Olive Dame Campbell
Encyclopedia
Olive Dame Campbell was an American
folklorist
.
Born Olive Arnold Dame in West Medford, Massachusetts
, she married John C. Campbell
, American educator, in 1907. After his death, she co-founded and directed the John C. Campbell Folk School
in Brasstown, North Carolina
in 1925. Further, she helped in the formation of the Southern Highland Craft Guild
.
After a 1909 grant, she compiled Tennessee
and Kentucky
folk song
lyrics with her husband. These were published in the seminal work, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians by Cecil Sharp
and Olive Campbell (1917, New York). This loosely served as the basis for the film Songcatcher
.
In 2008, Revels Repertory Company
created a tribute to her and the music she collected, entitled Voices of the Mountain, which has been and will be performed throughout eastern Massachusetts during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons.
Olive was Campbell’s second wife, and together they traveled to Appalachia, where John had received a grant to study the area’s social and cultural conditions in hopes of improving their school systems. While there, Olive noted that ballads sung by the residents had strong ties to both English and Irish folk songs. The ballads that she collected would eventually be published as “English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians” by Cecil Sharp and Olive D. Campbell in 1917. This collection would later influence several productions. One resulting production was the 2000 drama film Songcatcher
, which was loosely based on the book. Another tribute to Olive Dame Campbell’s work with folk songs will take place from 2008 to 2010 by the group Revels Repertory Company, entitled Voices of the Mountain, which will explore the life and work of Olive Campbell.
After being married only twelve years, Olive’s husband John died in 1919. After his death, Olive worked on collecting and organizing his notes from their work together so that a report of his survey could be published. Attempting to follow the writing style of her husband as much as possible, Olive Campbell successfully published “The Southern Highlander and His Homeland” in 1921, under John’s name.
A year later, Olive Dame Campbell was back to work and ready to embark on a trip to Copenhagen via a fellowship provided by the American-Scandinavian Foundation in order to study the Dutch School style of education, in hopes of finding a way to revitalize the local Appalachian school system. Accompanied by her sister Daisy Dame and colleague Marguerite Butler, the women spent eighteen months traveling between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, visiting local schools along the way.
Upon her return, Olive set to work forming the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1925 in Brasstown, North Carolina. This folkehjskoler, or folk school, was dedicated to her late husband, and was based on the Dutch School style, where no grades were given and no one ever failed. Instead, students and teachers formed a community that worked together to help each other advance in various crafts such as blacksmithing, quilting and many others. This school functioned as an alternative to higher education for people from the surrounding Appalachian area.
Olive Dame Campbell continued to work in collecting ballads and handicrafts up until her death in 1954. While she had no surviving children, the legacy of her work in collecting crafts and ballads, along with the founding of the John C. Campbell Folk School, lives on today.
Campbell, Olive Dame. 1915. Songs and ballads of the Southern Mountains.
Campbell, Olive Dame. 1928. The Danish folk school: its influence in the life of Denmark and the North. University of Michigan. 359 pages.
Campbell, Olive Dame; Carpenter, James Madison; et al. 1937. George Lyman Kittredge additional papers on American songs and ballads.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folklorist
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
.
Born Olive Arnold Dame in West Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, she married John C. Campbell
John C. Campbell
John C. Campbell was born in La Porte, Indiana, on 14 September 1867 to Gavin and Anna Barbara Campbell, and grew up in Steven's Point, Wisconsin...
, American educator, in 1907. After his death, she co-founded and directed the John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School" is located in Brasstown, North Carolina. The School was founded to nurture and preserve the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains, it is an non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning...
in Brasstown, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1925. Further, she helped in the formation of the Southern Highland Craft Guild
Southern Highland Craft Guild
Southern Highland Craft Guild is a guild craft organization that has partnered with the National Park Service for over fifty years. The Guild represents over 1000 craftspeople in 293 counties of 9 southeastern states. It operates five retail craft shops and two annual craft expositions which...
.
