Ozark Folk Center
Encyclopedia
The Ozark Folk Center is an Arkansas
living history
state park
located in scenic Mountain View, Arkansas
dedicated to preserving and presenting Ozark cultural heritage and tradition to the public.
Cooperative Extension Service, in an early attempt to preserve the vanishing heritage of the Ozark Mountains, assisted local craftsmen and musicians to form the Ozark Foothills Crafts Guild in 1962. The guild started with 30 members and now consists of over 300 master craftsmen and musicians.
In 1963 the guild, in cooperation with local civic organizations, organized the first Arkansas Folk Festival which attracted approximately 15,000 people. The festival became an annual event and within a few years was attracting almost 100,000 people to Mountain View. Due to the success of the annual festival the guild realized that they needed a permanent home.
The guild, in cooperation with local government, obtained a grant from the United States Economic Development Administration to establish a private commercial craft center at Mountain View. Prior to its opening in 1973 the state of Arkansas recognized the potential of the project and folded the center into the state park system and provided additional funding.
The cultural areas include an organic herb
garden displaying traditional Ozark herbs, a traditional blacksmith
shop, a pottery making facility, traditional soap and candle making activity areas, demonstrations of traditional quilting
and weaving by master craftspeople. Traditional Ozark folk music
is presented to guests throughout the park on a daily basis in the craft grounds and in the Ozark Folk Center's 1000 seat Music Theater at 7:00 p.m. In addition to the cultural areas the park maintains a restaurant and smokehouse which serves traditional foods, provides lodging to visitors at the Cabins at Dry Creek, and has a modern conference center with a 150 seat small auditorium and private meeting rooms. The conference center also conducts seminars and exhibitions on Ozark culture and history on a regular basis.
A large gift shop is also present in the park where visitors can purchase from a wide selection of books and music recordings specializing in Ozark themes, and locally handcrafted work including pottery, shuck dolls, brooms, oak baskets, loom work and tasty preserves. Knives, ironwork, and other heirloom quality works can be also purchased from the artisans in their demonstration shops.
, jazz
, and folk
recordings, books, and related material from the Stan French Collection.
These materials are available to serious researchers at the park's resource center.
UPDATE ON ARCHIVES AKA OCRC: Due to lack of use, this resource center was closed in 2007 and the collection was moved to another location for preservation and storage, so it is no longer available at the Ozark Folk Center.
, float the Buffalo National River
, or enjoy some of the world's best trout
fishing
on the White River
, all of which are located in the Folk Center area.
The town of Mountain View bills itself as the "Folk Music Capital of the World" and local musicians often gather in small groups to play their instruments in the town square after dark during the summer months. Visitors have always been welcome to attend these impromptu free concerts and often bring their own lawn chairs. Food and drink are usually available from vendors on the square at these times.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
living history
Living history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located in scenic Mountain View, Arkansas
Mountain View, Arkansas
Mountain View is the largest city in and the county seat of Stone County in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 2,998. The town's name comes from its location in a valley surrounded by the eastern Ozark...
dedicated to preserving and presenting Ozark cultural heritage and tradition to the public.
History
The University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
Cooperative Extension Service, in an early attempt to preserve the vanishing heritage of the Ozark Mountains, assisted local craftsmen and musicians to form the Ozark Foothills Crafts Guild in 1962. The guild started with 30 members and now consists of over 300 master craftsmen and musicians.
In 1963 the guild, in cooperation with local civic organizations, organized the first Arkansas Folk Festival which attracted approximately 15,000 people. The festival became an annual event and within a few years was attracting almost 100,000 people to Mountain View. Due to the success of the annual festival the guild realized that they needed a permanent home.
The guild, in cooperation with local government, obtained a grant from the United States Economic Development Administration to establish a private commercial craft center at Mountain View. Prior to its opening in 1973 the state of Arkansas recognized the potential of the project and folded the center into the state park system and provided additional funding.
Facilities and activities
The Ozark Folk Center consists of numerous modern and traditional buildings which house a variety of culturally significant demonstrations and interactive activities.The cultural areas include an organic herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
garden displaying traditional Ozark herbs, a traditional blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, a pottery making facility, traditional soap and candle making activity areas, demonstrations of traditional quilting
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.The process of quilting uses...
and weaving by master craftspeople. Traditional Ozark folk music
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....
is presented to guests throughout the park on a daily basis in the craft grounds and in the Ozark Folk Center's 1000 seat Music Theater at 7:00 p.m. In addition to the cultural areas the park maintains a restaurant and smokehouse which serves traditional foods, provides lodging to visitors at the Cabins at Dry Creek, and has a modern conference center with a 150 seat small auditorium and private meeting rooms. The conference center also conducts seminars and exhibitions on Ozark culture and history on a regular basis.
A large gift shop is also present in the park where visitors can purchase from a wide selection of books and music recordings specializing in Ozark themes, and locally handcrafted work including pottery, shuck dolls, brooms, oak baskets, loom work and tasty preserves. Knives, ironwork, and other heirloom quality works can be also purchased from the artisans in their demonstration shops.
Collections
The Ozark Folk Center maintains one of the nation's largest collections of music and folklore including the 17,000 countryCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and folk
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....
recordings, books, and related material from the Stan French Collection.
These materials are available to serious researchers at the park's resource center.
UPDATE ON ARCHIVES AKA OCRC: Due to lack of use, this resource center was closed in 2007 and the collection was moved to another location for preservation and storage, so it is no longer available at the Ozark Folk Center.
Other area points of interest
Many visitors to the Ozark Folk Center also visit Blanchard Springs CavernsBlanchard Springs Caverns
Blanchard Springs Caverns is a cave system located in the Ozark National Forest in Stone County in northern Arkansas, 2 miles off Highway 14 a short distance north of Mountain View. Blanchard Springs Caverns is a three-level cave system, two of which are open for guided tours. The Dripstone Trail...
, float the Buffalo National River
Buffalo National River
The Buffalo River, located in northern Arkansas, was the first National River to be designated in the United States. The Buffalo River is slightly more than in length, with the lower flowing within the boundaries of an area managed by the National Park Service, where it is designated the '. The...
, or enjoy some of the world's best trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
on the White River
White River (Arkansas)
The White River is a 722-mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
, all of which are located in the Folk Center area.
The town of Mountain View bills itself as the "Folk Music Capital of the World" and local musicians often gather in small groups to play their instruments in the town square after dark during the summer months. Visitors have always been welcome to attend these impromptu free concerts and often bring their own lawn chairs. Food and drink are usually available from vendors on the square at these times.