Skyline Farms Heritage Development Plan

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SKYLINE FARMS

Jackson County, AL

Heritage Development Plan

Sponsored by the Middle Tennessee State UniversityCenter for Historic Preservation

March 2011



March 2011Prepared By:

Garet BleddynMona BrittinghamRachel DraytonKelsey Fields

Hallie Fieser Amy Kostine

Cheri LaflammeLauren PateKatie Randall

Essentials in Historic Preservation, Fall 2010MTSU Center for Historic Preservation,

Dr. Carroll Van West, Director



TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY…………..………………………………..… 1

COMMUNITY HISTORY…………………………………………………………...………………….. 3

NEW DEAL CONTEXT………………………………………………………………………...3

CRAFT AND MUSIC TRADITIONS………………………………………………………… 11

SKYLINE FARMS AS DOCUMENTED BY NEW DEAL PHOTOGRAPHERS………… 25

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE COLONISTS………………………………………….… 42

NEW DEAL ARCHITECTURE………………………………………………………………. 46

RESOURCE INVENTORY…………………………………………………………………………… 49

ORAL HISTORY………………………………………...………………………………….… 89

MUSIC RESOURCES…………………………..…………………………………………… 93

PRESERVATION NEEDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………… 97

LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT……………………………………………………………………… 119

MUSEUM PLAN……………………………………………………………………………………… 129

STRATEGIC PLAN………………………………………………………………………………….. 147

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………………….. 157



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PROJECT BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY

Skyline Farms is located on Cumberland Mountain in the Appalachian region of northeast Alabama. Although the mountain was sparsely settled for many years, much of whatmakes up the Skyline Farms community today is the result of a New Deal Resettlement Administration project that began in 1934 and ended c.1945.

Although the government’s involvement with Skyline Farms officially ended sometime inthe mid 1940s, many of the project’s residents remained on the mountain and made lives for their families there. What remains of the project’s built environment and landscape points to atime in U.S. history when federal, state, and local government experimented with methods for providing relief to the nation’s hardest hit by the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Many of the community’s current residents were children and young adults when theproject began. Their families came from all over the region just for a chance at a better life. Theproject’s commissary building and warehouse will soon be acquired by the Skyline FarmsHeritage Association, a nonprofit interested in the preservation and interpretation of the SkylineFarms community.

This Heritage Development Plan is the result of a graduate essentials course in historicpreservation at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) during the Fall of 2010. The SkylineFarms Heritage Association (SFHA) approached the Center for Historic Preservation aboutundertaking this project in May of 2010. It was decided that a Heritage Development Plan wouldbe helpful to the SFHA at this time.

In the MTSU historic preservation essentials course, nine students researched andassessed the community’s properties and landscapes, and provided recommendations for preservation and future use. The report was prepared and edited with the assistance of staff atthe MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, including Director Van West, Programs Manager Anne-Leslie Owens, and Projects Coordinator Elizabeth Moore. Staff assistance from the

Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area came from Preservation Specialist Michael Gavin.

Dr. Van West divided the class into five groups. The history team researched the historyof the community and provided historical context in five areas: New Deal history, music andcrafts tradition, photographic legacy, local memory, and architectural history. The resourceinventory group assessed and documented the community’s existing resources, including thecommunity’s built environment and music resources. This group also made National Register of Historic Places recommendations and compiled a list with recommendations for potential oralhistories. The preservation needs group assessed, photo-documented damage of, andprioritized preservation issues at the Commissary (commonly referred to as the Rock Store),Warehouse, and Administrative Office (commonly referred to as the Rock House). This groupalso assessed the community’s landscape and made recommendations for preservation and

future use. The museum group assessed the SFHA’s current collections and maderecommendations for conservation of artifacts and future use of the Commissary. The strategicplan team researched historical organizations and nonprofits, became familiar with the SFHA’sbylaws, and made recommendations for long-term planning, fundraising, and interpretation.



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COMMUNITY HISTORY

Skyline Farms, New Deal Context: 1934-1944

The Great Depression of the 1930s proved to be one of the darkest times in United

States history, particularly devastating for America’s farmers. Unemployment was at an all timehigh as the many affected Americans searched for work and hoped for help. Skyline Farms isremembered as one of the most unique socioeconomic experiments to develop out of this needin Alabama’s history. As part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program, the project aidedmany farmers and their families in what was likely their greatest time of need. The SkylineFarms project was established to provide jobs and social welfare to unemployed, sometimeshomeless, farmers of Alabama. Forty-three such projects were attempted across the UnitedStates, but Skyline Farms was viewed by many within the federal government as one of themost successful resettlement projects. Historian David Campbell, president of Northeast Alabama Community College concludes, “It was one of the largest in terms of development,expenses, and national publicity.”1 Originally called Cumberland Mountain Farms (the namechanged in 1937 to Skyline Farms to avoid confusion between it and Cumberland Mountain

Homesteads in Tennessee), the resettlement project in Jackson County, Alabama, served morethan two hundred families at its height in 1936, ending as abruptly as it began less than adecade later.

In the latter half of 1934, appropriations were made by the federal government under theFederal Emergency Relief Agency (FERA), for the development of subsistence homesteads inthe state of Alabama. The project was administered by the Resettlement Administration (RA).The RA came after a branch of the Division of Rural Rehabilitation and Stranded Populationsdissolved in 1935 and subsumed the Department of Interior’s Division of SubsistenceHomesteads. The RA administered the Skyline Farms project until it was subsumed in 1937 bythe newly designated Farm Security Administration (FSA). The FSA administered the projectuntil roughly 1942 when it too dissolved, after which the Skyline Farms project declined.2

Many New Deal agencies were involved with Skyline Farms over the years, but theproject was undoubtedly a Resettlement Administration/ Farm Security Administration project.Governor Bibb Graves attended a 1933 conference at Warm Springs in Georgia where he alongwith six other southern governors met with President Roosevelt on matters of relief in their prospective states. In keeping with the “back to the farm” movement that had been gaining inpopularity throughout the 1910s and 1920s, New Deal social theorists believed that providingmeans for people in need of relief to own land and produce their own crops would not onlybetter their physical standard of living but would also make them better citizens. Campbellargues, “Moreover, citizens of the economically troubled, industrializing nation viewed rural lifeas idyllic and desirable.”3 In addition, Campbell says, “Roosevelt believed that American citieswere housing an increasingly disproportionate segment of the population and wanted to see

1

David Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” Encyclopedia of Alabama,http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1546 (accessed September 22, 2010).

2Phoebe Cutler, The Public Landscape of the New Deal (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985), 118.3

Ibid.



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rural land put to better use.”4 In response, Roosevelt’s administration provided funding for community development programs in rural areas, as evident by the work of FERA.

The Federal Emergency Relief Agency (FERA) was established May 22, 1933, withHarry Hopkins as administrator. In Alabama, this agency was often referred to at the state levelas the Emergency Relief Agency of Alabama (ERA in state and local newspapers) and had

offices in Montgomery. Also in 1933, the National Industrial Recovery Act authorized thecreation of a Division of Subsistence Homesteads, located within the Department of Interior.This allowed for FERA to launch a Rural Rehabilitation program the following year. HistorianCarroll Van West describes the program’s transition from FERA to the Resettlement Administration (RA). He says, “Rural housing programs were then reorganized in 1935, whenthe earlier Department of Interior and FERA projects were placed under the supervision of theResettlement Administration (except for the three largest villages that were given to the WPA).”5 As a result, Skyline too came under the administration of the RA in 1935.

The Resettlement Administration (RA) was comprised of two divisions. One divisionfocused on resettlement of suburban communities. The other made up the Division of RuralRehabilitation and Resettlement, which was its function at Skyline Farms. West describes the

subsistence homestead ideal when he says:

Nationwide, the RA’s Rural Rehabilitation Division from 1935-1937 supervised twenty-five original FERA communities and thirty-four original Subsistence Homesteads whileestablishing another thirty-four RA communities. The projects were described as‘subsistence homesteads’ because reformers assumed that the best living environmentfor these depressed rural areas was one in which a family had enough land to produce agarden, raise some livestock and poultry, and then have good roads to provide access tonearby factories where cash wages could be earned.6

One of the twenty-five original projects funded and administered by FERA, the creation of Skyline Farms certainly reflects the above ideal. By 1937, the RA’s projects were turned over

to the Farm Security Administration (FSA), and administration of Skyline Farms transferredhands again.

The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was created in 1937 by the Bankhead-JonesFarm Tenancy Act, which transferred Resettlement Administration (RA) projects to the FSA.7 FSA, like the Federal Emergency Relief Agency (FERA) and the RA before it, focused its effortson rural rehabilitation. Again, resettlement homesteads, like Skyline Farms, were viewed as thebest way to assist struggling farmers. Because so many southern farmers were tenant farmersor sharecroppers, these agencies were designed to facilitate land ownership. Often, the bestway to accomplish this goal involved cooperative memberships within a newly establishedcommunity.

4

Ibid.

5Carroll Van West, Tennessee’s New Deal Landscapes: A Guidebook (Knoxville: University of Tennessee

Press, 2001), 128-129.

6Ibid., 129.

7Ibid., 19.



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Once appropriations were approved for statewide subsistence-homesteading programs,locations for these projects had to be determined by state legislature. In December 1934,Jackson County Probate Judge J.M. Money travelled with eight other county delegates toMontgomery, Alabama, the state’s capital, and argued for one of the proposed homesteads tobe developed in Jackson County. Judge Money asked the legislature to consider the county’srich natural resources, abundance of undeveloped land on Cumberland and Sand Mountains,

and the residents’ current condition. A large percentage of Jackson County residents werealready on state relief rolls, and most were tenant farmers at best. Money asked for help so thatJackson County families could become self-sustaining.

In addition to Judge Money’s observations, it is evident that the Cumberland Mountainregion had previously been considered for a subsistence-homesteading project. In June 1934,Two Rivers Lumber and Mining Corporation proposed developing a similar project, which wouldhave been the first of its kind to be developed by private enterprise. An article in the Jackson

County Sentinel tells of the plans, and says it was the goal of the corporation’s president, W.S.Douglas, “to fit in with the great Tennessee Valley development envisioned.”8 The article saysthat work on the project had already begun. Saw mills were already in operation and thecorporation had already begun clearing land. Further evidence of an earlier project plan is seen

in an article originally printed by the Birmingham News Age-Herald and reprinted in the Jackson County Sentinel on December 3, 1936. The article reads, “Although the project is now under the Resettlement Administration it was started as a local attempt to relieve the suffering amongJackson County’s destitute.”9

The Jackson County Sentinel article from 1934 also discusses the possible flooding of several homes in the Cove Creek region near Knoxville, Tennessee, once the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) begins construction of Norris Dam. This scenario was typical of many TVA damprojects throughout the rural south. Areas in northeast Mississippi, for instance, were floodedand hundreds displaced due to construction of a dam on the Tennessee River. The news articleconfirms that hundreds of families were to be displaced and would need somewhere new tosettle. In addition to the area’s abundance of undeveloped land, a road had been built up to the

mountain from Scottsboro under the Hoover Administration’s Reconstruction FinanceCorporation (RFC) just one year earlier.

In late 1931, the Hoover Administration developed the concept of a ReconstructionFinance Corporation (RFC) as an efficient way to meet needs for economic stimulation andsocial relief as the depression worsened. Congress created the RFC on January 22, 1932. TheRFC was the earliest known government relief agency to have major operations underway inJackson County. It funded the construction of a road from Scottsboro to Cumberland Mountainand back down into Paint Rock Valley. This modern road, completed in 1934, opened up the“wilderness” plateau of Cumberland Mountain for development.10

Judge Money noted the proposed flood region as well as the previous investment of a

road up to Cumberland Mountain before the Alabama legislature as further cause for selectingJackson County for at least one of the planned subsistence-homesteading projects. He argued

8

“Lumber Corporation Will Develop Vast Cumberland Mountain Into Homesteads,” Jackson County Sentinel, June, 28, 1934.

9“Birmingham News Reporter Writes of Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel , December 3, 1936.

10“Jackson Allocated $350,000 for Colony on Cumberland Mountain,” Jackson County Sentinel , February

28, 1935.



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that the people displaced in Tennessee would find northeast Alabama very similar to their homes near Knoxville, thus providing an easier transition for them. It is not known whether or not the previous attempt to develop such a project through private enterprise influenced thelegislature’s decision. It is possible that because sawmills were already in place and land wasalready cleared that officials viewed the Cumberland Mountain region more favorably than other locations for development of a resettlement community. It is also not known why plans for the

project never materialized under the Two Rivers Lumber and Mining Corporation.

By December 13, 1934, word had arrived that Jackson County would be the location of one of three resettlement communities in Alabama. Two hundred farm families already on therelief rolls of the state’s Rural Rehabilitation Program would be eligible for acceptance to theresettlement community. The project was developed on 13,000 acres of land purchased by thefederal government from the Pierce Development Company. The land was located onCumberland Mountain, 1,500 feet above sea level. The project was based on a cooperativestructure with all members working to clear one another’s land and construct one another’shomes. Like most New Deal programs of the Jim Crow era, Skyline Farms was for whites only.Gee’s Bend of Wilcox County, Alabama and Prairie Farms of Macon County, Alabama weresimilar resettlement communities designated for African Americans.

The selection process for families was demanding and included only families already onrelief rolls, most of them already living in Jackson County. Among the criteria used were menwith farm experience and a willingness to live in a rural community. Men had to be in goodphysical health and between the ages 30 and 55. They had to be of good character, have nocriminal record, and have evidence of a good credit rating before the Depression. According toCampbell, the age requirement existed because men of that age group often found it mostdifficult to find employment, yet they were experienced and mature.11

While construction of homes and a communal center was underway, a bunkhouse andmess hall were erected for the first twenty-five men employed on the project. The plan originallywas that these twenty-five men would stay and work throughout the week, returning to their

families on weekends. Once all twenty-five men had constructed homes for their families, theproject would be expanded until two hundred families had settled there. This arrangement didnot last long however. As word circulated as to which families had been chosen to “colonize”the new community, many landlords evicted tenants who were slated to move, and as a result,temporary shacks had to be erected to house entire families throughout the constructionprocess.12

From the very beginning, it was unclear not only to the farm families at Skyline Farmsbut also to government officials how farmers would repay their debt to the government. Although it was often discussed in the two newspapers prominent in Jackson County, theJackson County Sentinel and The Progressive Age, definitive procedures for repayment werenot widely known. This miscommunication was likely one of the greatest failures in the project’s

history. In her book on New Deal landscapes, Phoebe Cutler discusses this issue as it pertainsto the history of Cumberland Homesteads in Tennessee. She says, “The government’s

11

David Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation,”unpublished manuscript located in the collection of David Campbell papers, accessed at the Commissary, Skyline, Alabama.

12“Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set Up,” located in the collection at the Commissary in Skyline,

Alabama.



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revolving set of rules and fluctuating credo only exacerbated the confusion.”13 That said, it isapparent from newspaper articles that settlers were expected to pay on their debt in one way or another. One article states that “suitable” work would be established for women of the colonyso they too could “work out their indebtedness to the government.”14

The first home was open for inspection February 7, 1935. Harry N. Ross, the project

director under FERA and Jackson County works supervisor, hosted the inspection. JudgeMoney, Congressman Kirby, and FERA’s District Rehabilitation Director, T.P. Lee, all madespeeches. Planning engineer, A.F. Hawkins, State Director of Rural Rehabilitation, R.K. Green,state works supervisor, F.R. Smith, and J.T. High of the Auburn Extension Service all attended.Mr. and Mrs. Crawford Edwards and their family moved into the first colony house that day.Most of the house’s interior features were furnished by residents of Jackson County. Furniturewas mostly made at the colony and rugs and linens were handmade by women across thecounty.

The community’s center included a school, commissary, warehouse, cotton gin, and amanager’s office. Over time, a women’s work center, most likely used for canning, and a men’swork center, most likely used for woodwork and ironwork, were constructed in the center of

town. All of these buildings were constructed by members of the colony under the supervisionof the Resettlement Administration’s construction division. A health clinic was locatedsomewhere in the center of town, possibly the nurse’s private home or maybe housed in theadministrative office. The project’s home demonstration agent also kept a private home, whichserved as the model home for women in the community. The remaining land was dividedamong settlers in forty to sixty acre units (unit size varied based on the number of familymembers living on the land). Each family received materials to clear the land and construct athree to five bedroom home on the property. In addition, each family received an apple tree,mule, barn, and smokehouse.15 Food and clothing were provided to settlers through jointfunding from the Federal Emergency Relief Agency (FERA) and the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (FSRC).

The Federal Surplus Relief Corporation (FSRC) was first conceived as a FERA programin the fall of 1933. It was developed “as a means of circumventing the irony whereby cropspiled up in the countryside while the cities went hungry.”16 The FSRC therefore began acquiringsurplus commodities from farmers and feeding the unemployed. One of many New Dealagencies, the FSRC was short lived and was merged into the Department of Agriculture in theearly 1940s.

In addition to the major role played by the Resettlement Administration (RA), severalother New Deal agencies were involved at Skyline Farms. Throughout the project’s decadelong existence, agencies such as the Works Progress Administration (later renamed the WorksProjects Administration or WPA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the NationalYouth Administration (NYA) all had an active presence within the community.

13Cutler, The Public Landscape of the New Deal , 117.14

“Colonization Plan for Jackson County Moving Rapidly,” The Progressive Age, January 24, 1935.

15Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation,” 12.

16Arthur Schlesinger Jr., The Coming of the New Deal: 1933-1935 (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1958), 278.



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The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was first established in May 1935 and washeaded by Harry Hopkins at the federal level. The WPA funded many roads and bridge projectsacross the south and also funded the construction of hundreds of schools and public buildings.When they did not fund projects, they often provided labor. At Skyline Farms, the WPA fundedthe building of the community’s second school. Through a grant of $21,277, the new schoolwas constructed over a two year period and opened in 1938. As with the rest of the farms

project, members of the resettlement community were responsible for most of the labor toconstruct the school. Construction however was supervised by a WPA official and the structurewas “government planned.”17 In addition, William Kessler, landscape architect of Birmingham, Alabama, contributed to the design of the school.18 The WPA’s use of Kessler reflects theagency’s employment of local professionals in its projects. The school was an eleven roombuilding made of native sandstone and featured an auditorium where numerous communityfunctions were held. Unfortunately, in January of 1941, this building was lost to a fire of anundetermined cause and is no longer extant. The loss was estimated at $70,000 and waspartially covered by insurance. The Jackson County Board of Education signed a contract inJuly of 1941 with Douglas Construction Company of Birmingham, Alabama to rebuild theschool. The school was rebuilt on the original school site. Although the extant structure may bea reconstruction of the original school building, it was not a WPA project.19

The Civilian Conservation Corps was created under Congress as the EmergencyConservation Work program on March 31, 1933. The name was changed to the CivilianConservation Corps (CCC) in 1937 when the agency was reauthorized. Over time, the CCCproved one of the most popular New Deal agencies. Under the CCC, more than three millionunemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25 were employed to work on projects related tothe conservation and development of natural resources. It is unclear the impact the CCC hadspecifically at Skyline Farms. Newspaper articles reference CCC officials in the area. Onearticle even references a CCC camp in Jackson County but does not specifically mention theproject site.20

Another New Deal agency prominent within the Skyline Farms community was the

National Youth Administration (NYA). Established in June of 1935 as part of the Rooseveltadministration’s implementation of the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, the NYA providedwork to needy students between the age of 18 and 25. West describes the NYA’s primary goal.He says, “The administration saw NYA’s primary value as providing funds and workscholarships to keep needy students in high school and college under its Student Aidprogram.”21 This goal was evident in Skyline Farms’ NYA program. Local supervisor of theNYA, Clifford Anderson, developed the program for Skyline. The program consisted of thirty-five boys and ten girls, drawing $450.00 collectively each month for their pay. A second divisionof the NYA was a school work-aid group, giving part-time work to students 16 years of age andolder. Each student could make up to $6.00 a month, but they had to remain enrolled in schoolwhile they worked. These students worked on various projects, including clearing ditches to

17“Jackson Gets Big WPA Allocation on Local Projects,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 31, 1935.

18“Land-Breaking for School Building is Attended by Many,” Jackson County Sentinel , March 19, 1936.

19“Contract Let for Skyline School,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 1, 1941.

20“Local Made Movies Here Next Week,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 20, 1935.

21West, Tennessee’s New Deal Landscapes, 22.



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control flooding and building small bridges across some ditches in the drainage system. Theyalso assisted in construction of the basketball court, volleyball court, and playground equipment.The younger boys built wash stands to contribute to the health program and bookcases for teachers. Girls in the second division assisted teachers with classroom materials and posters.

Throughout the farm project’s duration, the National Youth Administration (NYA)

accomplished many things for the Skyline Farms community. Boys in the program madeheaters for the school out of recycled oil drums. They also built playground equipment andconstructed a park on the school grounds as well as one on Larkinsville Road. The boys alsoestablished a nursery in which they collected specimens of all native flowers and shrubs andtransplanted them for preservation. One of the most extensive projects attempted by the NYAboys was reclaiming of the Confederate Veterans’ cemetery east of the community’s center.This particular project received special appropriations from the NYA. According to onenewspaper report, the cemetery consisted of ten acres and was covered in natural growth. NYAboys were responsible for clearing the land and repairing the markers. A wall of native stonewas to be constructed at the entrance.22 Similarly, girls of the NYA program were hard at work.They conducted a health survey of sanitation by inspecting all houses and premises within thecommunity. They also assisted in clearing the grounds for the school park. In addition to

Student Aid programs, the NYA furnished a full-time librarian for the community library.

Along with the presence of several federal agencies, three state agencies playedimportant roles in the development of Skyline Farms. The Alabama Polytechnic Institute, nowknown as Auburn University, gave professional agricultural advice through its ExtensionDivision. The State Health Department assisted by playing an advisory role, and the StateDepartment of Education partnered with the Jackson County school board to make materialsavailable for the development of educational programs.23

Residents of Skyline Farms became members of the farm cooperative and together owned the commissary. They also formed their own marketing association and enjoyedcooperative health care benefits. The federal government subsidized these projects. Local

elections were organized for the first time in May 1937 to elect the community council. Also in1937, farmers hoped to move away from subsistence farming and planted their first cash crop,Irish potatoes. Later that same year, Resettlement Administration officials sent Ben Shahn of the Special Skills Division to photograph the project. These images are now available onlinethrough the Library of Congress’s American Memory Collection.

In addition to their work on the farm, residents participated in a variety of social andrecreational activities. Officials from the Special Skills Division of the Resettlement Administration often organized such events. The Skyline Farms Band and square dancers werenationally recognized in 1938 when they were invited to perform on the White House lawn for the president and first lady. Campbell says, “This was the first time a traditional music ensemblehad performed at the White House for an American president.”24 He adds that Alan Lomax later

recorded the musicians for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, partof another New Deal initiative that put unemployed artists to work.

22

“Extensive NYA Program at Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel , November 5, 1936.

23“Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan and Procedure of Operation of the Cumberland Mountain

Farms,” published by FERA, located in the collection at the Commissary in Skyline, Alabama.

24Campbell, “Skyline Farms.”



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Resettlement Administration (RA) officials of Jackson County outlined the plan for Skyline Farms in a document called “Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan andProcedure of Operation of the Cumberland Mountain Farms.” This document outlines plans for a“social service approach” to be employed at Skyline Farms. A trained social worker, whoformerly served as Director of Relief in an agricultural county, was employed as Director of

Social Service for this project. This person would have been a woman as social work was one of few female dominated professions. Under her authority, the RA placed a doctor, nurse, a homeeconomist, and recreational leader to assist her in promoting a social service program. Thissame document notes plans for construction of the “Model House” mentioned previously. Justlike the homes of homesteaders, the model house was designed to be the private residence of the social service staff under direct supervision of the Home Economist. The document saysthat the Home Economist was responsible for “teaching the women of a well ordered home andthe ways in which they might improve living conditions in their homes.”25

In addition to the Special Skills Division of the Resettlement Administration (RA), thePublic Health Section of the RA provided a health-care clinic. A nurse was on duty full-timewhile the doctor, Dr. Zimmerman, was available only part-time. Healthcare at Skyline, like

everything else, was viewed as a cooperative initiative and paid through a pre-paid group plan.This type of program was common in other such rural resettlement projects and was the first of its kind sponsored by the federal government.26 The health clinic hosted several events for thehealth education and physical betterment of the community. For instance, periodically, the nurseprovided “Well Baby” clinics and immunization clinics. The Home Management specialist,Eleanor Holley, sponsored a Red Cross Nutrition Course at the clinic, which taught goodnutrition and health. Additionally, the community put on plays occasionally and many werehealth themed. For instance, in May of 1937, a health play on the prevention and cure of malaria was put on while members of the community awaited local election results.27

The Skyline Farms School was considered progressive for its time in several areas.Under the Resettlement Administration’s Public Health Section, the school required the

immunization and medical examination of students prior to entering school for the first time. Inaddition, students at Skyline were grouped according to their ability rather than their age,allowing instruction to better suit each student’s needs.28 The school featured courses invocational trades for boys and home economics for girls. It was relatively rare for high schoolstudents to receive this type of instruction at the high school level at the time. In addition toexperimental practices, the school boasted one of the first Future Farmers of America (FFA)programs in northern Alabama. By 1943, Skyline’s FFA chapter was involved in reforestationprojects to address erosion on farms. They also established a school forest, a seven acre lotprovided by FFA to practice and demonstrate fire prevention practices.


