LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Southern Appalachian Center - Rural Life Museum

Through its exhibits and programs, the Rural Life Museum helps students to learn about their rich rural heritage.

Preview your trip on the web: Southern Appalachian Center - Rural Life Museum

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  • Quilts and Quiltmaking in America Interviews with quilters highlight quilting within the context of daily life. The online collection shows both highly traditional and innovative quilts, and demonstrates the artisans' excellent design and technical skill.
  • NC Folk Artists It is important to recognize and preserve the art forms of North Carolina. On this site the artists explain their art through audio, video, images, and text.
  • Lesson plan: Learn about your county This activity will allow fourth grade students in North Carolina to learn more about the counties that surround their home county. Using online images, students will create a multimedia presentation to share with others.
  • Lesson plan: Folklife Students will learn North Carolina folklore, traditions, war activities, local legends, superstitions, food preparation traditions, art, songs and dances which are unique to the area.
  • Lesson plan: Quilts This lesson plan in designed to be one part of a fourth grade social studies unit on the Appalachian Mountains. It is based on the mountain custom of quilt making. This plan uses the book The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It also uses the book internet site and other related sites. Enrichments of this lesson would be to display quilts, have a real quilt maker visit, have the class create their own paper quilt, etc.

Related pages

  • Mountain Gateway Museum: A trip to the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort gives students a look into the past and helps them understand the importance of preserving local and regional history.
  • John C. Campbell Folk School: The Folk School offers visitors a chance to experience a special blend of history, art, and natural beauty in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
  • The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History: This regional museum strives to collect, preserve, and interpret the natural, historic and artistic heritage of this "back country region at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains."

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Located in the Montague Building of Mars Hill College, the Rural Life Museum provides tours, workshops, lectures, and internships. The museum facilitates the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of rural life artifacts relevant to the history and culture of the Southern Appalachian region.

The museum is open by appointment. Call Cassie Robinson (828) 689-1262 or Peggy Harmon, (828) 689-1394.

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