Sing Behind the Plow: John C. Campbell Folk School

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Sing Behind the Plow: John C. Campbell Folk School provides a captivating look at the charismatic couple that imported the Danish concept of folkehojskole (folk school), teaching traditional crafts, music and dance, to the North Carolina mountains in the 1900s. This intriguing program is part of UNC-TV’s long term commitment to producing and broadcasting programs for and about North Carolina.

The Appalachians were seen as a people still living in some ignorance in inadequate housing on hillside farms not necessarily using the best of agricultural practices,” remarks folklorist and author Loyal Jones, in Sing Behind the Plow: John C. Campbell Folk School. “As a result, no place attracted more Christian missionaries to come to ‘save’ people who called themselves Christians already.”

The documentary tells the story of one such missionary who, with his bride Olive Dame, traveled from West Virginia to Georgia to interview farmers about agricultural practices, collect ancient Appalachian ballads and study the handicrafts of these mountain people. The Campbells hoped education could improve the quality of Appalachian life while preserving the everyday traditions and sharing them with the rest of the world.

Their selfless study resulted in a dream of building a school in the rural South as an alternative to higher-education facilities that drew young people away from the family farm. After John’s 1919 death, Olive and her friend Marguerite Butler traveled to Europe studying folk schools in Denmark, Sweden and other countries. They returned, full of purposeful energy and determination to start such a school in Appalachia. With enthusiastic support, free labor and pledged building materials from the far west town of Brasstown, NC, the John C. Campbell Folk School was born in 1925—providing non-competitive instruction of the Appalachian folk arts. And over 80 years later, the John C. Campbell Folk School continues to offer a unique combination of rich history, beautiful mountain surroundings and an atmosphere of living and learning together. The Folk School was named a Historic District with the National Register of Historic Places on August 22, 1983.

Examine this unique local exploration into a one-of-a kind learning experience in Sing Behind the Plow: John C. Campbell Folk School. In addition to encore presentations on UNC-NC, you may also view the entire program on the web at any time by clicking the 'Play Video' link at the top of this page.

Click here to visit the official John C. Campbell Folk School website,
providing more information about the school's experiences in non-competitive learning
and community life that are joyful and enlivening— all from scenic Brasstown, NC.

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