Farms,” published by FERA, located in the collection at the Commissary in Skyline, Alabama.

26David Campbell and David Coombs, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural

Rehabilitation,” Appalachian Journal (Spring 1983): 248.

27“Skyline Farms Plan Community Election,” Jackson County Sentinel , May, 6, 1937.

28Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.



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Although officials in Washington D.C. felt it appropriate for farmers in northeast Alabamato grow a cotton cash crop, the land and climate in northeast Alabama proved unsuitable for growing cotton. Campbell says farmers attempted to switch their primary cash crop to Irishpotatoes, but that venture too eventually failed. By the early 1940s, Skyline Farms had begun todecline. In 1938, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) accepted an offer from DexdaleHosiery Mills of Pennsylvania, allowing the company to operate mills in three of the

government’s resettlement projects. Hoping to boost the local economy, the federal governmentawarded a contract to an Atlanta based company to construct one of the hosiery mills at SkylineFarms. The mill eventually failed due to nylon rationing during World War II.

From 1940 to 1945, the newspaper articles cover mostly deaths, births, marriages,vacations, hospital visits, local election results, singings, and other social events. The mostinteresting stories published in the project’s later years are on Skyline Farms’ participation in thewar effort. Farmers were urged to plant peanuts for oil, and more than eighty men from SkylineFarms served in the military during the war. On the homefront, the Skyline communityparticipated in the program for food production needed across the nation. A newspaper articlein 1942 highlights their efforts; “With the ability to feed themselves accomplished, Skyline nowturns efforts toward that of helping feed the nation…Skyline, we feel is contributing something to

the National defense where it counts most.”29 While many believe that decline led to theeventual liquidation of government assets at Skyline Farms, this article printed in 1942 remarksthat Skyline farmers were doing well, enjoying a surplus for the first time in the project’s shorthistory. In fact, the article concludes, “There is no limit to the amount of foods and feeds we cancontribute considering the size of the community.”30

Campbell argues that in addition to the community’s overall decline, by the 1940s, somemembers of Congress were starting to question the communal nature of resettlementcommunities, calling them socialistic. In 1944, the federal government began liquidating theproject’s assets. Only two of the original settlers were able to purchase their farms. The restwere sold to private buyers, leaving many of the original settlers homeless once again. In aninterview conducted by Dr. David Campbell, one of the original settlers said that he and his

family had to resort back to tenant farming after leaving the project and eventually migratednorth in search of industrial work.31

Interestingly, the number of times Skyline Farms is mentioned in either the Jackson County Sentinel or The Progressive Age drops significantly in the 1940s. Clearly the entranceof the United States in World War II in 1941 took precedence, but it is interesting that thedecline and liquidation of Skyline Farms is hardly mentioned.

Skyline Farms Craft and Music Traditions

Both music and crafts played an important role in community life at Skyline Farms,

Alabama. From the colony’s establishment, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration

29“Skyline Farms Answers Demands for Food,” Jackson County Sentinel , March 31, 1942.

30Ibid.

31David Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation,”

unpublished manuscript located in the collection of David Campbell papers, accessed at the Commissary, Skyline, Alabama.



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(FERA) realized the importance of implementing programs that would foster a sense of togetherness among colonists in their rural community projects. Creating a sense of togetherness and a means for colonists to bond with one another was critical to the success of Skyline.

Many of the colonists that relocated to Skyline did not know one another, so creating

social opportunities in a community setting offered a chance for colonists to bond. “Carl Taylor,a rural sociologist employed with the Subsistence Homestead Division, believed strongly increating this sense of community. His ideas reflect the theory that went into the planning of Skyline Farms,” argued David Campbell. “Taylor believed that ‘community consciousness’would bind together new communities.”32 The community of Skyline Farms bonded together through a series of public activities common to the Appalachian area, including handicrafts, folkmusic, and dance.

Handicrafts

Handicrafts, such as furniture making, quilting, and sewing, were heavily emphasized atSkyline Farms. Campbell argues that participating in crafts would not only “serve as a source of

community pride,” but the crafts that were produced could be sold, providing additional incometo colonists.33 Handicrafts were gendered at Skyline, as men participated in furniture making,while women practiced sewing and quilting.

One of the more distinct handicrafts of Skyline was the craft of furniture making. Most of the furniture in the colony homes was built by J. A. Houston in a small shop, which had “as itsonly machine a homemade lathe” (see figure 1).34 Houston and perhaps others made manydifferent kinds of furniture, including cabinets, bedsteads, tables, and chairs. The chairs werefashioned in the traditional Appalachian style. “Comfort is the defining feature of a traditionalsouthern Appalachia chair,” argues Patrick Velde. “The Appalachian chair, marked by rear postswhich bend backwards and away from the woven seat, allows the sitter to lean back andengage in contemplative sitting.”35 The rear posts that bend slightly backwards and the woven

seats are characteristics of the chairs made at Skyline (see figures 2 and 3). A 1917instructional article on how to reseat a chair by Harriet Cushman Wilkie contains an illustrationthat closely resembles one of the styles of chairs made at Skyline (see figure 3).

32

David Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation,”unpublished manuscript located in the collection of David Campbell papers, accessed at the Commissary, Skyline

Alabama.

33Ibid., 27.

34Harold L. Fisher, “Nearly 200 Contented Families Find Homes on Cumberland Mountain Farms,” Jackson

County Sentinel , 3 December 1936. The newspaper article contains an image of J.A. Houston seated next to severalchairs and a bedstead that he built.

35Patrick Velde, “Woodwork: Chairs,” Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present .

http://www.wcu.edu/craftrevival/crafts/chairs.html (accessed November 2, 2010).



13

Figure 1: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Resettled farmer who, under supervision, is making furniture, JacksonCounty, Alabama.”Source: Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002069-M3] (Current residents of the Skyline community have identified the man in this photo as Mr. Houston/EmoryHouston. He also appears to be the same man pictured in the December 3, 1936 article in the Jackson County Sentinel , however this image identifies the man as J.A. Houston.)



14

Figure 2: Amy Kostine, photographer. “Skyline Farms chair on display at the Commissary (on loan from the Owensfamily).”



15

Figure 3: Harriet Cushman Wilkie, “Reseating Old Chairs.”Source: Hunter Library Digital Collections(http://wcudigitalcollection.cdmhost.com/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/p4008coll2&CISOPTR=1555).



16

The smaller sized chair depicted in figure 3 was not the only type of chair made at Skyline.There was not a universal style of an Appalachia chair, rather the chairs shared basiccharacteristics, and the design of the chair was open to the creative interpretation of the crafter.“It is important to note that there was also a generous flexibility of design within the traditional Appalachian style, argued Patrick Velde. “While many southern craftsmen did adhere to thebasic requirements of a ‘settin’ chair,’ some employed a variety of unique adaptations; varying

the number of slats and posts, adding rockers, or customizing a seat’s weave.”36 Furnituremakers at Skyline added rockers to some of the chairs they made (see figure 4). Even thechairs with the rockers still have the rear posts that bend slightly backwards.

Figure 4: “.”Untitled.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-DIG-fsa-8a17266]

Men, women, and children made handicrafts at Skyline. In 1937, the October fair held atSkyline annually offered prizes for the best “crochet work, embroidery work, cut work, tuftingand rugs.”37 Children at Skyline also practiced arts and crafts skills. The National Youth Administration taught girls to make “tennis, volley ball, and fish nets for sale or exchange for other similar products.”38

36

Ibid.

37“Skyline Farms Community Fair,” Jackson County Sentinel , 5 October 1937.

38Fisher. An article in the Jackson County Sentinel reported that photographer, Ben Shahn, photographed

the activities of the NYA during his visit to Skyline in 1937.



17

Community Events

Field days, competitions, and square dances were often held at Skyline for entertainment and as an effort to help colonists bond with one another. One of the largestattended events at Skyline was the annual Fourth of July picnic. This event was open to allresidents of Jackson County, and was heavily advertised in the newspapers. The event opened

Skyline Farms to anyone who was curious about the community and its progress, and it alsoprovided various sources of food and entertainment, including “baking, barbeque, music andtwo ball games.”39 The event was first held in 1935 and was met with great success. Anewspaper reported, “The Cumberland Farms was the scene of one of the biggest picnics onthe 4th of any picnic that has been held in this county in many years. The crowd was estimatedfrom 2,500 to 5,000 people.”40 The picnic was not just to provide entertainment, but also servedto promote the success of the colony. The same newspaper article that reported the attendancealso gave a lengthy positive description of the progress of the colony. The picnic was held infollowing years and continuously met with similar success.

Besides Fourth of July picnics, Skyline Farms hosted an annual community fair. OnOctober 10, 1936, the fair at Skyline hosted a series of softball and baseball games and several

contests. For entertainment, there were “shooting galleries, fish ponds, [and a] fortune-tellingboth.”41 There was also an exhibit of furniture made by J. A. Houston, which was “expected tobe one of the most outstanding displays of the fair.”42 Other activities included: “a baby show, awheel barrow race, pie eating contests, three legged race, hog calling contest, watermeloneating contests, long jumps, potato race, sack race, and horse shoe pitching.”43 Women wereencouraged to participate in a canning competition as well. A “huge crowd of people” attendedthe 1936 fair.44 Subsequent fairs offered more activities and competitions.

Music and Dance

Folk music is an integral part of Appalachian life, and is learned through aural

transmission. Songs are typically learned by listening to another musician perform. Once thesong is learned by ear, it is then performed from memory. George Carney, an expert on folkmusic, argues that there are two requirements of a folk song, “One is that the origin of themelody must be unknown to the performer. A second requirement is that the melody and lyricsexist in variant forms.”45 Stringed instruments, such as the fiddle, banjo, dulcimer, guitar andmandolin, became an essential part of Appalachian folk music.

39

“Fourth of July to be Celebrated at Colony,” Jackson County Sentinel , 25 June 1936.

40“Cumberland Mountain Scene of Big Fourth: The Largest Crowd in Years Attends Celebration; Day is

Enjoyed.” 11 July 1935. Newspaper title unknown, accessed at the Commissary, Skyline, Alabama. 41

Cumberland Farms Community Fair,” Jackson County Sentinel , 8 October 1936.

42Ibid.

43Ibid.

44“Skyline Farms Community Fair.” Unknown date and newspaper title, accessed at the Commissary,

Skyline, Alabama.

45Rehder, 244-245.



18

Skyline Farms had a strong folk music and dance tradition. Taylor advocated the idea of folk music as a way of bringing a community together, since music “served as a means of ‘self-expression’ and ‘relaxation.’”46 The RA offered several opportunities for colonists to bondthrough music and dance. The Special Skills Division “sent a teacher to Skyline Farms to giveinstruction in folk dancing and music.”47 Charles Seeger, father of Pete Seeger and a musicadvisor in the Special Skills Division of the RA, believed that “proletarian music is an integral

part of the question of social evolution. ‘Music,’ he commented, ‘is one of the cultural formsthrough which the work of humanizing and preparation operates. Thus, it becomes ‘a weapon inthe class struggle.’”48 Seeger was responsible for placing a “teacher” at Skyline Farms, and hisplacement of a teacher helped foster the development and success of music and dance atSkyline Farms.

As part of a job assignment with the RA Music Program, Seeger attended the MountainDance and Folk Festival in Asheville, North Carolina in 1936.49 The festival was created andorganized by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928. Seeger was impressed by Lunsford’s festivaland the quality of the musicians and dancers that performed there. He eventually hired Lunsford“as a field worker for the Music Program.”50 After participating in a “two-week training session,under Seeger, in Washington,” Lunsford was given the primary assignment of teaching and

promoting dance and music at Skyline Farms.51

Lunsford was a lawyer, musician (banjo player and singer), festival promoter, and an Appalachian folk music historian. He was known as the “Minstrel of the Appalachians.”52 Whiledefending a client who had been accused of moonshining in 1920, Lunsford wrote one of hismost famous songs, “Mountain Dew” or “Old Mountain Dew.”53 The song was released in 1928,and covered by famous singers, Lulu Belle and Scotty Wiseman, among others.54 Lunsford wasa “walking library of Appalachian arts,” argued historian Loyal Jones. “He was a remarkableperformer, recording more than 300 songs, tunes and tales from memory for posterity. But moreimportantly to him, he sought to present what he considered to be the best of mountainperformers to a public that was growing away from the old folk traditions,” and he presentedthem at his Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville from year to year.55

46

David Campbell and David Coombs, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and RuralRehabilitation,” Appalachian Journal (Spring 1983): 249.

47Ibid.

48Loyal Jones, Minstrel of Appalachians: The Story of Bascom Lamar Lunsford (Lexington: University Press

of Kentucky, 2002), 120.

49Ibid.

50Ibid., 121.

51

Ibid 67, 121.52

Ibid, 93.

53Ibid., 34.

54Ibid. Lunsford’s version of “Mountain Dew” was reportedly used as the first advertising theme for the

beverage of the same name, Mountain Dew.

55Ibid.



19

Skyline Farms offered numerous events promoting music and dance, and Lunsford wasan integral component to the success of the events and the music and dance tradition at SkylineFarms. There was always some sort of music or dance event occurring on any given day or night at Skyline. Fiddlers’ conventions were held at the Cumberland Mountain Farms Schoolauditorium, offering a chance to win prizes.56 In addition to these conventions, a square dance

was held every Friday evening.57 On September 25, 1936, Cumberland Mountain Farms hosteda “Negro Minstrel,” which offered “vocal solos, duets, quartets, buck dancing, banjo picking,string music and the usual end men with their stories.”58 In all likelihood these performers werewhites in blackface, a common form of entertainment at the time. After the minstrel, the usualFriday evening square dance was held. Musicians from Skyline Farms were even broadcastedover the WAPI radio station in Birmingham, Alabama on August 1, 1936 from 5:00pm to6:00pm. The Jackson County Sentinel reported, “The Night Riders band is one of the best stringbands in the South and has made appearances at many places over the country and they are of course, a regular feature at the colony. Wherever the Night Riders appear they always make ahit and are invited and urged to come back again.”59

Lunsford introduced singers and dancers from all over the region to the programs at

Skyline Farms. At one particular event, according to a local newspaper advertisement, “Mr. TomStarkey of Hollywood and Mr. Sherman Crye of Sand Mountain are invited to bring a team of square dancers… Mrs. James McClain, an excellent fiddler, will render several old time tunessuch as ‘Roaring River,’ ‘Grey Eagle,’ and ‘Rocky Road to Diner’s house’” (see figure 5).60 TheSkyline Farms band and dancers did not just perform locally. Lunsford invited the Skyline Farmsband and dancers to perform at his Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville in August1937.61 The announcement was made at a local event held in the Skyline Farms schoolauditorium in front of a crowd of approximately 350 people on March 9, 1937 by Lunsfordhimself. 62 The Asheville appearance was the first of several significant concerts for the Skylinemusicians and dancers.

56

“Old-Time Fiddlers Convention,” Jackson County Sentinel , unknown date, accessed at the Commissary,Skyline, Alabama.

57Campbell and Coombs, 249.

58“Cumberland Farms to have Big Negro Minstrel,” 24 September 1936, newspaper title unknown, accessed

at the Commissary, Skyline, Alabama.

59“Night Riders Over WAPI Radio,” Jackson County Sentinel , 6 August 1936.

60

“String Music and Play at Skyline Farms March 9,” unknown date and newspaper title, accessed at theCommissary, Skyline, Alabama.

61“Mountain Dance and Folk Festival,” Folk Heritage Committee, May 2010,

http://www.folkheritage.org/ourhistory.htm (accessed November 9, 2010). The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival wasestablished in 1928 and has continued annually ever since. It is the “oldest continuously running folk festival in thenation,” and continues to showcase Appalachian music, dance, and culture.

62“Skyline Square Dance Team to Attend Ashville Festival,” unknown date and newspaper, accessed at the

Commissary, Skyline, Alabama.



20

Figure 5: Ben Shahn, photographer. “Mrs. Mary McLean, Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33- 006295-M2

On August 5, 1937, twenty-nine musicians and dancers from Skyline left for thefestival.63 They performed for an audience of 2,000 to 5,000 people “from every state in theunion” and representing five foreign countries.64 Artist and photographer, Ben Shahn of theSpecial Skills Division, was present at the festival too. He was impressed by the Skyline bandand dancers, and visited the colony at a later date to photograph the musicians and dancers

(see figure 6 and 7).

63

“Musicians and Dancers from Skyline Farms Visit Asheville, North Carolina,” Jackson County Sentinel , 17 August 1937. The following people attended: Mr. and Mrs. W. I. Floyd, Mr. and Mrs. Otis Sharp, Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. N. E. Waldrop, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Sentell, Mr. and Mrs. Elton Kennamer, Mr. and Mrs.Verbon Hodges, Mis Vesta Paradise, Miss Maude Lindsay, Miss Opal Holsenback, J. S. Shavers, Sister Ada Clarke,Jack Bradley, Mrs, Robin Adair, Pronce Whorton, Oakland Paradise and Orville. O’Shields. The band was composedof N. L. Green, Chester Allen, Thomas Holt, Joe Sharp, Clifford Anderson, and R. Rousseau.

64Ibid.



21

Figure 6: Ben Shahn, photographer. “Square dance, Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-006289-M2]

Figure 7: Ben Shahn, photographer. “Young musician at Skyline Farms, Alabama.” Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-006289-M2]



22

The Skyline Farms band and dance team performed at 8:00 pm on the first two nights of the festival. The band performed several times on the closing night as well. In addition toperforming on stage, the Skyline band was the only band from the festival that was broadcastedover the radio. The broadcast lasted from 11:45 to 12:00 on Saturday morning.65 EltonKennamer, a member of the Skyline dance team, was sightseeing forty miles from Ashevillewhen he heard the broadcast coming from the radio of a parked car. He reportedly “heard a dog

barking over the radio. Immediately he recognized Chester’s ‘Rattler’ and he and his entire partyswarmed around the automobile to listen.”66 The success at Asheville encouraged Skylinedancers and musicians to continue performing their music beyond the Cumberland Mountain.

The following year, the Skyline dancers and musicians were given another opportunity,one far more prestigious than the festival at Asheville. Eleanor Roosevelt, the nation’s FirstLady, invited the Skyline band and dance team to perform in Washington, D. C. at a WhiteHouse garden party. The Jackson County Sentinel reported, “Chester Allen, famous comedianmusician, received a special invitation to the affair and will do his stuff with a new number or two.”67 Approximately thirty members of the Skyline community departed on May 10, 1938 for Washington, D. C.,68 with expenses paid by the federal government.69 The Skyline band anddance team performed on May 12 th on the White House lawn.70 The Jackson County Sentinel

reported:

The White House grounds rang with mountain music, hound dog wails and theshuffle of dancing feet Thursday. Twenty-two Alabama boys and girls who helpedhomestead a hilltop to escape the depression, sang, danced and fiddled for 2,323garden party guests.

The gingham-clad girls and coatless boys who “Threaded the Needle” and “RangUp Four” were young folks from Skyline Farms, a government aided communitynear Scottsboro, Alabama. Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was entertainingwomen executives of government departments announced her entertainment hadcome 750 miles by car to “play” just as they do regularly on Friday nights in their

own community house…in the Lower Cumberland Mountains.

Ike Floyd, smiling homesteader in charge of timber-cutting in the community wasmaster of ceremonies.

65

Ibid.

66Ibid.

67“Group from Skyline Farms On Way To Washington, D.C.,” Jackson County Sentinel , 10 May 1938.

68Joyce Money Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms: Success or Failure?” (Master’s thesis,

Alabama A&M University, 1978), 25. The following members of the Skyline community were present at the WhiteHouse garden party: Mr. and Mrs. W. I. Floyd, Willie Rodgers, Opal Holsonback, Mrs. A. Walker, Prince Whorton,Mrs. E. E. Wilson, John Lindsey, J. W. Holmand, Edith Green, Mr. and Mrs. Elton Kennamer, Mr. and Mrs. N. E.Waldrop, Walter Freeman, Juanita Jarnagin, Jane Floyd, M. L. Lands, Mr. and Mrs. Otis Sharpe, Mr. and Mrs, W. N.Ross, H. L. Green, Joe Sharpe, Clifford Anderson, Thomas Holt, Reuben Rousseau, and Chester Allen (Old Rattler).

69Campbell and Coombs, 249.

70“Group from Skyline Farms On Way To Washington, D.C,” unknown date and title, article part of collection

at the Commissary, accessed at the Commissary, Skyline, Alabama.



23

Not the least self conscious, a six-piece orchestra began with “Alabama Jubilee,”When they played “Fox Chase,” Chester Allen who doubled on the fiddle andguitar wailed like a dog. Then the tune “Cacklin Hen” and Allen’s voice still didtricks. Eight couples danced the figures kept alive in the South despite themodern round dances.71

The Washington Post also covered the performance. It reported:

A highlight of the afternoon’s entertainment was the program of mountain musicand old fashioned square dances presented on the improvised stage at one sideof the lawn. Twenty-two Alabama boys and girls came 750 miles by automobilefrom Skyline Farms near Scottsboro, Ala. to put on the program…

Master of ceremonies was Ike Floyd, homesteader in charge of timber-cutting inthe community. As he called the figures eight couples “waved the ocean, wavedthe sea,” “opened and shut the garden gate,” and “circled left,” while the six-piecestring orchestra made mountain music. The “fox chance” duet in which Chester Allen starred, was one of the first numbers in the program that began with

“Alabama Jubilee” and concluded with an “Over the Mountain” song. Judging bythe thunder of applause following each performance, the gingham-clad girls andcoatless boys were highly successful as entertainers.72

According to Chester Allen’s son, Roger, when Chester performed at the White House,“the President laughed so hard and was so amused by Chester’s ‘bark’ he could not quitslapping his knee.”73 In addition to performing, the Skyline band also recorded severalsongs for Alan Lomax, director of the Library of Congress’s Archive of American FolkSong. The trip was a huge success.74

The following year, the Skyline dancers performed again at the White House. TheRoosevelts invited Lunsford for a special performance for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

This was the first time a reigning British Monarch visited the United States of America. Mrs.Roosevelt wanted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to hear a variety of American music.She invited numerous singers and musicians besides Lunsford, including Marian Anderson,Lawrence Tibbett, Kate Smith, and Alan Lomax.75 This was certainly a highlight of Lunsford’sextensive career. For the special occasion, Lunsford brought Sam Queen, Queen’s Soco GapDancers, and the Skyline Farms dancers.76 This performance was an incredible and rare

71

“Skyline Farms Group Make a Hit in Washington,” Jackson County Sentinel , 17 May 1938.

72Hope Ridings Miller, “Cabinet Wives. Including Mmes. Morsenthau. Swanson, Wallace, Roper and Miss

Perkins Assist First Lady as Hostesses,” The Washington Post , 13 May 1938.

73

Interview with Roger Allen by Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Katie Randall,September 9, 2010.

74Skyline Farms Band recordings are available in the Archive of American Folk Culture at the Library of

Congress, AFS 2943A1-2945B, which contains three discs and eleven songs. Seehttp://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/Alabama.html for additional details.

75Jones, 71.

76Ibid.



24

opportunity for the Skyline Farms dancers. They were known for their talent locally and hadperformed at large scale events before, but never for reigning monarchs.

