At this time, the tuition-free college comprises roughly 1,600 “academically promising students with limited economic resources,” according to its website.
The brooms not only reflect the college’s Appalachian surroundings, but also its remarkable history. From its inception, the college had a labor program intended to help students cover their expenses. The school’s founders wanted to dignify manual labor, which was associated with slavery. To this day, every student works ten hours a week, earning them a modest paycheck. Around the turn of the century, the college’s third president, William Frost, went into the surrounding mountains to recruit students, and he bought traditional crafts, such as weaving and woodworking, from individual households along the way. “The arts and crafts revival was just sweeping into the U.S. from Europe, and there was a tremendous demand for authentically made goods,” says Beale. “Frost astutely recognized that he could use the marketing of traditional Appalachian crafts as a way to promote the college on fundraising trips to the Northeast, where people were very curious about Appalachia, because it seemed so foreign. And, he recognized that students could learn a lot by keeping the traditions alive.” The student craft program began in 1893, with weaving. Today, it also includes broomcraft, woodworking and ceramics." (info from Smithsonian Magazine). Have other fireplace items listed.
Downsizing our stuff. CASH UPON LOCAL PICKUP ONLY (EXACT AMOUNT-please). Located in Rockland County, NY (exact amount, please).