In the riverside hamlet of Columbia on the Scuppernong River, a renaissance of art and culture is taking place on Main Street. Centered around Pocosin Arts Center, stories of the past and present are told by the people of the pocosin wetland region about their way of life, while folk crafts and handmade art are sold in the Main Street Gallery. Pocosin Arts, deriving its name from the native Algonkian term for "swamp" or "hill," connects the indigenous culture of the pocosin to its natural environment through interdisciplinary arts, enriching the cultural heritage of eastern North Carolina and sharing the traditions with both the community and tourists. Throughout the year, classes, workshops and residencies teach pottery, weaving, spinning, quilting, embellishing, carving, soap making, glass slumping and fusing, blacksmithing, pit firing, storytelling, dancing and roots music. But, believe it or not, Columbia has not always had this spark of community and craft lighting up Main Street.
The town of Columbia – and the majority of the cities and towns in Tyrrell County – has traditionally been sustained by resource-dependent industries, including farming, fishing and forestry. However, by the 1980s, the effects of globalization had begun to impact eastern North Carolina, as corporate farming replaced local farming, the wetlands were drained and paved over, and the natural resources in the area were beginning to wane. In the 1970s, corporations such as First colony Farms purchased large sections of Tyrrell and adjacent counties for agricultural use. The result was the systematic transformation of the natural landscape on an unprecedented scale. As a result, Tyrrell County gravely needed to find a way to boosts its economy.
Most ideas from the county, however, were not well received. One plan was to promote peat soil mining, in which the soil from the wetlands was dug up, exported to Japan and burned as fuel. The onset of this industry was met with severe backlash from the environmental protection community because of its significant disturbance to the environment and wildlife in the area. In order to discourage the peat mining industry, The Conservation Fund bought a 110,000 acre tract of land that became the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which now draws over 34,000 visitors annually. Another rejected plan was to usher in hazardous waste incineration. If the plan were implemented, the county would become the largest waste incineration facility in the entire southeast. As expected, this was also met with immense community backlash.
In the late 80s, the county finally initiated a push for ecotourism, cultural tourism, and wildlife preservation. Citizens eagerly supported the plan to preserve the environment and the traditions of the area in order to promote Tyrrell as a tourist destination. The concept of Pocosin Arts, a community center that incorporated educational, environmental, social, and economic development benefits, fit perfectly into this new initiative.
Before Pocosin opened its doors on Main Street in Columbia in 1994, the downtown area offered little to no attractions for tourists or community members. One hardware store and a single restaurant among mostly empty and boarded up storefronts was not enough to attract tourism to Columbia. Pocosin Arts has since sparked the artistic culture in Columbia and now attracts people from all over the state who seek to learn and harness their skills in arts and crafts.
Watch the NC Now Feature
An interview with Feather Phillips