Several members of the Skyline band went on to a certain amount of success in themusic industry. Joe Sharp, the guitarist and mandolinist of the Skyline Farms band, becamefamous for his version of “Cotton Mill Colic,” recorded by Alan Lomax in 1938 for the Library of

Congress’s Archive of American Folk Song project. David McCarn had originally recorded“Cotton Mill Colic” in May 1930. McCarn was laid off from his job as a textile worker in VictoryYarn Mills in South Gastonia, North Carolina. McCarn told two interviewers in 1961 that hewrote the song “due to the conditions of the textile mills in the South at that time and the hardtimes we was having…things were just about that bad.”77 His former mill superintendent did notsee the humor in the satirical song when he heard it and blacklisted McCarn from the mill.78

“Cotton Mill Colic” struck a chord with many people who could relate to the lyrics. Thesong was used in a United Textile Workers union rally in Danville, Virginia.79 The song reachedSouthern Appalachia through aural traditions and radio broadcasts. Sharp learned the song andrecorded it for Lomax during his visit to Washington, D.C. in 1938. Historian Peter Huber argued, “[Sharp’s version] came to be enshrined as the definitive aural version of the song.”80 In

1941, Lomax published a transcription of Sharp’s version of the song in his anthology, Our Singing Country: A Second Volume of American Ballads and Folk Songs.81

Chester Allen, a member of the Skyline Farms band, appeared on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, which was a popular country music stage show that was broadcasted over CBSradio every Saturday. The show moved from Ohio to Mount Vernon, Kentucky in November 1939; therefore, Allen most likely performed on the Ohio stage. Thousands of people from allover the country attended the show, and thousands more listened in over the radio. Allenperformed with artists such as Red Foley and Ernest Tubb. According to Chester Allen’s son,Roger Allen, “When Chester played with Red Foley and saw Foley’s extensive wardrobe, havingonly one suit of his own, Chester was so embarrassed, he crouched in a corner until it was histime to play.”82 Allen also performed on the ABC affiliate of Chicago known as WLS.83 He also

“recorded for Victor on the Bluebird label.”84

His most well known hit recording was “NewHuntsville Jail.”85 Allen is listed as a Music Achiever in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

77

Patrick Huber, Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South (Chapel Hill:University of North Carolina Press, 2008), 200.

78Ibid., 202.

79Ibid., 209.

80 Ibid., 210. 81

Ibid.

82Ibid.

83Roger Allen.

84 Country Music Who’s Who (Nashville: Record World Publications, 1971), H-29.

85Ibid.



25

Skyline Farms as Documented by New Deal Photographers

Between 1935-1943, Roy Emerson Stryker directed a group of photographers for theResettlement Administration, later absorbed into the Farm Security Administration. Stryker’sphotographers created over 270,000 images, depicting the lives of ordinary Americans acrossthe country.86 “We tried to present the ordinary in an extraordinary manner,” argued

photographer, Ben Shahn. “But that’s a paradox, because the only thing extraordinary about itwas that it was so ordinary. Nobody had ever done it before, deliberately. Now it’s calleddocumentary.”87 Shahn was one of three Resettlement Administration photographers whophotographed Skyline Farms (formally Cumberland Mountain Farms) between 1935 and 1937.The photographs taken by these three men capture the “ordinary” lives of the colonists of Skyline Farms, and serve as an exemplary case study into the methodology of Stryker and hisphotographers.

In 1935, the Resettlement Administration was established as a New Deal program andwas directed by Rexford G. Tugwell, a professor of economics at Colombia University, who wasa close advisor to Roosevelt.88 Tugwell was well aware that some of the programs administeredby the RA would be unpopular, so he created the Informational Division, which was to showcase

the RA’s successes.

In order to showcase the benefits of some of the programs that Tugwell knew would becontroversial, he wanted to hire someone familiar with photographs, believing that photographswould be the best way to show the public the program’s successes. “Tugwell realized that hewould have to rely heavily on photographs to tell the story of the RA. Aware of the importance of familiarizing the public, especially city dwellers, with the plight of the rural poor, he felt thatwords alone would not create a groundswell of support.”89 He knew photographs would be aneffective way to document the problems in America that the program was addressing and bringboth the problems and the program’s successes to the eyes of Americans. In his words, “Weintroduced Americans to America.”90

Tugwell turned to Stryker, his former student turned colleague at Columbia University,for the job. Stryker taught economics at Columbia University, and it was during this time that hebegan to use photography as a teaching device. He refused to use a textbook to teach hisstudents, instead he brought his students directly to slums, museums, and markets, and whenfieldtrips were not an option he turned to photographs as an educational source.91 Stryker recalled, “I got impatient because the bright boys at Columbia University had never seen a ragdoll, corn tester, or an old dasher churn. I dug up pictures to show city boys things that every

86

Roy Emerson Stryker and Nancy C. Wood, In This Proud Land: America, 1935-1943, as seen in the FSA

Photographs (New York: Galahad Books, 1973), 7.

87Davis Pratt, The Photographic Eye of Ben Shahn (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975), x.

88Jack F. Hurley, Portrait of a Decade; Roy Stryker and the Development of Documentary Photography in

the Thirties (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1972), 30.

89Michael L. Carlebach, “Documentary and Propaganda: The Photographs of the Farm Security

Administration,” The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts 8 (Spring 1988): 15-17.

90Stryker and Wood, 9.

91Ibid., 10-11.



26

farm boy knows about.”92 Stryker realized early on that photography could educate people inways that a simple explanation in a textbook could not.

Stryker’s interest in photography began to grow. Tugwell allowed Stryker to organizephotographs for his book, American Economic Life. Stryker collaborated with the famousphotographer Lewis Hine on the project, and it was Hine’s approach to photography that

inspired Stryker’s direction of his photographers for the FSA.93 Stryker’s use of photography inthe classroom, his keen ability to select appropriate photographs for a given topic, and hisunderstanding of economics led Tugwell to recruit Stryker for the job.

In 1935, Tugwell hired Stryker and gave him the title, Chief of the Historical Section.94 His job description was vague and called upon him to “direct the activities of investigators,photographers, economists, sociologists and statisticians…to make accurate descriptions of thevarious… phases of the Resettlement Administration, particularly with regard to the historical,sociological and economic aspects of the several programs and their accomplishments.”95 Atfirst, Stryker was unsure exactly what his job was supposed to encompass. He chosephotography as a starting point, and he hired Arthur Rothstein to fill the photographicrequirement.96 At first, Rothstein was ordered to photograph virtually every piece of paper that

was associated with Stryker and his office.97

Stryker never managed to hire any economists or sociologists. Instead, he focused onphotography. He knew that his job required him to gain public support for the RA’s programs,and since he had used photography in the classroom to educate his students in the past, heknew that photography would be perfect for educating the general public. Through photography,the public could see firsthand the plight of many Americans and the success of the RA’sprograms.

Stryker’s historical section was not the only area of the government to use photographsfor documentary purposes. Seventy percent of federal agencies were using photography duringthe 1930’s. 98 Agencies began competing with one another for photographic resources, such as

darkrooms and photographers. Stryker saw this problem early on, confronted Tugwell, and soonwas granted complete control over all photographic related matters.99 Stryker was now able tooversee the complete photographic process, from the hiring of the photographers, what wasbeing photographed, and how it would reach the public. Stryker’s complete control over thephotographic matters separated his photographers and their work from other federalgovernment agencies’ photographs.

92

Ibid., 11.

93Ibid.

94 Hurley, 36.

95Ibid., 36.

96Ibid., 37.

97Ibid, 30.

98Stryker and Wood, viii.

99Ibid., 38-39.



27

Rothstein was not only Stryker’s first photographer, but he was also the first tophotograph Skyline Farms. One of Rothstein’s first assignments was to photograph life in the Appalachian Mountains.100 He departed for his assignment in the fall of 1935 and extensivelyphotographed the region using a 35mm camera. On August 28, 1935, Rothstein wrote toStryker and said, “After I am finished with Louisiana, I will continue to the Cumberland Farms, Alabama and the Irwinville Farms, Georgia.”101 Rothstein photographed the colony in the

beginning of September focusing on the new colonists and the construction occurring at thecolony.

Rothstein’s set of photographs told the story of the establishment of the colony, frombeginning to end, and the people involved. Among the images are photographs of individualswho were selected for relocation to Skyline Farms (See Figure 1-4). Rothstein took severalimages of women and children who were going to be relocated to Skyline in the near future.Most are portraits of individuals located outside their homes, but Rothstein also photographed atleast one women inside her current residence (See Figure 5).

Figure 1: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Wife of sharecropper who will be resettled on Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002081-M2].

100

Hurley, 82.

101Letter from Arthur Rothstein to Roy E. Stryker, 28 August, 1935, Roy Stryker Papers,

University of Louisville Library, Special Collections.



28

Figure 2: Untitled.Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33- 002082-M3].



29

Figure 3: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Son of sharecropper to be resettled on Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-002082-M4].



30

Figure 4: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Wife and children of resettled farmer, Jackson County, Alabama.Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002070-M4].



31

Figure 5: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Wife of sharecropper to be resettled on Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002081-M1].

Rothstein also photographed several colonists in the production of building colonyhomes. He photographed both the sawmill and men working in a stone quarry on the property(See Figure 6-13). The titles of some of the images can also offer insight into the story Rothsteinand the RA was trying to tell about the community. The title of one particular photograph states,“Sawmill. New houses are built with timber cut on the project,” which would give insight to thepublic about the self-sufficiency of the community.



32

Figure 6: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Sawmill. New houses are built with timber cut on the project.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF34-T01-000479-D].(Current residents of the Skyline community have identified the man in the middle as W.I. Floyd)

Figure 7: Untitled.Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002081-M4].



33

Figure 8: Untitled.Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002083-M3].



34

Figure 9: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Cutting wood for shingles, Jackson County, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33- 002071-M2].



35

Figure 10: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Clearing land by burning stumps, Skyline Farms, Alabama.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002082-M1].

Figure 11: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Farmers who have been resettled at Skyline Farms, at work in sand pit.”Source: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-T01-002065-M2].



36

Figure 12: Untitled.Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33- 002089-M4].



37

Figure 13: Untitled.Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF33-002090-M4].

In addition to photographing future colonists and the construction of colony homes,Rothstein photographed the temporary shacks built to house the new colonists, and, tocomplete the story, he photographed a completed colony home (see Figure 14 and 17). Thecontrast between the temporary shack and the new colony home is striking. If the photographs

were viewed side by side, then it would have cast the RA’s program and Skyline Farms in apositive light and showed the progress of the colony. This was most likely the purpose of thephotographs.



38

Figure 14: Arthur Rothstein, photographer. “Family of resettlement farmer living in temporary shack while new houseis being built.”Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF34-T01-000478-D]

Five months later, Stryker gave Rothstein instruction on what to photograph atGardendale Homesteads, located near Birmingham, Alabama and known for its unique rammedearth housing. “We have received word that fifty families will be moved into Gardendale andother projects,” Stryker wrote to Rothstein. “It is very important that you get a good set of pictures of this move. By all means, try to find out from where the families are coming and

obtain a set of pictures that will show the progress from old home to new.”

102

This instructiondescribes exactly what Rothstein photographed at Skyline. All in all, Rothstein’s imagesportrayed Skyline Farms in a positive light and showed the rapid progress of the community,which, in turn, portrayed the government’s programs as successful. The photographs serve as aphotographic documentary of the establishment of the colony and the building methodsimplemented.

Rothstein made at least one more trip to Skyline Farms in 1937. Rothstein was workingin Birmingham, Alabama in February. “I am trying to get hold of all the additional jobs which youcan do while working out of Birmingham,” wrote Stryker to Rothstein. “I am doing this because Iwould like to have you hold up until I get there before you start in on new jobs in Region VI. Inview of this, I suggest that you go to the Cumberland Mountain Farms, Alabama.”103 Rothstein

took images relating to community life during this trip, including images of the cooperative store,the school, and several colonists (See Figures 18-22, pages 51-53). Stryker may have advisedRothstein to take photographs of specific things that Rothstein missed the first time he visited,

102

Letter from Roy E. Stryker to Arthur Rothstein, 5 February 1937, Roy Stryker Papers, University of Louisville Library, Special Collections, Louisville, Kentucky.

103Letter from Roy E. Stryker to Arthur Rothstein, 3 March 1937, Roy Stryker Papers, University of Louisville

Library, Special Collections, Louisville, Kentucky.



39

since Rothstein seemingly took photographs of everything he did not on the first trip. The twosets of photographs serve as a more complete representation of the colony, from the transitionof homesteaders to the colony to the representation of everyday life in the colony.

The second RA photographer to photograph Skyline Farms was Carl Mydans. Mydanshad a background in journalism and previously worked for the Boston Globe and Boston

Herald.104 He was deeply interested in the ordinary person and their everyday life. “With histrained reporter’s eye, Mydans quickly developed a style of his own that fitted his peopleoriented approach,” argued historian F. Jack Hurley. “With his small cameras, he was able toachieve pictures that were striking yet intimate.”105 Mydans arrived in Skyline in 1936, one year after Rothstein.106 True to his style and interest, Mydans photographed people at Skyline, andthe majority of his photographs depict school scenes (see Figures 23-30, pages 54-57). Most of the photographs portray children engaged in various school related activities, such as readingand writing. The photographs certainly portray the newly built schools at Skyline and the schoolsystem in a positive light. The children appear very studious, and the teachers are appear to beactively engaged with the students. This was most likely one of Mydans’s last assignments for Stryker, since he left the RA to work for Life magazine later that year.

In 1937, a third RA photographer, Ben Shahn, photographed Skyline Farms. Shahn wasnot a photographer. He was a painter, designer, and muralist. He worked under the SpecialSkills Division of the RA. Shahn took photographs while traveling through the South to use asreferences for upcoming art projects. He never intended his images to be used for anythingelse. Stryker happened to see some of his photos, and received Shahn’s permission to placethem on file at the historical section, giving Shahn access to them whenever he wished.107 Shahn also utilized a 35mm camera, but what made his images unique was his use of an anglefinder. In an interview, Shahn explained, “I would look this way and by refraction of what theycall an angle finder I would take away any self-consciousness they had. So, most of my picturesdon’t have any posed quality and this was a very helpful thing in the whole quality of my work,this angle finder.”108 Shahn’s images of a square dance at Skyline Farms show the spontaneityof his style.

A short article in the Jackson County Sentinel acknowledged Shahn’s visit to Skyline on August 11, 1937. The article reported that Shahn “saw the dance team and heard the band in Asheville, N.C. [Shahn] seemed to be favorably taken with this feature of Skyline Farms andmade it a point to come on here for further details.”109 The majority of Shahn’s photographs from

104

Hurley, 42.

105Ibid.

106The Library of Congress dates the images to June 1936, but LIFE has several listed with the date

January 1, 1936.

107

Ibid., 48-50.

108Oral history interview with Ben Shahn, 14 April 1964, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/shahn64.htm, 31 October 2010.

109“Resettlement Official Photographs Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel , 17 August 1937. When

Shahn visited Skyline Farms, he most likely was not working directly under Stryker. He only worked directly under Stryker for a short time while photographing in Ohio. The Mountain Folk Festival at Asheville, North Carolina wereShahn saw the Skyline Band and dance team was an event sponsored by the Special Skills Division. This was thedivision Shahn worked for and likely explains his presence at the festival.



40

the visit depict a square dance and various musicians (see Figures 31-35, pages 58-60). Thenewspaper reported that Shahn was “making photographs of the community activities of variousResettlement projects [throughout the] country.”110 Although Shahn took extensive amounts of photographs of the square dance and musicians, he also photographed folk crafts, such aschair making. He also “took pictures of the N.Y.A boys and girls and their activities (see Figures36-38, pages 61-62).”111 Shahn’s photographs showcase the various community activities and

entertainment offered to the colonists in a positive light.

The photographs Shahn took at Skyline are certainly a valuable source of informationabout Skyline Farms, but they are also an important part of Shahn’s photographic career. Justas Mydans left the RA shortly after photographing Skyline, so too did Shahn. Davis Pratt,curator of photographs at the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University argued, “Shahn’s seriousinvolvement with photography was relatively short. When he left the FSA in 1938 he ended hisextensive use of photography.”112 The photographs taken of the people at Skyline are likelysome of the last photographs Shahn took of people. “In 1959 my wife and I went to Asia, and Itook a camera along to do what I had done years ago – photograph people,” wrote Shahn. “Icould not get interested in it… I found it was gone. I still love to look at photographs of people,but I couldn’t make them myself anymore.”113

Although one of the reasons Shahn left was because of his lack of interest inphotographing people, he also was not fond of some of Stryker’s methods. Stryker exertedimmense control over his photographers, which can be seen in some of the images of SkylineFarms. Arguably, one of the most startling and controversial to his photographers was his use of a hole-puncher. Stryker punched a hole into negatives he deemed substandard or redundant, “aprocess they called ‘killing’ the image.”114 The punched hole insured that the image would never be printed and seen by the public. “So he sat down with his hole-puncher and made his choices.That did not sit well with the photographers,” argued Beverly Brannan, a curator of photographyin the Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division.115

No photographer was immune to Stryker’s hole punch, and this process greatly upset

the photographers, but finally ended in 1939. Ben Shahn recounted his feelings of Stryker’smethod in an interview:

I confess that Roy was a little bit dictatorial in his editing and he ruined quite a number of my pictures, which he stopped doing later. He used to punch a hole through a negative.Some of them were incredibly valuable. He didn’t understand at the time…Anyway, Iphotographed a front of a store where they, with Bon Ami, had marked the price of things, you see. Later on, during the war, when I was doing some work for the OPA, I

110

Ibid.

111Ibid. The photographs Shahn took of the N.Y.A boys’ and girls’ activities are currently not available

through the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Division.112

Pratt, x.

113Ibid., x-xi.

114Meg Smith, “Hard Times in Sharp Focus: Online Collection Shows America, 1935-1945,” Library of

Congress, Library of Congress, August 1998, http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9808/fsa-osi.html, 31 October, 2010. 115

Ibid.



41

wanted to show what happened to prices (the prices were fantastically low at that time)and I went to look for that negative and he punched a hole through it. Well, I shot mymouth off about that. But, I didn’t know what was doing with a lot of my negatives,naturally. He learned, then, not to do that, you see, because this was an invaluabledocument of what life was like in 1935 and when I was looking for it in 1943 or ’44 itdidn’t exist anymore.116

Examples of the “killed” images can be seen within the photographs of Skyline Farms. Alook at a series of photographs of the same subject illustrates Stryker’s selection process andgives insight into the methods used by the photographer. Arthur Rothstein photographed threechildren outside of a colony house at Skyline Farms in September 1935 (See Figures 39-41,pages 62-63). Rothstein, like many other photographers, took multiple pictures of the samesubject. Figure 40 is a close-up image, while the other two are taken at more of a distance,showcasing more of the house. There are only subtle differences between Figure 39 and Figure41, mainly in the facial expression of the child in the middle. These subtle changes made all thedifference to both the photographer and Stryker. Each small change could elicit a completelydifferent mood in the photograph.

Although a photographer may have had his or her favorite photo out of a series, the finaldecision ultimately came down to what Stryker chose. In the case of this set, Stryker approvedone of the three. Most likely this was a case of redundancy, in which Stryker chose what hebelieved to be the best one, however, Stryker complained continuously about the quality of Rothstein’s images. In a letter to Rothstein on February 5, 1937, Stryker argued:

Now get busy and use your imagination, camera, and intelligence on this job andturn out a good set of pictures for us. If they aren’t good, you may look forward tohaving your ears knocked off when I arrive down there, and I can assure youthey will be cut close to the head as I came counting on this set of pictures to sellto the Herald Tribune or the New York Times rotogravure. Don’t give me any of your arguments about the fact that it isn’t clear or that the country is level, or that

the wind blew or that it was raining. I want pictures and damn good ones, You willobserve that I am getting a “city editor complex.” I am pounding the table whiledictating this letter to Miss Slackman. Don’t think I am fooling about this either because I am not.117

There was not a set placement of where Stryker would punch the hole into the negative.Sometimes the hole was punched directly into the center of an image, while other times it wasoff to the side. Stryker was also not indifferent to punching a hole directly at a focal point of theimage, such as a face or prices listed in Shahn images. The Skyline Farms “killed” images havebeen hole-punched in many different places, which do not illustrate any particular pattern usedby Stryker (See Figures 42-46, pages 64-66).118

116Oral history interview with Ben Shahn.

117Letter from Roy E. Stryker to Arthur Rothstein, 5 February 1937.

118There are several examples of “killed” images of Skyline Farms available on the Library of Congress

Web site, but all are untitled. The images can be found by first searching the Prints and Photographs Online Division(keyword: Skyline Farms Alabama), then clicking on an image, and then selecting, “Browse neighboring items by callnumber.” All of the images taken of Skyline Farms are not currently available on the Library of Congress Web site,although it offers the most extensive collection available online.



42

The photographs of Skyline Farms are not just an important photographic documentaryof the colony and the people that lived there, but it is also serves as an excellent case study of Stryker’s selection process, and an important aspect of the end of Mydans’s and Shahn’sphotographic careers with the RA, since they soon left after photographing Skyline.

Skyline Through the Eyes of the Colonists

The remnants of the Skyline Farms resettlement colony encompassed more thansandstone buildings, barns, farm tools, commissary records and photographs. The memories of former colony residents and the legacy of improved education and transportation onCumberland Mountain corroborated the historical significance of Skyline Farms. Oral histories of area residents enhanced understanding of the hardships of the Great Depression and informedevaluation of the success of Skylines Farms resettlement experiment. Skyline School,established as an elementary school in 1936, satisfied an urgent need for education onCumberland Mountain.119 The road to Skyline Farms, hewn by hand from the side and top of Cumberland Mountain in the mid 1930s, connected residents in the lowlands to the

mountaintop. It also created a badly needed route by which mountain residents later traveled to jobs in the nearby Tennessee River Valley. Eventually the road created a means by whichisolated Appalachian residents connected to the outside world. Inclusion of historic memoryand legacies within the broader historical context informed the understanding of the significanceof the New Deal resettlement experiment.

In the 1980s sociologists David Campbell and David Coombs conducted oral interviewswith seventeen participants in the Skyline Farms project. Relying heavily on those interviews,they produced an article for the Spring, 1983 edition of the Appalachian Journal in which theymade a case study of the development of Skyline Farms. The material gleaned from theinterviews conveyed a sense of the immense amount of planning and impressive monetaryoutlay the federal government expended in order to break the cycle of poverty in the lives of the

impoverished participants. The governmental agencies on the federal, state and local levelacted swiftly to provide relief, jobs, land ownership, recreation, education, health care, andoccupational training for those families on the relief rolls in Jackson County, Alabama, duringthe early years of the Great Depression.120 The oral interviews indicated that the participatingfamilies embraced the project enthusiastically and energetically. One participant stated, “I hadthe place in real good shape. I had taken an interest in it just like it was mine…we cleared theland ourself…and finished our home ourself.”121 Another participant claimed, “We’d worked hardand cleared land, and then we lost it all. We worked so hard at it, I think it broke our healthdown.”122 In a more recent interview, another former participant related a story about his firstexperience at school when he was eight years old. He arrived at the Skyline school alone, andstated that he wandered around the halls of the school when he got there because he had

119Skyline High School. ''About the school,'' Jackson County, Alabama School District,

http://www.skyline.jch.schoolinsites.com/?PageName=%27AboutTheSchool%27 (accessed November 15, 2010).

120David Campbell and David Coombs, ''Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and

Rural Rehabilitation,'' Appalachian Journal 10 (Spring 1983), 250.

121Interview with Mr. Virgil Brewer, June 30, 1981, in Campbell and Coombs, ''Skyline Farms,'' 251.

122Interview with Mrs. Henry Black ,October 19, 1981, in Campbell and Coombs, ''Skyline Farms,'' 251.



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“never been no where like that before.”123 Mrs. Ethaline Woodall related that her husband,James Earl Woodall, helped roof some of the Skyline Farms colony houses. She said her husband and his brothers worked in timber with their father, Walter Woodall, in order tosupplement the income they produced on their colony farm.124 The oral histories of Skylineresidents, though varied in detail, offered poignant, first hand accounts of historical memory.

Within a decade of the establishment of Skyline Farms, the U. S. Department of Agriculture sponsored a sociological comparative study of several resettlement communities to judge their efficacy for the future. Social Research Report No. XI, conducted by Dwight M.Davidson, Jr. and Charles P. Loomis in 1938, provided an analysis of the immediate benefits or failures of the programs instituted at Skyline Farms and five other New Deal resettlementcommunities, and it anticipated follow-up studies of the successes or failures of thoseresettlement communities. A statement in the report cited the goal of bringing families on publicrelief into a better relationship with the land by halting tillage of certain land, promoting differentfarming methods at other sites, and ending tenancy in favor of ownership of the land in order toprovide a more abundant life to program participants.125 Oral history interviews conducted byCampbell and Coombs revealed participants’ experiences, perspectives and evaluations of thesuccess of Skyline Farms after fifty years. These interviews, when compared to the benchmark

Social Research Report No. XI, offered surprising revelations about perceived successes andfailures of the unprecedented resettlement experiment.

