A re-created 1800s farm, an annual festival, and a cultural collection reveal Virginia’s roots.
By Neala McCarten
July 2018
Picture a spacious log homestead, a split-rail fence zigzagging up a hill, green pasture against a blue sky, and sturdy outbuildings. The 1800s farm complete with costumed interpreters, heirloom gardens, and heritage livestock provides a vision of bucolic early America. It is a careful re-creation of how a prosperous farmer could have lived in this part of middle Appalachia in the early 19th century.
Blue Ridge Institute & Museum
The farm is part of the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, which for more than 40 years has been associated with Ferrum College, about an hour south of Roanoke, Virginia. The institute’s annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, held the fourth Saturday of October, is the largest regional festival in the state. Roots music, moonshine history, homemade crafts, storytelling, competitions, and heritage foods all are part of the event.
Inside the institute’s brick museum building, on the west side of the college campus, exhibits illuminate lesser-known aspects of this region’s culture and folkways. It always has some aspect of music on display. During my visit, a multimedia exhibit called “Crooked Road Royalty & Musical Styles” showcased the history of picking and singing in this region of Virginia. It included a brief film on gandy dancers. In the early days of railroading, these laborers maintained segments of railroad tracks by hand, making sure they lined up. This was called track lining, boring work that required coordinated pushing to align the segments. The creative solution was to have a designated lead singer and a tune with a strong beat. The crew would push the track into place in time to the music.
Children play games at the annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival.
The institute is also one of the major stops on The Crooked Road, a collection of music-related sites and events in Virginia along a 330-mile driving trail. At these stops you’ll find jam sessions and concerts; displays of music memorabilia; square dancing; and events such as a fiddlers’ convention. Visit www.myswva.org/tcr for more info on Crooked Road.
Details
*The Farm Museum is open from mid-May through mid-August, on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is charged to tour the farm.
*The Blue Ridge Institute Museum exhibit galleries are open year-round. Admission is free. The museum parking lot can accommodate RVs (no overnight parking).
*The annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival (October 27 in 2018) takes place rain or shine. An entry fee is charged; parking is free.
*The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum is at 20 Museum Drive, Ferrum, VA 24088; (540) 365-4416, www.blueridgeinstitute.org.