After a 1909 grant, she compiled Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
lyrics with her husband. These were published in the seminal work, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians by Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
and Olive Campbell (1917, New York). This loosely served as the basis for the film Songcatcher
Songcatcher
The film's score was written by David Mansfield, who also assembled a roster of female country music artists to perform mostly traditional mountain ballads. Some of the songs are contemporary arrangements, and some are played in the traditional Appalachian music style. The artists include Rosanne...
.
In 2008, Revels Repertory Company
Revels
Revels is a contemporary series of American seasonal stage performances, initially given at Christmas time as the Christmas Revels at Town Hall in New York City in 1957, which involve singing, dancing, recitals, theatrics , and usually some audience participation, all appropriate to the season...
created a tribute to her and the music she collected, entitled Voices of the Mountain, which has been and will be performed throughout eastern Massachusetts during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons.
Biography
Olive Dame Campbell (1882–1954) was born Olive Dame and was raised in Medford, Massachusetts. From a young age, education played an important role in her life, as her father was the head of a private high school. She graduated from Tufts College in 1900 during a time when most women did not pursue higher education. Three years after graduating, she met her future husband John Charles Campbell, fifteen years her senior, who was a missionary school teacher.Olive was Campbell’s second wife, and together they traveled to Appalachia, where John had received a grant to study the area’s social and cultural conditions in hopes of improving their school systems. While there, Olive noted that ballads sung by the residents had strong ties to both English and Irish folk songs. The ballads that she collected would eventually be published as “English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians” by Cecil Sharp and Olive D. Campbell in 1917. This collection would later influence several productions. One resulting production was the 2000 drama film Songcatcher
Songcatcher
The film's score was written by David Mansfield, who also assembled a roster of female country music artists to perform mostly traditional mountain ballads. Some of the songs are contemporary arrangements, and some are played in the traditional Appalachian music style. The artists include Rosanne...
, which was loosely based on the book. Another tribute to Olive Dame Campbell’s work with folk songs will take place from 2008 to 2010 by the group Revels Repertory Company, entitled Voices of the Mountain, which will explore the life and work of Olive Campbell.
After being married only twelve years, Olive’s husband John died in 1919. After his death, Olive worked on collecting and organizing his notes from their work together so that a report of his survey could be published. Attempting to follow the writing style of her husband as much as possible, Olive Campbell successfully published “The Southern Highlander and His Homeland” in 1921, under John’s name.
A year later, Olive Dame Campbell was back to work and ready to embark on a trip to Copenhagen via a fellowship provided by the American-Scandinavian Foundation in order to study the Dutch School style of education, in hopes of finding a way to revitalize the local Appalachian school system. Accompanied by her sister Daisy Dame and colleague Marguerite Butler, the women spent eighteen months traveling between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, visiting local schools along the way.
Upon her return, Olive set to work forming the John C. Campbell Folk School in 1925 in Brasstown, North Carolina. This folkehjskoler, or folk school, was dedicated to her late husband, and was based on the Dutch School style, where no grades were given and no one ever failed. Instead, students and teachers formed a community that worked together to help each other advance in various crafts such as blacksmithing, quilting and many others. This school functioned as an alternative to higher education for people from the surrounding Appalachian area.
Olive Dame Campbell continued to work in collecting ballads and handicrafts up until her death in 1954. While she had no surviving children, the legacy of her work in collecting crafts and ballads, along with the founding of the John C. Campbell Folk School, lives on today.
Other publications
The following is a list of several other publications by Olive Dame Campbell (some publishers are unknown):Campbell, Olive Dame. 1915. Songs and ballads of the Southern Mountains.
Campbell, Olive Dame. 1928. The Danish folk school: its influence in the life of Denmark and the North. University of Michigan. 359 pages.
Campbell, Olive Dame; Carpenter, James Madison; et al. 1937. George Lyman Kittredge additional papers on American songs and ballads.
External links
- Inventory of the John Charles Campbell and Olive D. Campbell Papers, 1865-1965, in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.