One revelation was that many residents were confused about the government’s plans for residents to take title to their colony property. Former residents such as Virgil Brewer and Mrs.Henry Black stated they felt confusion and bitter disappointment when they were evicted fromcolony houses at the end of the 1930s. Virgil Brewer, moreover, stated that it was one of thegreater disappointments of his lifetime.126 In an interview conducted on September 10, 2010,Walter Tidwell he stated he became distrustful of the federal government in 1945, and that hevowed at that time that he would never take another penny from the federal government. Hestated he kept that promise all his life. 127 Another former resident, Stanley Black, statedregarding his parents’ experience at Skyline Farms, “They misunderstood. They thought the

government was giving them the land to farm free and clear, and the farms were set up only toproduce enough for families to live off of, no extra.”128

Campbell and Coombs concluded in the 1980s that the project fell short of early goals,and they asserted that community memory provided a reliable yardstick for measurement of the

123

Interview with Mr. Stanley Owens by Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Katie Randall,September 9, 2010 at Skyline, Alabama.

124Interview with Mrs. Ethaline Woodall Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Mona M.

Brittingham, September 9, 2010 at Skyline, Alabama.

125U. S. Department of Agriculture, ''Social Research Report No. XI: Standards of Living of Residents of

Seven Rural Resettlement Communities, prepared by Dwight M. Davidson, Jr. and Charles P. Loomis for The FarmSecurity Administration in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. (Washington, D. C. : GovernmentPrinting Office, 1938): Intro 1-3.

126Campbell and Coombs, ''Skyline Farms,'' 251.

127Interview with Mr. Walter Tidwell by Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Amy Kostine,

September 9, 2010 at Skyline, Alabama.

128Interview with Mr. Stanley Owens.



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success or failure of the resettlement experiment.129 Those individual memories, whencontrasted with the early federal government documents, broadened the understanding of theunprecedented resettlement experiments’ place in twentieth century American history.

Prior to 1930, Jackson County, Alabama was largely agricultural, but a significant portionof unimproved forest predominated the highland plateaus of Cumberland Mountain and Sand

Mountain. Although the Cumberland Mountain land was thickly forested and primarilyunimproved, there had been settlers living there since the early 19th century. Education of themountain dwellers was scant, but it existed. The early 20 th century schools were generally one-room schools taught by a single teacher who commuted from off the mountain and lived duringthe week with parents of the children. Two early schools on Cumberland Mountain were the NilaSchool and the Alto School, both established in 1908. These schools continued operation until1939 when students transferred to the new school built at Skyline Farms.130

According to the Social Research Report No. XI of 1938, the average number of years of formal schooling for the heads of families at Skyline Farms was about four and a half years.131 That statistic suggested that both the plateau residents and the tenant farmers from thelowlands who made up the colony population sacrificed an education in order to earn a

subsistence living. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided a means bywhich the colony residents could break the cycle of poverty through education by setting up atemporary school until a permanent school building could be constructed.132 FERA employed anadministrator and six teachers to implement modern teaching techniques such as groupingstudents by ability and using individualized instruction.133 A permanent school building wasopened in 1936, and ten faculty members offered a rich curriculum that included vocationalcourses such as agriculture and home economics to prepare students for success in the SkylineFarms community.

Skyline School added high school grades in the mid 1970s. In 1975 Skyline Schoolgraduated seniors for the first time.134 In 2010 Skyline School had thirty-seven teachers, twoadministrators, and eighteen support staff for five hundred fifty-six students.135 Skyline School

continued as a community school for more than seventy years after the Skyline Farms colonydisbanded. Former Skyline School teacher Joyce Kennamer concluded that the school was oneof the more enduring legacies of the resettlement experiment.136 The establishment of a schoolat Skyline, Alabama created an historical legacy for future generations of Alabamians.

129

Campbell and Coombs. “Skyline Farms,’’ 250-1.

130Wendell Page, ''One Hundred Schools,'' http://www.wendellpage.com/One Hundred Schools.htm

(accessed November 15, 2010).

131Davidson and Loomis, ''Standards of Living,'' 67.

132Campbell and Coombs. “Skyline Farms,’’ 248.

133Ibid, 248.

134

Joyce Money Kennamer, ''The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms: Success or Failure?'' (Master's thesis, Alabama A&M University, 1978), 33.

135Skyline School, ''Skyline School Teachers,'' Jackson County Alabama School District,

http://skyline.jch.schoolinsites.com/?PageName=%27Teachers%27 (accessed November 15, 2010).

136Joyce Money Kennamer, 32.



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At the end of the 19th century, Jackson County’s roads consisted of “chunks of limestoneand mud holes.”137 At the turn of the 20th century the county sold bonds and built roads in thevalley portions of the county.138 However, the county made no progress for improving roadwaysin the mountain regions, and the mountain roads, which accommodated travelers on stagecoach, horseback, mule, ox cart for a century, remained in use139 A six mile rail spur, built in

1879 to serve the Belmont Coal Mines, continued as the connection of the Pierce Coal MiningCompany’s mining operations with the St. Louis and Nashville Railroad in 1907. However, therailroad spur provided industrial rather than commercial transportation.

Jackson County Probate Judge J. M. Money recognized that poor mountain roadshindered development of Cumberland Mountain. He saw an opportunity to seek federalassistance to begin a road project that would provide jobs to the unemployed men JacksonCounty. The State of Alabama and the federal government funded the road project, and itstarted in 1933.140 The building of the road involved the cooperation of the Jackson CountyCommission, the Probate Judge and several Scottsboro charitable organizations. The projectemployed 3,500 men and 73 overseers who labored by hand with “…sledge hammers, pickaxes, shovels, wheelbarrows…oxen and occasionally dynamite.”141 The workers diligently

worked ten-hour days at the rate of one dollar per day, while volunteers such as Mr. HalCunningham provided food and transportation for them.142 The building of the road in 1933served to open Cumberland Mountain to receive the Cumberland Farms resettlement colony,later known as Skyline Farms, the following year. The road further opened the plateau for later commercial development, and the completion of the road connected Cumberland Mountain toScottsboro, to the Tennessee River Valley, to routes into Middle Tennessee, and to Alabamaurban centers such as Huntsville and Birmingham. In the 1960s the state of Alabama built stateroute 79 to replace portions of the historic Tupelo Road near Skyline Farms with a modern two-lane highway. However, remnants of the original highway remained near the Skyline FarmsCommissary and Skyline School and in Tupelo Cove in the valley.

Several factors affected the outcome of the efforts of the federal, state and local

governments to raise the standard of living for Jackson County tenant farmers during the GreatDepression. The early assessments that downplayed success of the various federal programsfailed to recognize that such poverty and lack of education required generations to reverse. Thelack of adequate education of mountain squatters and tenant farmers hampered their efforts toachieve more than a meager subsistence for their families. Also, the lack of a reliabletransportation route in and out of Cumberland Mountain stymied development well into the 20 th century. The passage of more than fifty years after the dissolution of Skyline Farms yieldedvarying perspectives as to the success or failure of the federal government’s resettlementexperiment. From its inception, the Cumberland Farms resettlement project included a roadsystem, a school and a community, and those original elements endured for seventy-five years

137

John Robert Kennamer, Sr., History of Jackson County, Alabama, (1935; repr., Jackson County Historical

Association, 1993), 108.

138John Robert Kennamer, Sr., 128-30.

139Ibid, 25-6.

140

Joyce Money Kennamer, 2.

141Ibid, 3.

142Ibid, 4.



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into the present day. The memories of area residents and the legacy of the present day schooland roadways provided evidence of the enduring historical significance of Skyline Farms andyielded a means by which to view the historic significance of the New Deal resettlementexperiments.

New Deal Architecture at Skyline Farms

The structures built for the Resettlement Administration’s Skyline Farms project inJackson County, Alabama are examples of the architectural styles and building practices typicalof New Deal agencies. The use of local materials, such as timber and quarried sandstone, is asignature design element in New Deal projects. The significance of New Deal structures goeswell beyond architecture and use of local materials, however. In a chapter called “CommunityBuildings and Institutions” in New Deal Landscapes in Tennessee: A Guidebook , historian andauthor Carroll Van West says:

The types of buildings constructed to house the wide-ranging community projectsand newly established community groups varied in their building materials and

architectural style. Some are magnificent examples of labor-intensive stonemasonry, while others are grandiose and flamboyant examples of ColonialRevival or Classical Revival style. Still others are one-story, unadorned buildingsdesigned simply to fulfill their function, and little more. Whatever their size,material, or styling, however, New Deal community buildings still speak of thereformers’ hope to uplift rural and urban life, even in the harshest days of theGreat Depression.143

The built environment left over from New Deal programs reflects reformers’ ideologies. Thestructures and changes to rural southern landscapes are evidence of this tumultuous time in America’s past and are a lasting legacy to many New Deal agencies.

In the chapter on architecture in the WPA Guide to Tennessee, the authors discussCumberland Homesteads located near Crossville, Tennessee, approximately one hundred andtwenty-five miles northeast of Skyline Farms. Similar to the Skyline Farms project, the authorsdescribe Cumberland Homesteads, established in 1933, as a subsistence-homesteading projectconsisting of more than 10,000 acres. More than half of that land was considered suitable for farming. The remainder was left a forested area. The authors describe the nature of homebuilding and materials used at Cumberland Mountain Homesteads. They reported: “[Thehomesteader] chooses his home from several standard designs. Many of the building materialsare obtained on the land.”144 This reliance on local materials and homesteader labor is similar to the process used at Skyline Farms. Cumberland Homesteads adopted a Tudor Revivaltheme for its stone cottage residences and Skyline Farms featured three-room board and battendwellings, similar to standardized tenant homes found throughout the region.

Moreover, use of existing landscape was approached very differently by the twoprojects. Phoebe Cutler discusses Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Cumberland Homesteads in July

143

Carroll Van West, Tennessee’s New Deal Landscapes: A Guide Book , (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2001), 80.

144Federal Writers’ Project, The WPA Guide to Tennessee (1939; reprint, Knoxville: University of

Tennessee Press, 1986), 164.



47

of 1934. She says, “The community already displayed the well-ordered and attractive look itbears to this day. Stone houses were set back 75 to 100 feet on lots of about 16 acres with 40-foot frontages. The masonry construction, the regularity, and the spaciousness of both the landand the two-story dwellings distinguished this community from the surrounding locale, with itsmodest one-story wood-frame houses set at random upon a rolling landscape.”145 At SkylineFarms, settlers took the latter approach and built their community in keeping with the locale.

Their modest Rustic dwellings were not set up in an ordered fashion but rather “at random upona rolling landscape.”

The Arts and Crafts movement heavily influenced the use of local materials during theNew Deal era. In Presenting Nature: The Historic Landscape Design of the National Park Service, 1916 to 1942 , National Park Service historian Linda Flint McClelland says,“Practitioners used native materials, seeking designs that harmoniously integrated site,structure, and setting. They followed nature, avoided artificial appearances, capitalized onscenic vistas, used picturesque details, and unified interior spaces with the out-of-doors.”146 McClelland says that the integration of such details was signature of Arts and Crafts philosophy,which she describes as “a unity of home and hearth, community and nation, and dwelling andland.” These tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement are evident at Skyline Farms.

McClelland also discusses the “bungalow craze” as it was reflected in National ParkService structures at this time. She says, “The bungalow movement seized upon a variety of styles and types that were part of the naturalistic rustic tradition.”147 The three, four, and fiveroom dwellings constructed at Skyline Farms are Rustic in style, similar to cabins that manyother New Deal projects built at state parks across the country. They were clad either in boardand batten siding or horizontal plank weatherboard. They were massed-planned, side-gabled or front-gabled single-family homes. The timber was locally sawn and consisted mostly of hardwoods such as oak, poplar, and gumwood. The roofs were made of locally sawn woodshingles, and chimneys were constructed using locally quarried sandstone. All of the buildingmaterials used were readily available to farmers on the mountain.

The school, administrative office, and commissary at Skyline Farms were alsoconstructed using local materials and are built in the Colonial Revival style. All three buildingswere constructed of locally quarried sandstone and feature symmetrical facades and multi-lightwindows, both elements of the Colonial Revival style. In addition, the Commissary features apedimented entryway and parapet walls on either end of the building. Colonial Revival was apopular style in the southeastern region of the United States between World War I and WorldWar II. The Great Depression was a time of great instability for most Americans, and inresponse, many embraced patriotism. Cutler says, “To achieve harmony the nation grasped for the old—the pioneer, the colonial, the Renaissance.”148 Preservation efforts beginning atColonial Williamsburg also influenced the popularity of the Colonial Revival style.

145Phoebe Cutler, The Public Landscape of the New Deal (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985), 117.

146Linda Flint McClelland, Presenting Nature: The Historic Landscape Design of the National Park Service,

1916 to 1942 (Washington D.C.: National Park Service, 1993), 66.147

Ibid.

148Cutler, The Public Landscape of the New Deal , 145.



48

The school also fits into the ideas about the architecture of New Deal schools that Westdescribes. He says:

The architecture of the schools by New Deal agencies was functional andprogressive, generally following the standardized plans developed in tandem bythe Julius Rosenwald Fund, Peabody College professor Fletcher B. Dresslar, and

the state Department of Education during the 1920s. Unilateral lighting providedby batteries of windows, closed foundations, sanitary privies, water fountains,and simple, functional design characterized most of the schools. Many were builtof frame, while larger consolidated schools were built of brick. In severalcommunities, however, agencies built in locally available stone, not only for theattractive appearance but also because by cutting and shaping the stone, moremen were put to work on the projects. In their architectural style, the schoolsusually were of Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, or PWA Modern design.149

Also, the idea of designing buildings in a style that was popular within a given region isyet another signature of New Deal projects that is reflected at Skyline Farms. For instance, incomparison with structures at Skyline Farms, the Liberty School, located about seventy-five

miles northeast in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, is also Colonial Revival in style and relies onthe availability of local materials; in this case, the National Youth Administration (NYA) usedlocally available stone. Regionalism in New Deal architecture, like Rustic style and bungalows,was an influence of the Arts and Crafts movement. McClelland says, [The Arts and Craftsmovement] recognized diverse regional features of buildings and sites, such as the Prairie stylearchitecture of the Midwest, the open terraces and patios of the Southwest, and the logconstruction of pioneers.”150 Missing from this list, as seen at Skyline Farms and Liberty School,is the Colonial Revival style architecture of the Southeast.

149

West, New Deal Landscapes in Tennessee, 98.

150McClelland, Presenting Nature: The Historic Landscape Design of the National Park Service, 1916 to

1942 , 67.



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RESOURCE INVENTORY

Property Types

Introduction

The Skyline Farms community was an 18,000-acre agricultural community formed as apart of New Deal resettlement programs. Individual family farms consisted of at least forty acreswith a domestic complex of agricultural outbuildings as well as an agricultural complex of outbuildings and fields. The family farms were spread out across the community with aconcentration of community buildings near the community’s core. These buildings included apublic school, cooperative commissary, administrative office, cotton gin, warehouse, andmedical office. On the periphery of the community were a factory and a stone quarry.

Family farms had two broad categories of buildings and/or structures: dwellings andoutbuildings. The community had four broad categories of buildings and/or structures: publicbuildings, agricultural buildings, industrial buildings, cemeteries. The community also has a

broad category of objects. The following narrative describes each category and the buildingsand/or structures found in each category.

1) DwellingsDwellings are historic single-family places of human occupation.

Bunkhouses. Before good roads were constructed, it was difficult for workers to commute to theproject area to clear land for homes and roads. The federal government constructed abunkhouse for the workers so they could remain at the project site during the week and returnhome to their families over the weekend. The building was constructed to accommodate sixtymen.151 The community plan indicates it would house the first group of twenty-five workers, then

once they moved into their homes, a new group would move in, until approximately 200 familieswere relocated to the project site.152 Approximately nine men were selected to start the colony,and they lived in the barracks, which also had a mess hall.153 The Federal Emergency Relief Administration hired six cooks to serve the workers breakfast each day because many of themen did not have sufficient food.154 The bunkhouse is no longer extant.

151 Eliza Hackworth, “Opening of First Homestead Celebrated Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935.

152“Farm Colony Assured in Jackson County,” The Progressive Age, December 13, 1934; Joyce Kennamer,

“The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms: Success or Failure,” 11.

153U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Security Administration, “Skyline Farms,” Report 1606, 2.

154David Campbell and David Coombs, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and

Rural Rehabilitation,” Appalachian Journal 10, no. 3 (Spring 1983): 245-246; Hackworth, “Opening of FirstHomestead Celebrated Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935.



50

“Clearing Land by Burning Stumps, Skyline, Alabama,” c.1935Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection

Farm Security Administration Office of War Information Photograph Collection

“Untitled,” c.1935-1942Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection




51

“Untitled,” c.1935-1942Image shows mess hall and bunkhouse.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs CollectionFarm Security Administration Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Temporary Houses. The families relocating to Skyline Farms were tenant farmers, and manyfamilies were evicted when their landlords discovered men were living in a bunkhouse at theproject site during the week while the family was still living on the landlord’s property.155 Projectorganizers also decided it was not in the best interest of the resettlement families to beseparated. While permanent homes were being constructed, resettlement families lived in

temporary houses, sometimes referred to as “temporary shacks.”

156

There were approximatelyseventy of these buildings, and they were single room, rectangular buildings with shed roofingand wood board and batten or plank cladding.157 The original location of these buildings isunknown, and none have survived because the materials used to build them were later reusedto construct outbuildings on individual farms.158

155

“Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-Up,” 2.

156 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 2; Dwight M. Davidson, Jr. and Charles P. Loomis,“Standards of Living of the Residents of Seven Rural Resettlement Communities,” Social Research Report No. XI(Washington, D.C.: United States, Farm Security Administration, and the Bureau of Agricultural EconomicsCooperation, 1938): 26.

157Arthur Rothstein, “Temporary shacks used by resettlement families while new homes are being

constructed,” Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998017621/PP/ (accessed November 10,2010); “Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-Up,” 2.

158“Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-Up,” 2.



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Colony House. The Skyline Farms resettlement community eventually included approximatelyone hundred seventy-one dwellings of the two hundred planned.159 The homes followed onebasic form: the one-story Colony House.160 A model colony house was planned to be built near the center of community to serve as a pattern for additional dwellings, but it is unclear if themodel home was actually constructed, and if it was, it may have been used for other purposes.161 All colony houses were built using the same type of floor plan, and they were

intended to be a “modern” home for the displaced farmers, rather than the temporary shacks.162 They are massed-plan, side-gabled or front-gabled family homes.163 The homes were clad inboard and batten siding or horizontal siding, made of locally milled oak, poplar, gumwood, andother hardwoods, that was sometimes painted a standard green.164 The original wood claddinghas been replaced with vinyl on some homes today. They were shingled with locally sawnshingles and built upon locally quarried sandstone foundations. The capped chimneys, whichare the most readily identifiable architectural element of surviving colony houses today, are alsoconstructed from sandstone, as are the arched fireplaces.165 The homes had acreageappropriate for the resident’s occupation; there were farm units with at least forty acres and alsosubsistence units with two to twelve acres.166

Three floor plans were available that included two, three, or four bedrooms, a living room, and a

large kitchen equipped with a cooking range, kitchen sink, cabinets, and an ice box.167 The sizeof the home varied according to the size of the family, and most had three to five rooms total. Toprevent all the homes from looking exactly the same, the building’s orientation to the road couldbe changed or the porch built at a different angle.168 The interior of the colony house ischaracterized by tongue and groove oak floors, walls and ceilings. The kitchens were generallylarge and outfitted with a large sink, a cooking range, cabinets most likely made of locally sawn

159

Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 246; Davidson and Loomis, “Standards of Living,” 6;“Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-Up,” 2; “Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan and Procedure of Operation of the Cumberland Mountain Farms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 1-2.

160Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 246.


Farms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 5.

162Davidson and Loomis. “Standards of Living,” 26.

163Virginia and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide To American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knoph, 2000), 478.


Farms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 2; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15;U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3; Harold J. Fisher, “Nearly 200 Contented Families Find Homes onCumberland Mountain,” Jackson County Sentinel, December 3, 1936.

165 Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935.

166Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 14-15; “Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-

Up,” 2; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 4.

167U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3.

168David Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation”

(unpublished manuscript), Northeast Alabama Community College, Rainsville, Alabama, 12; Kennamer, “The Riseand Decline of Skyline Farms,” 14-15; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3.



53

poplar, and an icebox.169 The parlors were decorated with an arched fireplace and flared lintelsabove the windows and door frames. Electricity was provided starting in 1939,170 and there wasno indoor water or plumbing.171

The first dwellings were built cooperatively, and the future residents of these first homes werechosen from a hat.172 The first colony home, occupied by the Edmonds family was finished in

February 1935, is located at 20980 Highway 79, just before Gizzard Point Road.173 The homehad five rooms and one double-stack chimney, and the outer walls were stained brown andtrimmed in white.174 The colony houses were spread out surrounding the core of the communityat the intersection of County Road 107 and County Road 25. All were sold into privateownership between 1944 and 1946,175 and many survive today although most have beenaltered. The first colony house survives, and concentrations of surviving colony houses may befound near the community center and on County Road 107 east of the community center.

“New House, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1935Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


169

“Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan and Procedure of Operation of the Cumberland MountainFarms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 3.

170“Skyline Farm News,” Progressive Age, August 31, 1939.

171Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15.

172“Farm Colony Assured in Jackson County,” The Progressive Age, December 13, 1934; “Colony Farmers

Hold Get-to-Gether Meeting,” The Progressive Age, December 17, 1936.

173 Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 14.

174 Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935.

175Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 31.



54

Former Colony House, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Colony House Number 1, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




55

2) Outbuildings

Outbuildings are places of human work where animals, agricultural products, and equipmentwere stored, or that provided basic infrastructural services for human use. They are arranged onindividual family plots as part of the domestic complex, in close proximity to the dwelling, or aspart of the agricultural complex, farther away from the dwelling. The federal governmentprovided colony house owners with building plans for modern outbuildings and the community

with basic modern amenities.176

The following outbuildings were located within the domestic complex:

Well House. Each property was equipped with a hand-pumped well to provide water for thefamily and farming operation. Wells were approximately seventy feet deep, may have hadpressure tanks and well houses.177 In the twentieth century, frame well houses were commonlyused to cover the well opening and pump. Concrete forms also were used.178 At least one of these structures is extant. It is located near the project’s Administrative Office.

Modern Well Pump, 2010Possibly installed on the original well

Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic PreservationMiddle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

176

Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 12; “The Relief Administration at Work on Colony,” The Progressive Age,

January 17, 1935, quoted in Kannamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 12; U.S. Department of Agriculture,“Skyline Farms,” 4.

177U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3-4; Murray E. Wyche, “200 Families Find Security at

Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936, reprinted in The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936.

178Carroll Van West, “Historic Family Farms in Middle Tennessee,” National Register Multiple Property

Nomination, Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1995,48; West, “Historic Resources of the Paint Rock Valley, 1820-1954,” National Register Multiple Property Nomination,Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 2004, 15.



56

Privy. Each property was equipped with a privy and individual septic tank to dispose of sewage.179 These structures were common circa 1785-1970 and were usually tall with boardand batten siding, a metal shed roof, and side ventilators.180 No extant privies have beenidentified.

Smokehouse. Each plot of farmland included a smokehouse that was a frame structure with a

saltbox style roofline covering a side shed. Families used them to smoke meat for subsistence,probably primarily pork products.181 They were common on farms circa 1785-1990, and theywere tall, narrow buildings constructed of log, brick, or wood frame. Frame buildings were mostcommon in the twentieth century.182 Many properties retain their original smokehouse and mostare used for storage.


180West, “Historic Family Farms,” 48; West, “Historic Resources of the Paint Rock Valley, 14.

181Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 12; McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 28; U.S. Department of

Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3; Wyche, “200 Families Find Security at Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936, reprinted in The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936.




57

The following outbuildings were located within the agricultural complex:

Barn. Each plot of farmland included a barn to house dairy cows, which became increasinglyimportant to Skyline Farms agriculture in 1942 when Scottsboro, Alabama built a cheese plant.The barns also housed the livestock the government provided for clearing and cultivating theland. Initially, farmers were given steers, but later mules were provided because they were less

expensive. Residents also raised rabbits, but it is unclear if they were sheltered in the barn or another building.183

Several barn types may have been used. The single crib barn, popular until 1960, was a single-pen, frame structure that was between eight and twelve feet long with a door located in thegable end that was used for corn and grain storage. The double crib barn, also popular until1960, was a frame structure usually with the second pen added to the first and covered by acommon roof and divided by a central aisle or breezeway. The transverse frame barn, popular until 1990, was a six-pen form sometimes elongated to allow for more pens along the center aisle. The United States Department of Agriculture standardized plans for these barns astobacco storage, and many were converted to stock barns when farms switched from tobacco tolivestock production. Milkhouses are associated with the twentieth-century boom in the dairy

industry, and were typically one-story, concrete structures which housed the modern dairyequipment.184 There are barns extant on some homesteads that have not been identified asoriginal to the homesteads. They may have replaced earlier barns. These are in poor condition.

Agricultural Barn, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


183

Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 12; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15; U.S.Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 247; Hackworth, “Opening of First Homestead Celebrated Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935; Wyche, “200 Families FindSecurity at Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936, reprinted in The Progressive Age,December [?], 1936; “Skyline Farms Community Fair,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 5, 1937; “Skyline Farms Answers Demands for Food,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 31, 1942.

184West, “Historic Family Farms,” 49-52; West, “Historic Resources of the Paint Rock Valley, 15-17.



58

Hog House. Homesteaders raised hogs for use at home as well as to be sold for cash income.The Skyline Farms Cooperative Association operated a livestock service for its members.185 Members of the community 4-H club also raised pigs to sell and show.186 Hog houses werepopular throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were generally located as far

from the family dwelling as possible. They were typically one-story, frame buildings with agabled roof. In the twentieth century, USDA extension agents produced standardized plans thatincluded storage room for corn and other foodstuffs next to the feeding pens.187 No extant hoghouses have been identified at Skyline Farms.

Chicken Coop. Initially, poultry was raised only for home use but some families also producedbroilers commercially. The Skyline Farms Cooperative Association operated a livestock servicefor its members.188 The first group of baby chicks were brought to Skyline Farms in March of 1937 and brooded using rock brooders. Project residents hoped to raise several hundredchickens that spring, and to aid in the success of this project the school’s vocational agriculturaldepartment provided brooding information to residents.189 In 1941, 5500 chicks were grown for market and 2500 chicks for egg production.190 Poultry houses, or chicken coops, were common

in the twentieth century because poultry production was a major part of progressive agriculturalpractices. USDA extension service agents produced standardized plans for small coops withtwo or three windows on one side covered by a shed roof.191 No extant chicken coops havebeen identified.

Crib. Each property included a crib.192 Corncribs were popular throughout the eighteenth andnineteenth centuries. Most were long, narrow buildings with slatted walls to ventilate corn. Theywere constructed on wooden supports to elevate them from the ground. Drive-in cribs werepopular until 1940 and were similar to double crib barns except they were elongated with wider aisles.193 No extant corncribs have been identified.

Fences. Fencing was included in each homestead.194 Board fencing was common in the

twentieth century. It was constructed of square lumber posts connected by three to five wooden

185U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3, 5-6; “Cooperative Association for Colony,” Jackson

County Sentinel , July 30, 1936.

186“Farm Notes,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 18, 1937.


188U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3, 6; “Cooperative Association for Colony,” Jackson

County Sentinel , July 30, 1936; Wyche, “200 Families Find Security at Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936, reprinted in The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936.

189“Farm Notes: Skyline Farms a Reality,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 18, 1937.

190“Skyline Farms Answers Demands for Food,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 31, 1942.

191West, “Historic Family Farms,” 51; West, “Historic Resources of the Paint Rock Valley, 14, 16.

192Wyche, “200 Families Find Security at Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936,

reprinted in The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936.





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boards and usually enclosed livestock fields. Barbed wire fencing became common in thetwentieth century with increased cattle production. Net wire fence was a woven fence that wasalso common in the twentieth century.195 None of the homesteads’ original fencing has beenidentified, but fields that remain in use for cultivation and livestock are fenced by similar postand wire fencing.

Fields. Early in the project, farmers grew some subsistence crops but spent most of their laboring time clearing land and building homes. The first planned crop was in 1937.196 Farmerswere given at least forty acres of land to grow cash crops including cotton and Irish potatoes,and later tomatoes, cabbage, beans, tobacco, and carrots. Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, provided expert advice to the farmers, and the government provided seedand fertilizer.197 Produce was shipped to Atlanta, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Cincinnati. Sweetpotatoes were also grown after 1939, and were reportedly stored in a “curing plant…for seedand marketing.” The cotton gin may have been converted to a curing plant once growing cottonwas abandoned. Farmers also began growing cane once a syrup mill was constructed, and “the‘Maltose’ method of sirup-making [sic] which was developed by the Extension Service of theDepartment of Agriculture has guaranteed a good price for this product.”198 Starch is used tomake maltose syrup, and potatoes may have been the source of starch. Maltose Syrup is less

sweet than sugar, but was commonly used in commercial food production, especially bakeriesand soda manufacturing.199 There were some concerns about erosion once the land wascleared, but farmers utilized terracing to prevent this.200 The fields today reflect their agriculturalhistory and are commonly used for cattle, corn, and hay.

195

West, “Historic Family Farms,” 55; West, “Historic Resources of the Paint Rock Valley, 19.

196“Wyche, “200 Families Find Security at Cumberland Farms,” Chattanooga News, December 4, 1936,

reprinted in The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936; “Skyline Farms News: Fine Potato Crop,” Jackson County Sentinel , July 1, 1937.

197Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 247; Hackworth, “Opening of First Homestead Celebrated

Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935; Hackworth, “Mr. Ross in Charge of Colony Work,” JacksonCounty Sentinel, April 18, 1935.

198Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 14-15; “Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-

Up,” 2; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 4-5; Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 32; Campbell and Coombs,“Skyline Farms,” 246.

199J.K. Dale, “Manufacture and Uses of Malt Syrup,” Sugar: An English-Spanish Technical Journal Devoted

to Sugar Production 22, no. 6 (June 1920): 332.

200“Farm Notes: Skyline Farms a Reality,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 18, 1937; “Skyline Farms

News,” The Progressive Age, October 25, 1939.



60

Agricultural Landscape, County Road 107, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Agricultural Landscape, County Road 107, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




61

Orchards and Gardens. Each property had a fruit orchard and vegetable garden that providedmost of the produce for families. Each family was also provided with a pressure cooker for canning, and by 1938 they canned an average of 450 quarts of produce.201 Newspaper articlesoffered advice for planting, recommending spring planting be done as early as February,explaining how and when to use fertilizer, how to properly prune trees, and how to chooseappropriate seeds for the growing zone.202 It is unclear if any of the homesteads’ original

orchards or gardens are currently in use.

“Vegetables grown by resettled farmer, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1935Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


201

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3, 5; “Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan andProcedure of Operation of the Cumberland Mountain Farms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 4-5;Hackworth, “Opening of First Homestead Celebrated Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14, 1935;Hackworth, “Mr. Ross in Charge of Colony Work,” Jackson County Sentinel, April 18, 1935.

202“Farm Notes,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 18, 1937; “Farm Notes: Skyline Farms a Reality,”

Jackson County Sentinel, March 18, 1937.



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3) Public Buildings

Historic public buildings provided social services and include a public school, administrativeoffice, commissary, health clinic, and recreation area.203 The public buildings were located in thecenter of the community at the intersection of County Road 107 and County Road 25. Acooperative community was encouraged so farmers could both assist one another as well asreceive assistance, saving time and money by working together.204

Public School. The first public school was a temporary frame building. It used oil drums for heatand had hastily built benches and tables constructed of plank seats nailed to log legs, someeven with the bark still on. With the increasing population of children in the community, the“barrack type building” became inadequate by 1936.205

In March of 1936, construction began on a new school building made of local sandstone.Birmingham architect William H. Kessler contributed to its design.206 The estimated cost of building the school was $25,000, and the project was completed in 1938 and its openingcelebrated at the May Day festival that year.207 It was funded by a grant from the WorksProgress Administration,208 and it was intended to be a focal point of the community becauseeducation was an important part breaking the cycle of farm tenancy.209 It employed six teachers

and a principal to teach approximately 150-200 students in nine grades (350 students in1936210), and it had ten or eleven classrooms and an auditorium.211 The government requiredthe school to teach “progressive education,” so the curriculum included music, arts and crafts,and students were grouped according to ability rather than age.212 It was also one of the firstschools in northern Alabama to teach agricultural courses and home economics to junior highstudents.213

203


204Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 5-6;

Charles P. Loomis and Dwight M. Davidson, Jr., “Social Agencies in the Planned Rural Communities,” Sociometry 2,

no. 3 (July 1939): 24.205

Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 16; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15-16; Campbelland Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.

206Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 17; “Land-breaking for School Building is Attended

by Many,” Special Edition of Jackson County Sentinel, March 19, 1936.

207“Cumberland Farms $25,000 Building Starts Monday,” Jackson County Sentinel , March 5, 1936;

Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 18; “May Day Dedication Exercises at Skyline Farms May 7th

,”Jackson County Sentinel , May 3, 1938; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, May 18, 1939.

208“Celebration at the Colony the Fourth,” The Progressive Age, July 2, 1936.


210“350 Enroll in School at Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 8, 1936.

211Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 16; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 18-19; U.S.

Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 4; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.

212Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 16-19; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 18-19; Campbell

and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.

213“Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 8, 1936, quoted in Kennamer, “The Rise and

Decline of Skyline Farms,” 18-19.



63

Teachers not only educated their students, but they helped them cope with severe poverty. Oneteacher remembered, “We didn’t have a lunch program and day after day after day I would carrymy lunch and there would so many [students] without lunch, I would just spread it around.”214

The school was the center of community activity. Its auditorium was used for religious services,

Sunday school, an annual dogwood festival with Maypole dancing, fiddling contests, musicconcerts, plays, Thanksgiving and Halloween celebrations, and even a party celebratingPresident Roosevelt’s birthday, which raised funds to find a cure for infantile paralysis.215 In1943, the community honored soldiers fighting in World War II with a flag dedication service.216

In December of 1940, the school closed because of an outbreak of Scarlet Fever, and inJanuary of 1941, a fire destroyed the building. There was no water system to fight fires, and thedamage was estimated at $70,000.217 In July of 1941, the Douglas Construction Company out of Birmingham began to reconstruct the school on the remains of the foundation.218 The schoolwas incorporated into the Jackson County School District in 1945, and the building wasrenovated in 2000 and 2009 by the Osborn and Associates architectural firm located inMadison, Alabama.219 The building has remained in use as a public school since its

construction.

The National Youth Administration (NYA) was active in educational activities. They madeheaters, wash stands, tables, and bookshelves for the classrooms and built a playground,volleyball court, and basketball court. There are references to a community library for which theNYA provided a full-time librarian.220 The exact location of the library is unknown, but it wasmost likely part of the public school.

214

Personal interview of Mrs. Ola Vaught by David Campbell, quoted in Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 19.

215“Skyline Farms Honor President’s Birthday,” Jackson County Sentinel , January 1, 1938; “President’s

Ball at Skyline Farms,” The Jackson County Sentinel, January [?], 1938; “Skyline Farms News,” Progressive Age, March 14, 1940, August 1, 1940, and October 31, 1940; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 18;“Old-Time Fiddlers Convention,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 31, 1935; “Cumberland Farms $25,000 BuildingStarts Monday,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 5, 1936; “I Like Mountain Music,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 11, 1937; “String Music and Play at Skyline Farms March 9,” Jackson County Sentinel , March 4, 1937;“Faculty Play at Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 7, 1938; “Sacred Harp Singing at Skyline Farms,”The Progressive Age, October 12, 1939; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, June [27], 1940;“’Grandpappy’ Coming to Skyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, September 26, 1940; “Thanksgiving Service atSkyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, November 14, 1940; “Halloween Program,” Skyline Heritage AssociationNewspaper File, Skyline, Alabama; “Singing at Skyline Farms First Sunday in June,” Jackson County Sentinel, June1, 1943.

216“Skyline Service Flag Dedicated Sunday,” The Progressive Age, August 12, 1943.

217Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 19; “Skyline School Building Burned,” Jackson County Sentinel, January 7,

1941; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 27.

218“Contract Let for Skyline School,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 1, 1941; Kennamer, “The Rise and

Decline of Skyline Farms,” 28.

219Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 19; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” post-script; Osborn

& Associates Architects, “Skyline Elementary School,” http://www.osbornarchitects.net/images/SkylineElementarySchool.pdf (accessed November 17, 2010).

220“Extensive N.Y.A. Program at Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, November 5, 1936.



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Original Sandstone Public School, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




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Administrative Office (also referred to as the Rock House). The administrative office wasconstructed from local sandstone in 1937. A knee-high wall constructed from local sandstonesurrounds the lot and has an entrance opening facing County Road 25. A flagstone pathconstructed of local sandstone leads to the building’s entrance. A secondary path leads from thebuilding entrance to the right of the building, possibly leading to the location of the privy, whichhas not survived. The front door has transom windows and is centered on the front façade

between four, six-over-six double hung windows. It has three rooms, each with a fireplaceconstructed from local sandstone, and the flooring is local sandstone hewn into a one-foot-longrectangles and set in a diagional pattern. The community plan indicates that space was to madein this building for a medical office, but it appears that this was never actually done.221 Thebuilding has survived and is currently a privately owned residence, although unoccupied. Theoriginal sandstone fence surrounding the building and sidewalk leading to the porch remains. Itis located at the intersection of County Road 107 and County Road 25.

Original Sandstone Administrative OfficePhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


221




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Original Sandstone Fence outside Administrative Office, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




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Commissary (also referred to as the Rock Store). Construction began on the commissary in Julyof 1935, and the building was constructed from local sandstone. In 1937, the CumberlandFarms Cooperative Association took over operations, changing its name to Skyline FarmsCooperative Association in 1938.222 The commissary functioned as a farmers’ cooperative whichrationed some goods by means of a food stamp system.223 Planners intended to give families amonthly allowance ranging from $5.50 for a family of 2 to $8.50 for a family of 8 or more.224

Without stamps, supplies could be purchased at cost, plus ten percent operating charges.225 Farmers who lived in the region but were not part of the project also purchased food andsupplies from the commissary, but as non-members they were charged higher prices.226 Thestore was operated by “Lawyer Cornelison.”227 In 1942, the Skyline Future Farmers of Americachapter installed a bulletin board for farmers to share information. It included spaces for itemsfor sale, exchange, wanted, and timely subjects.228

The store originally had two large windows on either side of the double front doors centered inthe façade, however the right side window was filled in with local sandstone c.1990. In 1937, anaddition was added to the back of the store to form an “L” shape.229 A garage was added to itsnorth side that has since been removed. A telephone was located inside the commissary, aswell as a post office, Lorene Cornelison served as the postmistress.230 The commissary building

has survived, and it is currently referred to as the “Rock Store” and used by the Skyline Heritage Association as a museum and meeting space. Sections of the original sandstone sidewalkaround the building remain. It is located at the intersection of County Road 107 and CountyRoad 25.

222

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6; “Many Picnics for the Fourth,” The Jackson County Sentinel, July 4, 1935; “Cooperative Association for Colony,” Jackson County Sentinel , July 30, 1936.

223Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 12, 20; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 246-248; Kennamer, “The

Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 26; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 4.


Farms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 4.

225U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.


227Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,”15.

228“Skyline F.F.A. Chapter News,” Jackson County Sentinel, April 28, 1942.

229Cindy Rice, conversation with Hallie Fieser, November 12, 2010.

230Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline

Farms,” 4; Hackworth, “Mr. Ross in Charge of Colony Work,” Jackson County Sentinel, April 18, 1935; “Postoffice atSkyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, November 4, 1937.



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“Skyline Farms store. Alabama,” c.1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


Original Sandstone Commissary, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




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Original Sandstone Sidewalk outside Commissary, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Health Clinic. Initially, medical care was informally provided by the Skyline Farms Cooperative Association.231 Especially prior to 1938, patent medicines and home remedies were common,

including sulphur and molasses, black draught, and turpentine.232

The community plan indicatedthat space would be made in the administrative building “for clinical purposes,” however oralhistory indicates that the health clinic was operated in Nurse Ola Barclay’s home. There wasalso a part-time doctor, Dr. Zimmerman.233 The clinic operated as a “pre-paid group plan” thatcost fifty cents per month per family and included all medical care needs, and it might havebeen the “first such program sponsored by the federal government.”234 The clinic provided pre-school check-ups and vaccinations through programs like typhoid clinics and health plays ontopics like malaria.235 A series of classes or lectures, known as “well baby clinics,” were

231

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6.

232Davidson and Loomis, “Standards of Living,” 36.

233 “Cumberland Mountain Farms: Outline of Plan and Procedure of Operation of the Cumberland MountainFarms, Jackson County Rural Homesteading Project,” 5; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15;Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248.

234Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 19-20; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 248; Kennamer, “The Rise

and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 15.

235“Skyline Farms,” Progressive Age, June 1, 1939; “Skyline Farms Elects Officers,” Jackson County

Sentinel , May 6, 1937; “Skyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, May 2[?], 1939; “Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 6, 1939; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, June [?], 1939; “Skyline Farm News,”



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provided to teach modern parenting techniques, and families paid a fee of five dollars for thebirth of a child.236 Since the doctor was only available part time, in 1943 a series of classes wereoffered promoting good nutrition to maintain good health.237 The health clinic building hassurvived, but it has been altered. It is located beside the former cotton gin on County Road 107near the center of the community.

Former Health Clinic, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Recreation Area. Carl Taylor was a rural sociologist in the Subsistence Homestead Division of the Resettlement Administration. He believed that recreation was critical to creating a sense of community, which in turn would make the project both easier to implement and moresuccessful.238 The community recreation initially centered around the school auditorium, andactivities included “the May Day festival, baby contests, food and canning exhibits, [base]ballgames, PTA meetings, Boy Scout and Girl Scout meetings, the annual June singing,” free

236

“Skyline Farms,” Progressive Age, June 1, 1939, and June 22, 1939; Kennamer, “The Rise and Declineof Skyline Farms,” 15; “Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 6, 1939; “Skyline Farms News,” TheProgressive Age, June [?], 1939.

237“War Time Food Habits Studies at Skyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, June 3, 1943.

238Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 22-24; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249.



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picture shows, voting, dogwood festivals, and Christmas plays.239 The 1938 May Day Festivalalso celebrated the opening of the new sandstone school building.240

The Community Fair was one of the major events at Skyline Farms. Prizes were awarded for the best cows, chickens, pigs, and rabbits, the best fruits and vegetables, the best handicrafts,and the best cakes, pies, and candies.241 Fourth of July picnics were big events for the

community, with speeches, lunch provided by the P.T.A., tours given by the Boy Scouts,baseball games, school graduation ceremonies, and entertainment by the CumberlandMountain Night Riders, the local band.242 Labor Day celebrations featured similar events, as wellas pie eating contests, sack races, three-legged races, and wheelbarrow races.243 There werealso “field days,” which included demonstration projects, speeches by political figures, andcompetitive games,244 and a community fair, which featured refreshments provided by theP.T.A., Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts, a baby show, games, farm product exhibitions, cannedgoods exhibitions, handiwork displays, and baseball games.245

Square dancing was also a popular activity in the colony. By 1937 a recreation hall was built,and a band was formed to play music for the square dances held there regularly.246 A group of twenty-nine musicians and square dancers became so famous they were invited to perform at

the three-day Mountain Folk Festival in Ashville, North Carolina in 1937, and to perform for President Roosevelt, the First Lady, and their guests at the White House in 1938.247 There was

239

Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms, 21-22; “Free Picture Show at Cumberland Farms,”Jackson County Sentinel, October 8, 1936; “Cumberland Farms Offers Yule Pageant,” The Progressive Age, December [?], 1936; “Skyline Farms Elects Officers,” Jackson County Sentinel , May 6, 1937; “May Day DedicationExercises at Skyline Farms May 7

th,” Jackson County Sentinel , May 3, 1938; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive

Age, June [?], 1939.

240“May Day Dedication Exercises at Skyline Farms May 7

th,” Jackson County Sentinel , May 3, 1938.

241“Skyline Farms Community Fair,” Jackson County Sentinel, October 5, 1937; “Skyline Farms Community

Fair,” The Progressive Age, October 13, 1938.

242“Many Picnics for the Fourth,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 4, 1935; “Cumberland Mountain Scene of

Big Fourth,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 11, 1935; “Fourth of July to be Celebrated at Colony,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 25, 1936; “Celebration at the Colony the Fourth,” The Progressive Age, July 2, 1936; “Visit the ColonyJuly 4

thBig Celebration!” Jackson County Sentinel, July 2, 1936; “Fully 3,000 Attend Picnic at Colony,” The Progress

Age, July 9, 1936; “Skyline Farms News: County-Wide Picnic on July Fifth,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 1, 1937;“Legion Park to be Celebration Place on Fourth of July,” Jackson County Sentinel, May 31, 1938; “Mrs. RooseveltHopes to Visit the Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 28, 1938.

243“Labor Day at Cumberland Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, 1936; “Cumberland Farms P.T.A. Met Last

Wednesday,” Jackson County Sentinel, September 3, 1936.

244Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 26; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249.

245“Cumberland Farms Community Fair,” Jackson County Sentinel , October 8, 1936.

246Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 23-24; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,”

249-250; “Fiddler’s Convention and Square Dance at Skyline Farms Saturday Night,” The Progressive Age, May 5,1938; “Square Dance,” The Progressive Age, November 17, 1938.

247Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 23-24; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,”

249-250; “Fiddler’s Convention and Square Dance at Skyline Farms Saturday Night,” The Progressive Age, May 5,1938; “Skyline Square Dance Team to Attend Asheville Festival,” The Progressive Age, March [?], 1937; “SkylineSquare Dance Team to Attend Asheville Festival,” Special Edition of Jackson County Sentinel , March 18, 1937;“Dance Team Plans Trip to Asheville,” Jackson County Sentinel, August 5, 1937.



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also a teacher specifically assigned to teach folk dancing and music.248 The recreation buildingis no longer extant, but oral history suggests that it was located where the present-day schoolgym is located.

Boy Scouts Cabin. In 1939, the Skyline Farms Boy Scouts received fifty dollars to build a logcabin.249 In 1940, a newspaper article commented that poor weather had prevented its

construction, but that the project would begin March 16 th.250 It is unclear if the building wasactually constructed, or, if so, where it was located.

Churches. Religious organizations were important at Skyline Farms. In 1936, J.M. Moneydonated a one-acre lot for a Baptist Church.251 When ground was broken to build the new publicschool in 1938, Superintendent of Education J.F. Hodges remarked that the school would be themost important building for the project with the exception of the church.252 In 1939, The

Progressive Age announced plans to build a Baptist Church just north of the project center. 253 The dedication for the church was held on July 28, 1940, lead by Pastor G.H. Inglis.254 Sundayservices and Sunday school were also held “as usual at the school house,” often with a guestpreacher from the House of Happiness.255 There is an extant Baptist Church north of the school.It is unclear if this is the 1939 church referenced in the Progressive Age. The original locations,

denominations, and construction dates of other churches in the area are unknown.

248

Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 24; Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249.

249“Skyline Farm News,” The Progressive Age, July 6, 1939.

250“Skyline Farms Boy Scout Troop 6,” The Progressive Age, March 14, 1940.

251“Judge Money Thanked for Gift of Church Lot,” The Progressive Age, June 16, 1936.

252Loomis and Davidson, “Social Agencies,” 27-34; “Cumberland Mountain Scene of Big Fourth,” Jackson

County Sentinel, July 11, 1935; “Land-breaking for School Building is Attended by Many,” Special Edition of Jackson

County Sentinel, March 19, 1938.

253“Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, October 25, 1939.

254“Dedication Service for Skyline Baptist Church,” The Progressive Age, July 25, 1940.

255“Skyline Farms News,” Jackson County Sentinel, November 28, 1939; “Skyline Farm News,” The

Progressive Age, March 14, 1940; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, March [?], 1940; “Timberland ColonyStarts Work on School Building,” The Progressive Age, March 19, 1936; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of SkylineFarms,” 18; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, October 31, 1940.



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4) Agricultural Buildings

Agricultural buildings are places of human work and were constructed for community userelated to agricultural activity.

Warehouse. The warehouse was built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association, which wasestablished in 1937 to support cooperative activities and facilities. It was used for crop storage

and may have been a potato curing house for sweet potatoes, although this may have been asecond warehouse, possibly the cotton gin building.256 It may also have served as a temporaryschool building after the 1941 fire destroyed the existing school.257 The warehouse is arectangular frame structure covered in metal siding with a concrete pier foundation and tinroofing. It was most likely constructed in 1937 or soon thereafter with the establishment of theSkyline Farms Homestead Association. It is located on County Road 107 near the CommunityCenter and is currently used by the Skyline Heritage Association for storage.

Community Warehouse, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Cotton Gin. The cotton gin and seed house was built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association, and is a frame structure with a local sandstone foundation and chimney. Theoriginal USDA plan for the community called for the colonists to grow cotton as a cash cropbecause “cotton had long been the principal farm crop” in Jackson County, but the mountainclimate was not suitable for growing cotton and problems arose from the presence of the bollweevil, so the gin was never used.258 After the community switched to potato production, theypurchased a potato sorter that oral history suggests may have been housed in this building butnewspaper reports suggest that it was purchased by and housed at the Commissary.259 It ispossible that that the cotton gin was converted to the potato curing house that is referenced inUSDA report 1606 once growing cotton was abandoned. The potato grader was electric

256

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 5-6.

257Walter Tidwell, conversation with Amy Kostine, September 10, 2010; J. L. and Edna Guffy Keaton,

conversation with Katie Randall, September 10, 2010.

258Davidson and Loomis. “Standards of Living,” 6; Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 35.

259“Skyline Potato Deal Nearing Maturity,” The Progressive Age, June 22, 1939.



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powered and sorted potatoes into sacks labeled with a special Skyline Farms design. The sorter could process 200 sacks per hour.260 The building has survived, and it is located on CountyRoad 107 near the Community Center. It has been converted into an apartment complex.

Former Cotton Gin, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Packing Sheds. Produce requiring washing or intensive handling before packing and that waseasily transported from the fields and orchards to another location was sorted and packed in apacking shed. Sometimes packing sheds were small, brush-roofed buildings, other formsincluded large shelters without walls, others were modern, multi-story buildings with modernequipment. They could be located in the fields or orchards or in a central location within an

agricultural community.261

On May 27, 1939, the Skyline Farms community voted at a farmers’ meeting to build threepacking sheds, also referred to as “potato sheds,” located on Fort Mountain, Winchester Road,and Larkinsville Road. The sheds would be used to pack the potato and tomato crops.

The first potato crop was harvested in 1937 and praised as “the best quality of any we haveseen in years,” having been carefully graded by the farmers.262 In 1938, Dr. Will Alexander, theadministrator of the Farm Security Administration, visited Skyline Farms and reported that“through careful packing and grading processes, their [Skyline Farms’ farmers] produce broughtpremium prices on the Birmingham and Atlanta markets,” speaking of both potatoes and

260U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6; “Skyline Farm News,” The Progressive Age, June 15,

1939; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, June [?], 1939; “Skyline Potato Deal Nearing Maturity,” TheProgressive Age, June 22, 1939.

261United States Department of Agriculture, “The Commercial Grading, Packing, and Shipping of

Cantaloupes,” Farmers’ Bulletin 707 (February 2, 1916), 14-15, 18; United States Department of Agriculture,“Preparation of Barreled Apples for Market,” Farmers’ Bulletin 1080 (September 1919).

262“Skyline Farms News: Fine Potato Crop,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 1, 1937.



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tomatoes.263 In 1939, residents were elected to make “a potato inspection trip to South Alabama” to “study harvesting, handling, grading, and marketing potoatoes.”264 The packingshed and potato sorter were important additions to potato farming at Skyline Farms.

The potato farms were fairly productive but made little profit.265 One former dispersing agentrecalled, “We’d pack those potatoes and take them down to Scottsboro and load them in a

refrigerated car [train] and send them to Cincinnati… the market was flooded and no one wouldbuy our potatoes. They would just sit out there until they started rotting… So we lost all thepotatoes and the cost of producing them and packaging them.”266

The tomato crop was estimated at 9,000 bushels in 1939. Farmers were praised for carefullyprotecting the crop from bruising with cusions while being transported to the packing shed. Polebeans were also packed and marketed at Skyline Farms.267

Oral history suggests that these buildings were also used to hold classes for school childrenfrom January of 1941 when the school was destroyed by fire until late that summer when a newschool was completed.268 No extant packing sheds have been identified.

Syrup Mill. It was common for family farms in Alabama to grow sugar cane for makingmolasses. Sugar cane was known to grow successfully everywhere in Alabama except in thenorthern counties, but a 1939 article in the Jackson Sentinel noted that a committee wasappointed “to work on syrup mills.”269 The Skyline Farms Homestead Association constructedthe syrup mill, and USDA reported that “a sirup [sic] plant has encouraged the growing of cane.”270 After World War II broke out, residents hoped to produce enough at the syrup mill tocontribute to the nation.271 Its original location and date of contruction are unknown. No extantsyrup mill has been identified.

Feed and Grist Mill. This building was built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association.272 Itsoriginal location and date of contruction are unknown. No extant feed and grist mill has beenidentified.

263

“Dr. Alexander Praises Work at Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, November 1, 1938.

264“Skyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, June 1, 1939; “Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, June 6,

1939.

265“Amazing Irish Potato Crop Grown at Skyline Farms This Year,” The Progressive Age, July 13, 1939;

“Skyline Farms has Fine Potatoes,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 24, 1942.


267“Farm Cooperative Plans Big Year,” The Progressive Age, September 14, 1939.

268

Kennemar, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 27-28.

269Thomas M. Owen, History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume II (Chicago, IL: The

S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1921), 1287-1288; “Skyline Farms,” The Jackson Sentinel, June 1, 1938.

270U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 5-6.

271“Skyline Answers Demands for Food,” Jackson County Sentinel, March 31, 1942.




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Marketing Shed. This building was built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association, and theSkyline Farms Cooperative Association helped with purchase and marketing of farmers’crops.273 Its original location and date of contruction are unknown. No extant marketing shedhas been identified.

Ponds. There was a several-acre lake, possibly present-day Hill Pond, and residents considered

building a dam to supplement it, but it appears the dam was never constructed.274 There arealso references to two small lakes constructed for recreation, but it is unknown where they werelocated.275

273

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6; “Cooperative Association for Colony,” JacksonCounty Sentinel , July 30, 1936.

274“Cumberland Mountain Scene of Big Fourth,” Jackson County Sentinel, July 11, 1935.

275Fisher, “Nearly 200 Contented Families Find Homes on Cumberland Mountain,” Jackson County

Sentinel, December 3, 1936.



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5) Industrial Buildings

Industrial buildings are places of human work and associated outbuildings where products aremanufactured and equipment stored.

Workshops. The women’s and men’s workshops were used for small industrial projects tosupport the community. The men’s workshop was a blacksmith’s shop. The women’s workshop

was a cannery, and women learned to use pressure cookers provided by the federalgovernment, and canned a variety of foods in tin cans also provided by the government. Bothwere built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association and operated by the Skyline FarmsCooperative Association.276 The Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, alsoprovided books to teach the women how to use water bath canning.277 They were located at thecore of the community near Hensley Lane and are no longer extant.

“Interior of blacksmith shop, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


276


277Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 26; Walter Tidwell, conversation with Katie Randall,

October 15, 2010.



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Hosiery Mill. Ground was broken for the construction of a silk-throwing plant and hosiery mill,also referred to as the “Knitting Mill,” on November 29, 1938, by A.K. Adams and Companycontractors. Its construction was estimated to be approximately $94,000.278 Skyline Farmsresidents formed the Skyline Industrial Company, which was a cooperative association thathelped purchase the land and build the factory. It also owned the deed to all physical property,although the mill was operated and managed by the Dexdale Hosiery Mill of Lansdale,

Pennsylvania.279 Mill employees did not already have the skills necessary to operate the plant,so many went to Dexdale in Pennsylvania to be trained, then returned to train other employeesat the Skyline facility.280 It provided employment initially for approximately 40 residents, later growing to approximately one hundred residents. It employed those who were not employed inagriculture, mostly farmers’ families, especially women.281 Workers were paid minimum wage,which was thirty-five cents per hour when the mill opened and later rose to forty cents per hour.282 Hosiery was knit at the plant, then sent to Lansdale, Pennsylvania for finishing283

The mill required electricity to operate, so its construction brought electricity to the SkylineFarms community. As of March 9, 1939, fifty families had signed up for electricity.284 Theadjacent water tower was constructed in August of 1939, and, standing 126 feet tall, it wasreported to hold 50,000 gallons of water.285

Unfortunately, the mill was not profitable, especially after the outbreak of World War II madenylon scarce. In the 1940s the mill was sold to the Dexdale Company and was reopened toproduce latex.286 The building is constructed of red brick with glass block windows and had a fanand blower system for ventilation.287 The mill is extant and has been used as a rope factory inmore recent years. It is located on Highway 79, north of County Road 107, near the communitycenter. The mill’s water tower is also extant.288

278

“Work Starts on New Knitting Mill at Skyline Farms,” Jackson County Sentinel, November 29, 1938; U.S.Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6.

279Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 22; U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 6-7; Campbell and

Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249.280

U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 7; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, May18, 1939; “Skyline Farm News,” The Progressive Age, August 24, 1939; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, October 25, 1939.

281Campbell and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249; “Dr. Alexander Praises Work at Skyline Farms,” Jackson

County Sentinel, November 1, 1938.



284 “Alabama Power Co. Contracts to Serve Skyline Farms,” The Progressive Age, August 31, 1939; “Skyline

Farm News,” The Progressive Age, August 31, 1939.

285“Skyline Farms News,” Jackson County Sentinel, August 15, 1939.

286Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 22; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 26-27; Campbell

and Coombs, “Skyline Farms,” 249.

287“Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, May 18, 1939.

288“Skyline Farms to get $500,000 Knitting Mill,” The Progressive Age, September 1, 1938; “Skyline Farms,”

The Progressive Age, May 2[?], 1939; “Skyline Farms News,” The Progressive Age, June [?], 1939.



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The Hosiery Mill, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


The Hosiery Mill and Water Tower, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




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Quarry. The quarry provided sandstone used for fireplace and chimney construction, as well aslimstone, rock banks, and Silica sand used for road construction.289 It is unclear where thequarry was located, but there is a quarry in operation on County Road 107.

Stone quarry, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” 1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


Jackson Stone Quarry, on County Road 107, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


289




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Sawmill. The Skyline Farms project was established on cut-over timber lands, and it wasreported that “there is enough standing timber on the acreage to furnish lumber for the buildingimprovements.”290 Initially, a sawmill was borrowed to cut the oak, poplar, gumwood, and other hardwoods cleared from the project area, and it was located near the bunkhouse.291 Some of this wood was cut into cross ties that were traded for other building supplies like nails, windows,and doors.292 By 1936, there were four sawmills constructed for the project including an

assembling and finishing plant.293 The sawmills were supervised by Ike Floyd. Local wood wasused to build colony homes and other buildings and furniture and other handicrafts.294 Therewas also a shingle mill.295 The original locations and construction dates of these buildings isunknown, and none of these buildings have survived.

“Sawmill, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” 1935Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


290


291Hackworth, “Opening of First Homestead Celebrated Thursday,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 14,

1935.

292U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Skyline Farms,” 3; “Jackson Allocated $350,000 For Colony on

Cumberland Mt.,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 28, 1935.

293“Timberland Colony Starts Work on School Building,” The Progressive Age, March 19, 1936.

294Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 27; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 14, 26;


295“Cumberland Mountain Farms Physical Set-Up,” 2.



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“Sawmill. New houses are built with timber cut on the project.Skyline Farms, Alabama,” 1935

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs CollectionFarm Security Administration Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Machine Shop and Garage. This building was built by the Skyline Farms Homestead Association and operated by the Skyline Farms Cooperative Assocation.296 The original locationand contruction date are unknown. No extant machine shop and garage has been identified.

296




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6) Cemeteries

There were no funeral homes at Skyline Farms, so funeral homes in nearby Scottsboro, Alabama serviced the Skyline Farms community.297

Skyline Cemetery. The Skyline Cemetery entrance consists of two sandstone colums four to five

feet tall and three feet wide flanked by a two foot tall standstone wall that parallels county road143. It may have been constructed as a National Youth Administration project. The cemetery ison County Road 143, and it appears burials continue in the cemetery today.

Original Sandstone Entrance to Skyline Cemetery, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


Skyline Cemetery, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation


297

“Sudden Death of Skyline Farms Citizen,” Jackson County Sentinel, April 25, 1939.



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Confederate Cemetery. The November 5, 1936, issue of the Jackson County Sentinelreferences a National Youth Administration project plan to build a “native stone” wall at theentrance of the “Confederate Veterans” cemetery east of the downtown crossroads of CountyRoad 107 and County Road 25. The description and location of the project match that of the

Skyline Cemetery, but there is no other apparent evidence that it is a “Confederate Veterans”cemetery. However, north of the community on County Road 545 is the Sanders-Mill CreekCemetery which has fifty-seven identifiable interred and an unknown number of additionalgraves that are unmarked or illegible. Legible dates indicate that the earliest burial occurred in1863 and eight of the markers indicate deaths between 1863 and 1898, with burials continuinginto the 1990s. Among the interred are: Pvt. James Arther Sanders-Alabama Infantry, Pvt.William Mashburn-Tennessee Infantry, John Mashburn- Indiana Cavalry, W.M. Feers- OhioCavalry, John Sanders- Ohio Cavalry, and E.P. King- Alabama Cavalry. While it may not be theveterans cemetery listed in the article, this cemetery offers an interesting insight to settlementon the mountain before the Cumberland Mountain Farms project.298

Travis Cemetery. Thes Travis Cemetery is a family cemetery in which the majority of the nearly

sixty burials are from the 1930s, 1980s, and 1990s. The earliest documented burial is from1910, suggesting that the Travis’ were one of the few families to live on the Cumberlandmountain before the New Deal project.299 It is located on County Road 107.

298

USGenWeb Archives. “Sanders Cemetery, Skyline, Alabama.”http://files.usgwarchives.org/al/Jackson/cemeteries/sanders2.txt (accessed December 9, 2010).

299Tracking Your Roots, “Travis Family Cemetery, Jackson County, Alabama,” http://files.usgwarchives.org/

al/jackson/cemeteries/travis.txt (accessed November 17, 2010).



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7) Objects

Handicrafts. Developing handicraft skills was encouraged, including weaving, sewing, quilting,wood and metal working, and furniture making. These skills were believed to contribute to asense of community, as well as being products the residents could sell for additional income.Government advisors taught men to make all types of furniture for their own use and for sale.300

It is unknown where these items were constructed, but a 1935 newspaper indicates there wereplans to build a “general workshop” to include “handicraft manufacture, blacksmith work, acannery, and wood and iron shops.” At least one furniture shop existed. It was owned andoperated by J.A. Houston and made most of the furniture for the colony houses in the earlyyears of the project.301 Oral history indicates these were constructed as individual buildings, sothe handicraft manufacturing may also have had its own spearate building or may have beendone on individual homesteads.302

“Cabinet maker, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


Sporting Equipment. Government advisors taught girls to make tennis balls, volleyballs,fishnets, and possibly baseballs to sell or exchange for other products.303 It is unknown wherethis took place.

300

Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” 27; Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 26; Campbell andCoombs, “Skyline Farms,” 250.

301Fisher, “Nearly 200 Contented Families Find Homes on Cumberland Mountain,” Jackson County

Sentinel, December 3, 1936.

302“Jackson Allocated $350,000 for Colony on Cumberland Mt.,” Jackson County Sentinel, February 28,

1935.



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Newsletter. The community created a newsletter, Cumberland Farms Notes, in 1935.304 Itannounced community activities and other important information for residents, and waspublished monthly in one of the two county papers. It is unclear if any issues of the newsletter survive today.

303

Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 26; Joyce Kennamer, conversation with Mona M.Brittingham, September 10, 2010.

304Kennamer, “The Rise and Decline of Skyline Farms,” 21.



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National Register Nomination Recommendations

Several of the buildings may be eligible as individual properties, but nominating properties as adistrict or multiple property nomination would be a better option. These types of listings offer anopportunity to include more properties because they include buildings that are not eligibleindividually but derive significance from the broader context of the community. A districtnomination should focus on the public buildings at the intersection of County Road 107 and

County Road 25: the commissary, warehouse, administration building, health clinic, and cottongin. It should also include the sandstone sidewalks and walls that are extant. A multiple propertynomination would provide a contextual study of buildings that are spread out away from thecenter of the community, including the public school, individual colony houses that are either unaltered or extremely significant, the hosiery mill, and cemeteries.



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89

ORAL HISTORY

Introduction

Oral history is a method for recording and preserving memories in spoken form from

which meaning may be extracted. Oral history interviewing began when history first started to berecorded, but the term oral history wasn’t connected to the process of interviewing until the1940s and the practice did not become common until the 1960s. While the methodology of recording these stories has advanced with advances in technology, the function has remainedthe same: to collect “memories and personal commentaries of historical significance throughrecorded interviews.” Oral history is different from oral traditions or folklore, which collecttraditional stories of a community, because it involves in-depth interviewing to collect stories thatconnect that past to the present. Interviews may be used for a variety of projects that bring“meaningful history to a public audience.”305

Oral history is dependent upon memory, so the interviewer must analyze data with other types of evidence. Despite the potential for inaccuracy, especially if much time has passed

between the event and the interview, oral history is a valuable tool. It often reveals informationthat was not otherwise captured in the public record, and it may produce questions that theresearcher might not have previously thought about. Also, oral history is unique in researchmethods because it allows the researcher to actively question the source, which results in moreaccurate answers about why decisions were made.306

Oral history is a multi-disciplinary field and often community members are just aseffective as interviewers as professional historians. It is important to receive training prior toconducting interviews, though, because oral history projects that are not conducted by a well-prepared interviewer may not be successful. There are also legal and ethical obligations to theinterviewee, professional standards of scholarship, and appropriate preservation of therecordings to consider. A number of resources are readily available, and the Oral History

Association has established a set of guidelines for conducting oral histories.307

For Skyline Farms, oral history could be a useful and successful project. There are manyresidents in the community who have memories of the resettlement project and who may bewilling to participate in an oral history project. Preliminary interviews have been conducted withseveral potential oral history interviewees, and although these should not be consideredcomplete oral histories, notes from these interviews are available from the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation and may yield important information for planning an oral history project.This type of project may also yield information about additional private artifact, document, or image collections. A list of potential oral history interviewees follows, as well as a list of

305

Quotes from Donald A. Ritchie, Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide (Oxford: Oxford University Press,

2003), 19, 41. Also see: The Oral History Association, “Principles for Oral History and Best Practices for Oral History:Introduction,” 2009, http://www.oralhistory.org/do-oral-history/principles-and-practices/ (accessed October 27, 2010);Paula Hamilton, and Linda Shopes, Oral History and Public Memories (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2008),viii; Ritchie, Doing Oral History, 19-21, 37, 46; Valerie Raleigh Yow, Recording Oral History: A Guide for theHumanities and Social Sciences (Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2005), 2-3.

306Hamilton & Shopes, Oral History and Public Memories, viii; Ritchie, Doing Oral History, 26-27; Yow,

Recording Oral History, 5-6, 9-10, 20-21.

307Oral History Association, “Principles for Oral History”; Ritchie, Doing Oral History, 19, 25-26.



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resources for conducting oral history interviews. The Skyline Heritage Association may becontacted for individual interviewee contact information.

Potential Oral History Interviewees:

Allen, Roger. Son of Chester Allen, one of the Skyline Farms Band members who later had a

career in music. Mr. Allen owns many of the music-related artifacts available for loan to theSkyline Heritage Association.

Bellomy, Ike. Was a child during the project years. Brother of Jan Cook.

Brandon, Vivian Schrader. Was a child during the project years and went to school in both theoriginal frame schoolhouse and the later sandstone building. She is pictured in photographs of the schools in the Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration, Office of War InformationPhotograph Collection. Her family moved to Cumberland Mountain in 1934 but did not live in acolony house. Her father, Eustis Schrader, was very active in the project.

Brooks, Bill. Did not live in the area during the project but has many contacts who did.

Bynum, Gordon.

Campbell, Hugh.

Chambers, Bob. Long-term resident of the Skyline area.

Clark, Mrs. Was raised in and now owns one of the last colony houses build. Mother of GenevaWells.

Cook, Jan (Bellomy). Was a child during the project years. Sister of Ike Bellomy.

Cook, Mr. Owns a colony house. Came to area in 1945 or 1946 and helped clear Roger Hill’sproperty. Father of John Cook.

Martha Franks.

Grider, Lorene. Was a child during the project years.

Guffey, Lowell. Long-term resident whose father supervised the sawmills.

Hill, Roger. Moved to area in 1945, was born in his house, possibly House 134 which wasformerly owned by Charlie Grider. Family cleared land by hand and raised chickens, tried togrow cotton but failed, also milked cows which were fed by peanuts the family grew.

Hill, Webb. Long-term resident.

Holt, Fannie Lee.

Keeton, J.L. Long-term resident, one of the oldest members of the community.

Kennamer, Joyce. Daughter of Judge Money who helped establish the project. Author of “TheRise and Decline of Skyline Farms: Success or Failure?”



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Machen, Mary Helen. Owns a colony house that she inherited from family members.

Manning, Viola. Long-term resident who has lived in several colony houses.

McGill, Marie and Thurman. Long-term residents of the area.

Paradise, Shirley. Relative of Oakland and Ray Paradise were one of only two families to keeptheir farms after the project ended following World War II.

Parker, Alvie. Long-term resident of the area.

Peek, Mrs. Was a child during the project years. Now owns a colony house.

Potter, Pat. Long-term resident of the area. Relative of Laura Duke, one of the project schoolteachers.

Rouse, Mavis. Lives in colony house owned by Bug and Ruth Roberts, who have owned the

house since 1945.

Sells, Annie Mary. Neighbor of Hattie Stewart.

Stevens, Vernon. Long-term resident of the area. Father of Mitchell Stevens.

Stewart, Hattie. Formerly operated the Commissary.

Tally, Betty. Moved to area in 1936. Has photographs of the public school. Mother of Tony Tally.

Talley, Pleasey. Scottsboro resident familiar with the Skyline project and area.

Teat, Louise. Rainsville resident familiar with Skyline project and area.

Tidwell, Walter. Long-term resident whose father was the Justice of the Peace for the project.

Wade, Hook (Euclay) and Margaret. Long-term residents of the area who worked for thefarmers’ cooperative.

Waldrop, John.

Wells, Mrs. Long-term resident of the area.

Woodall, Evelyn.

Resources for Conducting Oral History Interviews:

Charlton, Thomas L., Lois E. Myers, and Rebecca Sharpless. Handbook of Oral History. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2006.

Hamilton, Paula and Linda Shopes. Oral History and Public Memories. Philadelphia: TempleUniversity Press, 2008.



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Hart, Cynthia and Lisa Samson. The Oral History Workshop: Collect and Celebrate the Life

Stories of Your Family and Friends. New York: Workman Publishers, 2009.

Hoopes, James. Oral History: An Introduction for Students. Chapel Hill: University of NorthCarolina Press, 1979.

Mercier, Laurie and Madeline Buckendorf. Using Oral History in Community History Projects.2007.

The Oral History Association. “Principles for Oral History and Best Practices for Oral History.”2009. http://www.oralhistory.org/do-oral-history/principles-and-practices/ (accessedOctober 27, 2010).

Ritchie, Donald A. Doing Oral History: A Practical Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Sommer, Barbara and Mary Kay Quinlan. The Oral History Manual. Lanham, MD: AltaMiraPress, 2009.

Yow, Valerie Raleigh. Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, 2005.



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MUSIC RESOURCES

Introduction

The Skyline Farms community has a rich music history. Skyline Farms planners believedthat building a sense of community was a key factor in its success and that one way of doing sowas through folk music.308 The Resettlement Administration, which took over management of Skyline Farms in 1935, formed a Special Skills Division that provided a teacher of folk musicand dance for the community.309 A band was formed to play music for the square dances heldeach Friday evening in the recreation building, which was where the school gym sits today. Although the site of the square dances has not survived, the Skyline Farms Heritage Association owns or has on loan a number of music-related artifacts, and there are survivingrecordings and photographs of the Skyline Farms Band, most of which belong to thedescendants of Chester Allen, one of the Skyline Farms Band members.

“Music for square dance, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


308

David Campbell, “Skyline Farms: A Case Study of Community Development and Rural Rehabilitation”(unpublished manuscript), Northeast Alabama Community College, Rainsville, Alabama, 24.

309Campbell, 24; Paul Conkin, Tomorrow a New World: The New Deal Community Program (Ithaca, NY:

Cornell University Press, 1959), 195-196.



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“Square dance, Skyline Farms, Alabama,” c.1937Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Collection


Inventory of Resources

Artifacts may fall under four categories: owned by the Skyline Heritage Association(SHA), gifted to the SHA, on short-term loan to the SHA, or on long-term loan to the SHA.Currently, there are no music resources owned or gifted to the SHA. The following list includesmusic resources that may be loaned on a short-term or long-term basis from Roger Allen, who

is Chester Allen’s son.

Skyline Heritage Association CollectionThe SHA owns copies of “Skyline Jubilee: Songs of 1938-1939,” the recording of Skyline FarmsBand for the National Archives, and copies of the lyrics for several of Chester Allen’s songs. Thecopyrights for these materials should be investigated before use.

Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives Collection,

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

This collection includes approximately 95 images of Skyline Farms’ Friday square dances takenby photographer Ben Shahn between 1935 and 1942. Many of subjects in the images havebeen identified by the SHA and members of the Skyline community. The image copyrights are

public domain.

Personal Collection of Roger Allen

This collection includes memorabilia inherited by Roger Allen from his father, Chester Allen.Roger Allen retains ownership and copyrights to these items. SHA may request permission topublish images or request materials as short or long-term loans for exhibits. The collectionincludes the following items:

• Chester Allen’s guitar • Approximately twenty-four snapshots of the 1937 trip to Washington, D.C.



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• Home Purchase Agreement signed by Chester and Vesta Allen• Heritage of Jackson County, Alabama, includes an article on Chester and Vesta Allen• The Replica Records audition notification letter to Chester Allen, dated May 10, 1954• “Skyline Jubilee: Songs of 1938-1939,” 1989 compilation of the 1937 National Archives’

recordings of Skyline Farms Band, produced by David Campbell and Scottsboro-JacksonHeritage Center

• Jackson Sentinel article about Skyline Farms Band playing at the White House in 1937• Washington Post article about Skyline Farms Band playing at the White House in 1937



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97

PRESERVATION NEEDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

The following section of this report will serve as a guide for steps for future preservation

of the Commissary (project co-op, also referred to as the Rock Store), warehouse, and Administrative Office (also referred to as the Rock House) at Skyline. Recommendations,based on the guidelines of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of HistoricProperties, will be divided into three sections: issues that require immediate attention, areas thatneed rehabilitation in the short term (1-3 years), and large-scale restoration projects that wouldrequire a considerable amount of funding and construction time over the long term (3-5 years),as well as images that depict the current conditions and needs of these buildings.310

310

A complete list of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties can befound online at http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/.

Commissary (Rock Store) Administrative Office (Rock House)

Warehouse



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Preservation Priorities

The following actions need to be taken immediately:

The most important thing to do in preparation for the restoration of the Commissary,Warehouse, and Administrative Office at Skyline is to protect the historic properties from the

elements and agents of harm. To this end, the buildings should be protected from damage or potential damage from rain, water, snow and ice, wind, hail, fire, sunlight, insects, animals,vandals, and thieves.

Administrative Office:

1. Prime exterior wood surfaces: Moisture is the most common and most deadly threat tothe existence of any structure. Although fire is much more dramatic and quick, moisture affectsall buildings. It is important to protect the wooden, paper, and more fragile elements of thebuilding from dampness. Wood doesn’t rot if it is kept wet all the time, or dry all the time, but itwill deteriorate rapidly if it repeatedly goes through wet and dry cycles. All exterior wood shouldhave at least one coat of primer in order to provide a very minimal and temporary protection.

Remember that every part of the building can be affected negatively by uncontrolled rainwater.The most important elements of a building in need of protection are the roof and foundation.

2. Roof repair/clean-up and installation of gutters: The roof needs to be impervious to wind-blown rain and snow. No matter what material is used, it must shed water at every point. Themost common areas of roof failure are the eaves, the valleys at roof intersections, and anyopenings in the roof, such as dormers, chimneys, vents, and pipes. Any penetration of the roof fabric needs to be both flashed and counter-flashed on all sides with a non-corroding metal of the proper thickness. All chimneys and flues should be sealed and all water should bechanneled away from the house with an integrated gutter and leader system. Any missingpieces of trim that help to seal the roof should be replaced.

Need for gutter system and roof cleaning



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3. Foundation Maintenance: It is important that the area around the foundation be kept dry. If not, most buildings will tend to settle unevenly over the years, causing steady damage. A dampfoundation also will raise the humidity level in the building, creating conditions for mold to form.This can be largely prevented by using a gutter and leader system to divert water away from thebuilding. It will also prevent the water from splashing the walls of the foundation. Both guttersand leaders must be inspected on a regular basis to prevent clogging. The compaction of the

soil in the immediate vicinity of the house over time will leave the building in a shallowdepression. Topsoil should be brought in, spread evenly (using hand tools close to the building)and sloped away from the building using at least a 1:12 pitch to facilitate drainage. The besttime to do this is the fall, so that the grass seed can be sown and then covered with straw.

Foundation on south elevationFoundation on north elevation



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4. Removal of Plant and Leaf Debris: Any growing plant in close proximity to a building willdamage the structure to some degree. Overhanging limbs are accidents waiting to happen.Beware of weak trees like hackberries or pecans. Ivy and other intrusive vines can damagewood and mortar for as long as they grown on them. Shrubs and trees trap moisture againstthe structure, and the high humidity near the building causes rapid deterioration of the buildingfabric. The branches of the tree which displays the “No Loafing” sign must be trimmed back so

that they do not extend over the roof and cannot fall during winter weather. Additionally, all of the leaves, branches, and other debris that has collected on the roof, particularly in the valleysbetween the original section and the addition, should be removed. This leaf debris trapsmoisture which has already begun to seep through to the room below.

"No Loafing" tree extending over Commissary

Stumps and other decayed biological growth needs to bedelicately removed, as the roots are attached to the foundation.



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5. Security and Windows: Any openings in the building (doors, windows, and vents) have thepotential to admit the elements as well as intruders into the building. This will becomeincreasingly important as additional exhibits are developed and as the property as a wholedevelops. All windows should be inspected for missing or broken pieces, and the flashing aboveeach one checked as well. The glazing on the windows should be intact, as should all of thepanes. If the windows cannot be repaired immediately, the openings need to be sealed in some

way, either with wood or cardboard to protect the interior from moisture and threats from theoutside. The weatherizing of the windows has the added effect of enhancing security. Additionally, the basement door as well as all exterior doors should be inspected and repair toprevent against intruders. Remember a lock is only as strong as the chain from which it hangs.

6. Cleaning/Removal and Containment of Debris:Loose debris, whether inside or out, is a health and safetyhazard. The grounds and interior should be kept free of trashat all times. A thorough cleaning of the entire building should

be done before restoration work begins, with particular safetyprecautions taken when removing asbestos debris from thebasement or ceiling tiles from the main floor. More than likelythe ceiling tiles contain asbestos, however, they should beprofessionally analyzed to see if this assumption is correct.Proper cleaning and removal of asbestos threats wouldeliminate certain problems and provide a clearer picture of what restoration work needs to be done.

The basement needs to be sealed off until the hazardousasbestos can be removed. The “drooping” asbestos on theductwork throughout the basement is emitting dust into the air

each time a breeze blows through and the stairs are currentlynot stable enough to be used. Sealing of the stairway couldbe accomplished using plywood to block the entrance at therear of the store and then sealing the edges with duct tape. Allareas of the Commissary contain asbestos. As such, extraprecautions need to be taken to ensure the health and safetyof all working within the building, particularly anyone who isstirring up dust.

Bars to deter entry to basement are bent to allowaccess

Bars on other windows, but open panes for entry onsome windows

Entry to the basement should besealed until asbestos ducts can be

removed



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A Special Note on Hazardous Materials:

Most historic restoration projects entail contact with hazardous materials, mostcommonly mold, bird and animal waste, the lead in paint, and asbestos in a variety of buildingproducts such as insulation, ceiling tiles, drywall, linoleum, pipe wrap, and others. TheCommissary is no exception. The following examples illustrate the kinds of problems that

require immediate remediation, or the removal of hazardous materials.

The removal of these materials in the Commissary could be done in phase: first, thefront room of the store (the original section) could be treated, and then the back room (theaddition). Exhibits and displays could be moved from one section to the other. Remediationprofessionals should remove the asbestos and other materials, like the ceiling tiles that mayindeed contain asbestos. While this removal is being completed, the other section shouldremain sealed with some form of temporary barrier. This remediation should be completed assoon as possible, as the dust and bits of decaying asbestos, particularly in the basement, couldeasily become airborne and hazardous to the health of all near or in the building.

One avenue for assistance in the removal of such hazardous materials is theBrownfields Redevelopment and Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). In Alabama, this programis administered through the Alabama Department of Environmental Protection (ADEM). TheCommissary at Skyline qualifies for tax incentives and assistance as a brownfield , or an“abandoned, idled, or underused industrial or commercial property where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived contamination.”311 Qualifications of thisprogram can be found online, as noted at the bottom of the page.

311

Alabama Department of Environmental Management, “Brownfields: Reclaiming Alabama One Site At A Time,” ADEM, http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/land/brownfields.cnt (accessed Nov. 16, 2010).

Tiles more than likely containing asbestos, needfurther testing; pose health threat



103

Warehouse:

1. Security: One immediate action in regards to the warehouse is the repair of securitymeasures. Open windows need to be sealed and the metal bars over the windows that havebeen bent outward should be repaired. Also, the chain and lock system securing the main entrydoors should be examined. Once again, remember a lock is only as strong as the chain from

which it hangs. Also, one of the metal panels on the east elevation is dented and bent back. Itappears to be the right height to serve as a foot step to crawl up the side of the building and intothe warehouse through the gaps in the metal bars at the window. This siding panel needs to berepaired so that it no longer leaves a “step” for intruders to access the interior of the building.

“Step” for intruders, justabove damaged panel

Old lock and chain that needs to be replaced onwarehouse to increase security



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After basic preservation priorities are tackled and completed and financing allows,preservation efforts should extend to the Administrative Office. The Commissary should be thecenter of restoration priorities, with the intent of opening it as a museum in the near future.Once ownership of the Administrative Office passes to the Skyline Heritage Association

restoration can begin.

1. Prime exterior wood surfaces: All exterior wood should be primed with at least one coatof primer in order to provide a very minimal and temporary protection. Remember that everypart of the building can be affected negatively by uncontrolled rainwater.

2. Roof repair/clean-up: The most common areas of roof failure are the eaves, the valleys atroof intersections, and any openings in the roof, such as dormers, chimneys, vents, and pipes.

All of these areas serve as points for water entry at the Administrative Office. Any penetrationof the roof fabric needs to be both flashed and counter-flashed on all sides with a non-corrodingmetal of the proper thickness. All chimneys and flues, particularly the chimney on the north endof the Administrative Office, should be sealed. Any missing pieces of trim that help to seal theroof should be replaced, particularly on the underside of the eave.

All exterior wood surfaces should first be replaced or repaired, and then primed.



105

3. Installation of gutter and leader system: All water should be channeled away from thehouse with an integrated gutter and leader system. A gutter system remains on the grounds,although it is no longer connected or in working order. Use of an integrated gutter and leader system will divert water away from the building and prevent the water from splashing the wallsof the foundation and running down the exterior stone walls. Both gutters and leaders must beinspected on a regular basis to prevent clogging.

4. Foundation Maintenance: It is important that the area around the foundation of the

Administrative Office be kept dry. A damp foundation also will raise the humidity level in thebuilding, creating conditions for mold to form. All vegetation—including the plants and bushes inthe landscaped beds around the building—should be removed. The compaction of the soil in theimmediate vicinity of the house over time will leave the building in a shallow depression. Topsoilshould be spread evenly (using hand tools close to the building) and sloped away from thebuilding using at least a 1:12 pitch to facilitate drainage, much like the Commissary across thestreet. The best time to do this is in the fall, so that grass seed can be sown and covered withstraw.

Chimney on north end of building needsnew flashing to seal water from entering

through the attic.

Gutter and leader system would draw water awayfrom the eaves, protecting from damage like that

shown here.

Overgrown plants inflowerbeds and

attached tofoundation, wicking in

moisture.



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5. Removal of Plant and Leaf Debris: Any growing plant in close proximity to a building willdamage the structure to some degree. Overhanging limbs provide hazards, as well as trees,like those around the Administrative Office, which drop nuts and seeds in addition to trippinghazards for the public who may visit the building in the future. Ivy and other intrusive vines candamage wood and mortar for as long as they grown on them. Shrubs and trees trap moistureagainst the structure, and the high humidity near the building causes rapid deterioration of the

building fabric. The branches nearby trees must be trimmed back so that they do not extendover the roof and cannot fall during winter weather. Additionally, all of the leaves, branches,and other debris that has collected on the roof, particularly in the valleys and near the chimneysshould be removed.

6. Security and Windows: Any openings in the building (doors, windows, and vents) have thepotential to admit the elements as well as intruders into the building, of both human and wildlifeforms. This will become increasingly important the building is used as a library or any other public facility. All windows should be inspected for missing or broken pieces, and the flashingabove each checked as well. The glazing on the windows should be intact, as should all of thepanes. If the windows cannot be repaired immediately, the openings need to be sealed in someway, either with wood or cardboard to protect the interior from moisture and threats from the

outside. The weatherizing of the windows has the added effect of enhancing security. Additionally, the front door and rear door should be inspected and repaired to prevent againstintruders. A new lock system should be installed on the back door, as a lock is only as strongas the chain from which it hangs.

Rotten door surrounds will not stopintruders from entry

Windows that are missing panes,like this one need to be sealed from

the elements.



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7. Cleaning/Removal and Containment of

Debris: Loose debris, whether inside or out, is ahealth and safety hazard. The grounds and interior should be kept free of trash at all times. A thoroughcleaning of the entire building should be donebefore restoration work begins, with particular

safety precautions taken when removing birddroppings from the rear room on the north end of the Administrative Office. The droppings andremains of dead birds need to be removed, as wellas any other feces or critter remains that might befound in the attic. Damaged vents on either end of the attic could have allowed birds, bats, and other creatures into the attic and precautions need to betaken when cleaning up. Masks and facial respirators should be worn when sweeping in theroom, and windows should be opened to provide proper ventilation. These measures will onlyhelp protect against air-born diseases such as histoplasmosis, a fungus that can sometimes befound in bat and bird droppings, but cannot definitely protect those working these spaces.312

312

Rene Kurowski and Michael Ostapchuk, “Overview of Histoplasmosis“ American Family Physician, 66, no. 12(2002), http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1215/p2247.html, (accessed December 14, 2010).

Birds like this may carry the fungus that causeshistoplasmosis.



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The following items need to be addressed in the short term, 1-3 years

Commissary:

1. Replace roof: The roof should be replaced within the next two years, or as soon as fundscan be allocated. It should be replaced with a material that imitates the wooden shakes of the

original roof. One viable solution might be the stamped sheet metal panels that from a distanceresemble a wooden shake roof. While replacing the roof and any rotten or deteriorated decking,the related cornice work should be repaired or replaced around the entire exterior. Non-hazardous insulation should be added to the attic space to assist with energy efficiency. A newgutter system should be installed, complete with leaders to run the water away from thefoundation.

1. Fascia board dangling on rear needsre lacement and re air.

Roof needs replacement in short term

Gutter system needs to be replaced with a newleader system that will lead moisture away

from the foundation



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4. Paint exterior surfaces: The exterior wooden surfaces previously primed as a part of immediate action should be painted in the next 1-3 years with two coats of paint. Additionallayers of paint will further protect the wood and will continue to extend the life of the building aswell as any remaining original materials.

5. Construct proper handicap access: Rehabilitation for public use triggers compliance withthe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the ADA, alterations that affect usabilitymust provide accessibility to the “maximum extent feasible.”314 Thus, the buildings undergoingmajor renovations must have handicap-accessible entrances, corridors, and washrooms. If thebuildings are to be used by the general public, they must be accessible. The costs of makingthe Commissary handicap-accessible would be minimal because all major functions of thebuilding would occur on the first floor. The entry doors must be at least three and a half feetwide and pose no problem for wheelchair access. An ADA-compliant entrance ramp, with a12:1 slope (that rises one foot total height for twelve feet of length) could be easily fitted to theCommissary on the north end that formerly served as a post office. Both the parking lots andsidewalk should be smooth and level to facilitate wheelchair use. With centralized bathroomand kitchen facilities close by and easily available, visitors would have complete access to all

public areas of the building. ADA Regulations and Technical Assistance Materials are availableonline from the U.S. Department of Justice at http://www.ada.gov/.

314

U.S. Department of Justice, “2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design,” Department of Justice,http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm#403e (accessed December 14, 2010).

Location for new ADA-compliant wheelchair ramp



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Warehouse:

1. Cleaning: The interior of the warehouse should be cleared of unnecessary objects. Some of the clutter should be cleaned up, allowing visitors to see what the interior looked like originally.The flour sacks and other agricultural materials should remain on display. All windows that areno longer in the window openings should be retained as well for replacement at a later stage of preservation.

Any unnecessary objects should be removed from the warehouse. This would allowvisitors to see the space, if requested and approved by the owners.



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1. Replace roof: The roof should be replaced within the next two years, or as soon as fundscan be allocated. It should be replaced with a material that imitates the wooden shakes of theoriginal roof. One viable solution might be the stamped sheet metal panels that from a distanceresemble a wooden shake roof. While replacing the roof and any rotten or deteriorated decking,

the related cornice work should be repaired or replaced around the entire exterior. Non-hazardous insulation should be added to the attic space to assist with energy efficiency. A newgutter system should be installed, complete with leaders to run the water away from thefoundation.

2. Replace wiring and outlets: After thorough cleaning, the wiring and plumbing throughoutthe Administrative Office should be inspected by licensed electrical and plumbing contractors.Then, repairs should be made. Not only do these failing systems provide avenues for disaster of flooding and fire, but they also pose great threats to the security and safety of the building.Exposed wiring and plumbing is not safe for visitors or potential library patrons.

All electrical wires should be concealed andlive wires should not be left hanging.



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3. Exterior stone cleaning and repointing: The exterior stone of the building should beprofessionally cleaned and repointed. Repointing, a process for repairing failing mortar byremoving it and replacing it with new mortar, can be a dangerous endeavor if not done delicatelyby a professional. Preferably, someone who is familiar with the Secretary of the Interior’sStandards for Rehabilitation and Restoration should complete the work. These standards statethat “Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the gentlest

means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not be used.”315 Thiswill ensure that they will know how to work with the durability and strength of the stone. If thenew mortar is harder than the previous mortar and the stones that it is supporting and binding,serious issues can result. Analyzing the mortar and creating a match is an essential step andits necessity cannot be overstated.316

4. Paint exterior surfaces: The exterior wooden surfaces previously primed as a part of immediate action should be painted in the next 1-3 years with two coats of paint. Additionallayers of paint will further protect the wood and will continue to extend the life of the building aswell as any remaining original materials.

5. Construct proper handicap access: Rehabilitation for public use triggers compliance withthe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the ADA, alterations that affect usabilitymust provide accessibility to the “maximum extent feasible.”317 Thus, the buildings undergoingmajor renovations must have handicap-accessible entrances, corridors, and washrooms. If thebuildings are to be used by the general public, they must be accessible. The costs of making

the Administrative Office handicap-accessible would be minimal because it is a one-storybuilding. The entry doors must be at least three and a half feet wide and pose no problem for wheelchair access, and the rear door could easily be adapted for wheelchair access. An ADA-

315

Young, 403.

316Young, 425.

317

U.S. Department of Justice, “2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design,” Department of Justice,http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm#403e (accessed December 14, 2010).

Biological growth needs to beremoved from stone on house,

particularly the north chimney.



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compliant entrance ramp, with a 12:1 slope (that rises one foot total height for twelve feet of length) could be easily fitted to the Administrative Office at the rear, attached to the concretepatio. A sidewalk leading to the patio would have to be constructed, and it should be smoothand level to facilitate wheelchair use. As noted previously, ADA Regulations and Technical Assistance Materials are available online from the U.S. Department of Justice athttp://www.ada.gov/.

The concrete patio at the rear of the Administrative Office would be a great point of entry for an ADA-compliantwheelchair ramp.



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The following actions need to be taken in the long term, 3-5 years:

Commissary:

1. Repair or replace window sashes: At this stage any deteriorated window sashes or frames should be replaced with windows of like kind that appear the same or retain the same

openings as the original windows. This step of restoration includes the return of the missingwindow on the façade that was filled in with stone. Opening this window will not only bring morelight into the building, but this will also restore the original appearance of the façade of theCommissary.

2. Paint interior walls: After all hazardous material has been removed, the walls of the

interior should be repainted. A sample of the paint should be analyzed to see if it contains leadand any portions that are peeling or flaking should be carefully removed. Paint not onlyprotects the plaster of the walls, but will also restore the finished look of the space for visitors.Color selection should be based on what was originally within the space.

At this stage, the window on the façade should be uncovered andreplaced with a window to match the one on the other side of the façade.

After all other interior cleaning is done, the walls should be repainted.



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3. Repair and refinish all interior woodwork including staircase, doors, windows, trim: Following the repainting of the interior walls and the removal of all hazardous materials,the staircase, doors, windows and trim should all be repairedand refinished. This includes the removal and replacement inlike kind of any damaged or rotten supports, particularly on the

staircase. Many of the treads need to be replaced, as well asthe bottom step on the stairs. They are currently unstable andunsteady and should not be used until they are properlyrepaired.

4. Construct restroom: Restrooms should be constructedon the grounds in a small building near the Commissary. Thefacilities can serve for the complex of three buildings untiladditional bathrooms can be installed across the street behindthe Administrative Office. While the porta-potty meets theneeds of most visitors right now, if more visitors come,particularly those requiring ADA-accessible facilities will need to be added to the complex. A

separate building will allow the addition of restrooms without altering the original layout of any of the buildings.

5. Repair front stoop: The front stoop should be repaired at this stage, making sure thatsimilar stone and mortar to the original materials are used in the repair. The temporaryhandicap-accessible ramp will have been removed and the original steps need to be repaired bya trained professional who is familiar with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards, much like allof the other stone work and repair.

6. Repair patches and refinish historic wood floors: Following all other interior repairshave been completed, the floors should be repatched, with careful attention to match thepatches with the direction, texture, and color of the original flooring. After patches are in place,

the entire floor should be sanded, cleaned, and then stained to protect the surface.

Warehouse:

1. Repair/replace sill below end door: The endsof the floorboards turned on their sides are exposedto the elements in their current state. Most of thesill appears to be rotten under the doorway.Careful inspection and repair and replacementshould be completed.

2. Repair tin on porch roof: All loose tin on the

warehouse and the porch should be tacked downso they do not blow in the wind. The one sheet of sheet metal on the north end of the porch roof thathas flipped up and folded and since rusted, should be replaced with a similar sheet of corrugated tin. A fascia board could be added to the end of the porch to block the wind frompushing up the individual sheets of tin.

3. Removal of tin siding: If funds and time allow, the removal of the tin siding on thewarehouse would restore the exterior to its original appearance.

Damaged sill on north elevation of warehouse.



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1. Repair or replace window sashes: At this stage any deteriorated window sashes or frames should be replaced with windows of like kind that appear the same or retain the sameopenings as the original windows.

2. Fill and stain interior walls: After all hazardous material has been removed, the walls of the interior should be filled and stained. The stripper that was used on the walls in previousremodeling attempts was apparently very strong and caused the grain of the wood to rise. Inorder to refinish the walls and stain them to their original appearance, many of the large gapsand spaces in the grain will have to be filled with a wood putty that will accept stain. Only after these large chunks are filled will the wood of the walls be able to be stained. Stain not onlyprotects the walls, but will also restore the finished look of the space for visitors. Color selectionshould be based on what was originally within the space.

3. Repair and refinish all interior woodwork: doors, windows, trim: A similar process of fillingand staining should be used on all woodwork within the Administrative Office, including doors,trim and windows. Any loose paint should be removed and new paint applied to painted

surfaces. Stain should be applied elsewhere.

Raised wood grain of interior of Administrative OfficeDoor to be refinished in Administrative



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Landscape Elements:

Several stone retaining walls can be found on the grounds of the main administrative complex of Skyline. The Administrative Office, the former administration building, is separated by a rockwall and walkway that leads to the front of the building. Some of these walls need to berepaired and repointed, as several large stones have fallen out, particularly by the basement of

the Commissary. These do not pose immediate or short-term preservation threats, but rather,these need to be repaired in the long term, as funds and labor become available. Much like theother masonry and stone repairs, professionals who are familiar and recommended for their work with historic masonry repairs should do the repair of these walls. Special attention needsto be given to the selection of mortar, to ensure that it is not harder than the stones of the walland that it resembles the materials and consistency of the original mortar.

Stone wall and pathway by Commissary

Stone wall in need of repair need basement entry



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SKYLINE FARMS LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT

Landscape Description

Geography

The Southern Appalachian Region begins in Pennsylvania and ends in northern Alabama. Theregion contains three major geomorphic provinces: the Blue Ridge Province, the Ridge andValley Province, and the Allegheny and Cumberland Plateaus. The Skyline Farms community islocated on the Cumberland Mountain plateau in Jackson County, Alabama, a mountainouswilderness for most of the nineteenth century.

Described as “one of the beauty spots in the [Tennessee] valley,”318 the site is about 1,680 feetabove sea level, on a slightly rolling plateau on top of Cumberland Mountain, with steep areason the borders of the plateau. The soil is primarily sandy loam which erodes easily but is goodfor agriculture. The growing season is about 206 days per year.319 The landscape was called“endowed by nature,”320 and it was described in the outline plan for Cumberland Mountain

Farms:

The project is located in Jackson County, an extremely rural county in theNortheast corner of the state. The county is cross by two ranges of mountains,namely: Cumberland and Sand Mountains. Because of the geographical makeup, transportation is extremely difficult and a large percentage of the populationof this county live in a remote section with only an occasional access to theCounty Site.321

The site is approximately 16 miles northwest of Scottsboro, the County Seat.322 A JacksonCounty newspaper commented in 1933 that “it is said a plan is afoot to build a road upMaynards Cove to connect with the upper end of Paint Rock Valley and opening up vast area

known as Cumberland Mountain, which heretofore had no chance of development.”323

In 1936,another 10,000 acres were added to the project, and in 1937 the name was changed fromCumberland Mountain Farms to Skyline Farms.324

Today, the region still is largely rural and agricultural; it remains heavily wooded and theresidential properties have many trees. The wilderness remains protected by the North Alabama

318

“Lumber Corporation Will Develop Vast Cumberland Mountain Into Homesteads,” Jackson County Sentinel , June 28, 1934.


320

“Rehabilitation is Sought for County,” Jackson County Sentinel, December 6, 1934.321



323“Applications Taken,” The Progressive Age, February 23, 1933, quoted in Kennamer, 2-3.

324

Kennamer, 19-20.



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Birding Trail and the Skyline Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Skyline WMAencompasses about 46,353 acres in multiple tracts within 684,160-acre Jackson County.325 Alarge tract is located just north of the Skyline town center that can be accessed from Highway146. Site Number 41 of the North Alabama Birding Trail is part of the Skyline WMA. The visitor guide describes the area:

Skyline Wildlife Management Area is an extensive tract of wild lands innortheastern Alabama, which hosts the state’s only population of Ruffed Grouse.This carefully managed area also supports older hardwood forests utilized bynesting Cerulean Warblers. A visit to the WMA is most rewarding in spring whenYellowbreasted Chats, Field Sparrows, Indigo Buntings and Prairie Warblers canbe heard singing throughout. With careful exploration and a little luck, springvisitors might also hear the drumming of the male Ruffed Grouse, although WildTurkey and Northern Bobwhite are much easier to find. This mosaic of regenerating habitats provides a tremendous diversity of bird species, making it aspecial treat for birders.326

The area is watered by a small creek draining from Hill Pond, northeast of the

community. The creek flows southwest, crossing Highway 79 and County Road 25 southof the town center, and eventually drains into the Tennessee River.327 In 1935, thecommunity considered building a dam to supplement a large lake, possibly Hill Pond, butthe dam was never constructed.328

Wooded Agricultural LandscapePhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


325

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, “Outdoor Alabama: Wildlife Management

Area Maps and Hunting Permits,” http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/wildlife-areas/wmamaps/ (accessedNovember 11, 2010); Alabama Department of Archives and History, “Alabama Counties: Jackson County,”http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/jackson.html (accessed November 11, 2010).

326Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, “Flock to the River Valley: North Alabama

Birding Trail,” http://www.northalabamabirdingtrail.com/pdf/nabt_guide_final.pdf (accessed November 11, 2010).

327Alabama Department of Archives and History, “Alabama Counties: Jackson County.”

328“Cumberland Mountain Scene of Big Fourth,” Jackson County Sentinel , July 11, 1935.



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Wooded Residential LotsPhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


Roads

On today’s landscape, Highway 79 is a north-south corridor that connects Skyline toScottsboro, Alabama, to the south and Winchester, Tennessee, to the north. Thecommunity’s boundaries fall along this road between its intersection with County Road245 to the north and County Road 17 to the south. Additional smaller roads provide

access from the community center at the intersection of County Road 25 and CountyRoad 107 to the family farms.

County Road 25 forms an approximately two-mile, north-south loop to the west of Highway 79. County Road 107 runs east-west through the community center. It deadends approximately three miles west of the community center, and travels east thennorth forming a five-and-a half-mile loop from the community center, east of Highway 79,then connecting to Highway 79 near the northern boundary of the community. CountyRoad 307 begins approximately two miles west of the community center and dead endsapproximately one mile south of County Road 107. One mile west of the communitycenter on County Road 107 is the start of Country Road 207, which is a mid-twentieth-century road that dead ends a half mile to the south. Country Road 143 starts south of

the community, travels east approximately 0.3 miles, then makes a right turn north for approximately a mile, ending at County Road 107. Cemetery Road starts at theintersection of Country Road 107 and Country Road 143 and travels approximately ahalf mile west to Highway 79 through the center of Skyline Cemetery. East of CountyRoad 143, County Road 219 starts at County Road 107 and travels approximately a milesouth, then dead ends. North of its intersection with County Road 107 is an unnamedcounty road that travels past the Travis Cemetery just over a mile before it dead endsnear Hill Pond. East of County Road 219 and the unnamed county road on County Road107 is County Road 241, which travels approximately two miles east before it dead



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Fences and Fields

The community homesteads included at least forty acres of land for crops, a subsistencevegetable garden, fruit orchards, and dairy cattle. Many of these homesteads have changed inacreage and agricultural products, but the agricultural character of the community remainsunchanged. The fields today are commonly used for cattle, corn, and hay, are separated by

mature trees or post and wire fencing, and many have agriculture ponds, probably man-made.The agricultural character of the community is also maintained by the presence of smallfarmhouses, either original colony houses or modest new construction, and agriculturaloutbuildings including barns and sheds.

There are also fences near the community center. Original sandstone fences and sidewalks arelocated near the administrative office and commissary buildings.

Agricultural Landscape, County Road 107Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010




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Original Sandstone Administrative OfficePhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


Original Sandstone CommissaryPhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010




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Original Sandstone Public SchoolPhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


Original Sandstone Fence outside Administrative OfficePhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010




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Original Sandstone Sidewalk outside CommissaryPhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010


Original Sandstone Entrance to Skyline Cemetery, 2010Photo Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation




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Landscape Preservation Recommendations

Natural Landscape

Although property owners, acreage, and agricultural products necessarily change over time, it is

important for this community to preserve its agricultural character with open space. The SkylineFarms Heritage Association should educate property owners about the agricultural history of thecommunity and encourage agricultural activity continue.

Built Landscape

The use of local sandstone and limestone is a character-defining feature in the built landscape.Preserving sandstone buildings, including the original portion of the school, the commissary,and the administration building, and sandstone structures, including the stone walls andsidewalks near these buildings and the entrance to Skyline Cemetery, is important tomaintaining the community’s character. It is also important to preserve the stone bridge onCounty Road 25, and any other bridges or culverts constructed from local stone during the

project. Many of these properties are not owned by the Skyline Farms Heritage Association, soit is important to educate property owners about the history of the community and theimportance of local products in providing employment and materials during the project.

Wooded Residential LotsPhoto Courtesy of the Center for Historic Preservation, 2010




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Landscape Interpretation Recommendations

Since the present-day landscape vividly reflects the original landscape of Skyline Farms,it is an ideal setting for outdoor recreation that connects visitors to the local historythrough outdoor activities.

Driving Tour

One option is a driving tour that includes the community center, public school, and manyof the surviving colony homes. Starting at the intersection of County Road 25 andCounty Road 107, visitors will see the commissary, warehouse, cotton gin, health clinic,administrative offices, and site of the blacksmith’s shop and cannery. Following CountyRoad 107 east until it intersects with Highway 79 takes visitors though a neighborhood of surviving colony homes and offers the opportunity to see the existing rock quarry and thecommunity’s cemetery. Visitors would return to the community center by followingHighway 79 south to County Road 25, passing the public school and returning to thecommunity center. An expanded version could continue on County Road 25 to Highway79 and take visitors past the first colony house. A driving tour map and guide could be

distributed by the Skyline Heritage Association at the Commissary.

Bike Trail

Another option is a bike trail that follows the same path as the driving tour. Vehicle trafficis minimal on County Road 107, and starting and ending at the Commissary providesparking.

Scenic Byways

County Road 107 and County Road 25 could be considered for designation as scenicbyways for their cultural, scenic, and historic value.

Agritourism

Agritourism could also be a viable option, bringing in tourist dollars and helping topreserve the agricultural landscape of the community. Residents could offer pick-your-own produce, farmer’s markets, farming camps for children, corn mazes, hay rides, andother farm-based activities.



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MUSEUM PLAN FOR THE COMMISSARY

The Commissary at Skyline Farms has a wealth of objects and documents in its collections. It isfortunate enough to have genuine artifacts from Skyline’s long history that will be relevant inexhibits and as teaching materials. In order to develop a museum that will showcase thesecollections in the best way possible, there are needs that must be met.

Objects and documents in the Commissary fall into the following categories:BooksPaper DocumentsFarm Equipment/HardwareStore Items (Bottles, Cans, Etc.)Early ArtifactsShelving

Most of these objects are in good shape and can be cleaned and kept in use. For objects thatare in danger of severe long-term damage, there are solutions for cleaning and storage.

Collections and Archives Needs

To ensure the prolonged life of the objects at Skyline, the following observations andrecommendations should be considered.

The environment of the Commissary is precarious at best for these documents. It has electricity,but no heating or air conditioning. Coupled with the holes in the windows, there is no way toavoid excessive temperature fluctuations or control humidity. Some documents are stored onwood, which is not a safe medium for paper storage. Many paper documents have beendisplayed unprotected. There is evidence of water damage in some yearbooks. There are alsoopen boxes of documents, with dust and pest damage evident in some (Figure 1). The papersneed to be cleaned, copied and placed in storage boxes in a climate-controlled space.

Figure 1



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Many of the objects on the shelves at the Commissary are aged. Time spent on these shelveshas led to a small accumulation of dust, but that is to be expected with the structure in itscurrent condition. In order to keep the artifacts safe from dust, pests, and other air pollutants,

the windows must be repaired and a climate controlling system must be put in place. Theseobjects should be cleaned and a full inventory should be done. The inventory in place now issufficient, but in the future it will need to include pictures, donors names, and all other pieces of information on the objects.

The condition of paper materials at Skyline varies. While some documents seem to be fairly wellpreserved, there are many items that have fallen victim to pests and other damage. Proper cleaning and storage will ensure Skyline's collection for generations to come.

Storage Recommendations

General Environment

A stable environment should be found to store Skyline's document collection until such time thatthe Commissary has a system of climate-control. It would be preferable not to store thecollection in a basement or attic, as each tends to have issues regarding moisture or excessiveheat. A dry area, away from any water source such as a washing machine or bathroom, with air circulation is important to resist the growth of mold. Exposure to heat should also be regulated;do not store collection near a heat source such as a fireplace or radiator. Proper fireprecautions should also be taken. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity, resulting inexcessive moisture to dryness in paper breaks down the material composition and can causecracking, warped covers of books, and flaking ink. Conservation professionals recommend arelative humidity range from 35 percent to a maximum of 55 percent humidity. The air control

system should never be turned off, even during non-operation hours; stability of environment iscrucial. Temperature should be maintained from 65 to not more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Air circulation will remove pollutants and help control mold. Please note that storagerecommendations may be different for textiles. Exposure to light is another reason that proper storage is necessary. As stated, light weakens paper and can cause discoloration, andtherefore original documents should only be exposed to light when being used, preferably under an incandescent bulb source. Collections should be placed on metal shelving and never bestacked or stored on the floor. Any object that may be harbor biological or chemical agents thatcan be harmful to the rest of the collection must be isolated. This includes nitrate film, which issubject to spontaneous combustion.

Pest Management

It is not always obvious what can indirectly hurt objects. While some things may seem obvious,for instance food and drink should always be keep from historical documents and the trashtaken out daily, the most dangerous thing to expose the collection to is live flowers and pottedplants. Bugs almost always reside in live flowers and plants, whether visibly or not. Lettingbugs near a collection could end in a disaster, and flowers and plants are the most commonways of introducing them. Regular housekeeping is also a good way to deter pests; shelvesshould be dusted and floors swept. If carpet is ever laid, it should be cleaned with a vacuumthat has a HEPA filter, which picks up dirt and dust instead of recirculating it. If a pest problem



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becomes evident, it is not recommended to use chemical sprays, as it will likely effect thedocument collection, even if properly stored. All of the above cleaning solutions are generallypart of an integrated pest management plan, which should be set into place to prevent anyinfestations.

Archival Supplies

Proper storage materials will be obtained through the Center for Historic Preservation. Theseinclude:

Acid-free tissueLow lignin, buffered folders Archival boxes made of corrugated boardMylar Double-sided tapeSelf-healing cutting boardScissors

Categorizing the documents in specific, labeled file folders will ensure easy retrieval. However,it is important that documents of approximately the same size and weight be stored together. If not, uneven pressure can cause damage. If this is an issue, it is best to have two folders of thesame subject, separated by weight and size. There should also be no extra room in a box, asslumping will occur. These materials will help keep the collection physically and chemicallystable.

Cleaning Recommendations

Stored documents should be laid flat on a proper cleaning surface, such as buffered board. All

documents, with the exception of the pest-ridden, should be laid flat to be surface cleaned, andhave any metal or rubber bands removed. Any bookmarks or scrap pieces of paper should beremoved from books.

Objects should be placed on a proper cleaning surface and lightly dusted or wiped with an acidfree cloth. There should be no chemicals involved in cleaning objects. Mild soap and water arethe only acceptable cleaning agents for objects, but should only be used in extremecircumstances. Dusting is the best method of cleaning.

An appointment can be made to demonstrate proper cleaning techniques, or a DVD may besent in lieu of a live demonstration.

Supplies

Proper cleaning materials will be obtained through the Center for Historic Preservation. Theseinclude:

Cotton glovesMaskBone folder



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Absorene Dirt Eraser Brush (soft paint brush will be sufficient)ScalpelBuffered boardHobby knife

Handling Recommendations

When handling historic documents, it is important to be careful with the document and wear gloves. Latex is acceptable, but cotton gloves are best. Not only do the dirt and oils on thehuman skin wear down the material composition of paper, but also it is important for the healthof the handler to wear gloves and a mask if a document shows evidence of pest damage and/or mold. Unregulated contact with mold, dormant or active, can result in serious healthcomplications, especially if the handler already suffers from allergies.

Museum Plan

Collections Policy

To establish a museum at the Commissary, there must be a collections policy in place. Thispolicy will define the purpose of the museum, the scope of the museum’s collections, how themuseum will acquire objects and artifacts, and how the museum will manage those objects.Sample collections policies can be provided so that one may be written customized to theCommissary’s objectives.

The most important part of the collections policy is the mission statement. This will define whatthe museum’s purpose is in the community. It does not have to be a complex statement.Something simple that allows the public to understand the intentions of the museum, whether it

be to educate the public, provide a heritage center for the community, serve as a storage facilityfor invaluable objects in Skyline’s history, or all of the above.

The statement of purpose will expand on the museum’s purpose in the community. This caninclude goals, both short and long term, that the museum hopes to achieve. It will also includewhat the museum plans to do with its artifact and paper collections. It is important that thisstatement of purpose be specific. The goal with the Commissary is not to become a storagefacility for the town of Skyline, but to create a center of the town’s heritage where locals andvisitors alike can come and learn about its history. A collections policy will prevent donationsand gifts of objects that do not help the museum in achieving that goal.

Next, the collections statement will be more specific in terms of the artifact and paper collections

and what their purpose is in the museum. Are the objects going to be available for research or interpretive use or both? These questions must be answered in order to understand who willhave access to this museum.

There must be rules for accessioning and deaccessioning artifacts. This is to protect themuseum and prevent it from becoming a storage facility rather than an interpretive center. Rulesmust also be put in place for loans. There are several objects on loan from members of theSkyline community. These objects are not owned by the Commissary and therefore must havepaperwork that states who the owner is if they ever need to be returned to the owners. Also, in



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the future, if objects are loaned out of the Rock Museum to another establishment, agreementsmust be made for the protection and care of those objects. Those specific rules will be outlinedin the collections policy.

Once an object joins the museum’s collection, it must be assigned a number so that it can bekept in the inventory. The collections policy will also outline the conditions for the best care of its

artifacts. Those requirements can be found in the conservation plan of this document. Thecollections policy will state who carries insurance on the structure and the objects within, in caseof any emergency.

An important part of a collections policy is setting guidelines for employees to follow. Inparticular, a regular schedule for inventory should be established. For example, a completeinventory on the entire collection, both papers and objects, should be done as soon as possible. After that, an inventory should be conducted once every one to three years to observe theartifacts’ appearance and ensure that they are not suffering from pest or chemical damage. Athorough cleaning of artifacts should take place at the same time.

Finally, the collections policy must discuss the issue of access. Who can have access to these

artifacts? If the documents are to be for storage only, aside from the ones on display, it must bestated that the public is not allowed access to those documents. Can the objects be loaned outto other institutions with similar mission statements? What will the hours be? Who will be incharge of observing visitors when they are in proximity to the collections? These questions mustbe answered, both as guidelines and as liability protection.

Exhibits

While Skyline has a rich history, it would be difficult to develop exhibits for everything. Onceagain, this is meant to be a heritage center for the town, not a storage facility. Therefore, it isimportant to concentrate on main themes and not get carried away with donations. The

collections policy will assist in that right. There are a few themes that run through the history andwill serve as the areas of focus for exhibit development (Figure 2). They are:

Early HistoryCommissary and HandicraftsRock SchoolMusic and DancingFarmingPhotography

The right side of the Commissary will serve as exhibit space, along the walls and partially downtoward the back storage room. The left side will serve as the visitor’s area where they can

purchase items that are for sale, like t-shirts and local products. Also, since this store is such animportant part of the town’s history, it is recommended that the middle floor be left open for receptions and other social events that might take place. The area farthest from the front doorsand closest to the back storage area will be left open and without exhibits. This will provide themwith a seating area so that they may learn more about the town with talks and presentations.There should be a projector or some sort of display implement in this area to assist indiscussions.



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With the original shelving still in the building, it provides prime storage space for exhibits. Theshelves should be stabilized and repainted, but no other work should be done. It is important notto put any more holes in the shelves, with nails or staples or anything of that sort. The long,short shelves that currently reside in the middle of the room will be moved to different locations.Their new locations can be seen on the sketch included. Those lower shelves can be used asstorage if a cloth is draped across. This will keep visitors from handling any objects that might

be too close to the floor.

The area known as the post office should be closed off to visitors. The floor is unstable and cancause liability issues. At present, the space is being used as a storage area. It should be setback up to look like a post office. The barber’s chair is a part of that space and should not berelocated. It should be cleaned and used to interpret the changes in the building over time. Thebookshelf in front of the window to the post office should be moved and placed in storage. Atpresent there is no need for it.



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Figure 2



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Archives Plan

Display Recommendations

Paper Documents: The risks of being unprotected include exposure to dust, pests, weather damage, and proximity to other pieces of the display. Coal and even wood shelving in contact

with paper can be destructive, as they emit chemical reactions harmful to paper (Figure 3).Moreover, some of the protective displays currently set in place do not sufficiently protect thedocuments. If protective cases are too small, the point where the document begins to overflowout of the case will become weakened due to the pressure of the case itself. This also is a riskto the part of the document that is exposed (Figure 4). It is encouraged for paper collectionsthat are being considered for display be reproduced on a high quality scanner, and the copiesbe displayed. There are too many factors that can harm an original document on display to riskit. Light is another danger to original documents on display. Light will weaken the fibers of thedocument, and likely cause discoloration over time. Filters or coverings can be purchased tominimize the effect of light, but they are not foolproof and can be costly. If determined that anoriginal document must be on display, it should be for the shortest time possible in an area withminimal exposure to light, with any windows covered (Figure 5).

Figure 3



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Figure 4

Figure 5



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Books: There are many yearbooks and ledgers in the Commissary. Although books arevulnerable to the same issues as paper, books are not so simply replicated. Therefore, if Skyline feels that the yearbooks should be kept on display, certain materials are recommended.There are a variety of book cradle displays on the market that would be good alternatives to thecurrent display. The cradled display will elevate the book, and extend the use of the book by

not putting as much strain on the spine. Excess strain will cause the spine to break, can beexpensive to repair. As books were made in the late nineteenth century and ever since, themethods for building the spine incorporated cheap ways of attachment. Whereas most older books were sturdy because they were usually hand-bound with needle and thread, these “new”books are often merely constructed with glue, making these books much more likely to bedamaged if proper precautions are not met (Figure 6). However, if displays are used, care mustbe taken to ensure that the display is the appropriate size. Having an oversize book on a smalldisplay will harm the book if it hangs off, pressing into and denting the cover.

Figure 6

Additional Information and Resources

It would be useful to either review publications or attend a workshop that addresses issues with

document care. The Library of Congress has extensive information on most aspects of conservation, and can reached at:http://www.loc.gov/preserv/careothr.html

The Northeast Document Conservation Center is also an excellent source for such resources.In addition a template for an emergency response plan and many links addressing specific careissues, the NECC also hosts a series of webinars, which are usually $80 if you register early.They are very helpful live, interactive online classes designed to help those with private



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collections. Their schedule is available at:http://www.nedcc.org/education/webinars.calendar.php

Specifics of document care and pest management are available on the site can be reached at:http://www.nedcc.org/resources/introduction.php

Conservation Plan for Archives and Objects Collection

Immediate Action Required

It is of the utmost importance that documents and objects are stored in a stable environment.Given that the Commissary lacks heating and air conditioning, and threats from the state of thebuilding itself, it is imperative that all documents be moved to a secure location immediately.The elements of a proper storage facility are outlined in the Storage Recommendation section.Most objects are in less danger than the documents and can withstand the climate change untila controlling system can be installed.

Short Term Plan (1-12 months)

Surface cleaning: Before being stored, the documents require surface cleaning. A hands-ondemonstration can be made at both parties earliest convenience, or a visual recording of proper cleaning techniques may be sent. Artifacts also require a surface cleaning. This will be a lightdusting of objects with a non-abrasive material. The cleaner should wear gloves - preferablycotton. Metal objects with rust should not be cleaned with chemicals. Leather objects should notbe treated with oils or soaps. In most cases, chemical damage to these objects is irreversible.These objects should be stored in climate-controlled spaces.

Removal: During the winter, there are certain objects that should be removed from the museumand placed in a climate-controlled space. Documents should be placed in the proper storage

facility. Any textile in the museum should be stored in an acid-free box with acid free tissuepaper. Leather cracks in the winter, so the small chairs should be removed as well. Metals willsurvive the cold, so the farm equipment and hardware can remain in the museum over thewinter months.

Scanning: Scanning is a useful tool, but can be dangerous to documents if not done correctly.Please consult Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives,which outlines the standards for copying and scanning historic documents and is available athttp://www.niso.org. Once these standards are understood, scan in a high resolution alldocuments after surface cleaning if there is not already a high-resolution copy. Destroy originalsof those pieces heavily affected by pest damage afterwards, which may be done in consultationwith a conservator, and use scans for display. Backup images on an external hard-drive and

store in an off-site location. However, it is important to understand that digital copies have arelatively short shelf life, and other kinds of reproduction should eventually be invested in.

Other Uses for Digital Files: These digital files can be useful when Skyline develops awebsite; an online collection could be included in the website if the proper files are available.Furthermore, small archives are finding that social sharing sites such as Flickr have beeninvaluable in obtaining additional information, especially to identifying unknown people inphotographs. Although the Skyline community seems very knowledgeable of their past, if there



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are any photographs with unidentified people, uploading images to sites such as this might bean avenue to consider. Follow-up, of course, may be necessary to ensure authentication.

Materials: Acquire proper storage and cleaning materials. Work in consultation with MTSU or astate institution to ensure proper store and cleaning.

Disaster Preparedness: Although difficult, it is necessary to prioritize the collection, which is anintegral part of an emergency action plan. Priorities should include those documents deemedrare, unique, and heavily used. An emergency response plan will ensure that proper action istaken in the event of an emergency, generally with a description of who is responsible for whatactions as well as a list of emergency contacts. It is best to have a pocket response plan, whichis a plan that can be kept on your person. If the action plan is stored with the collection andthere is an emergency, there is a chance that you could not access it, so keeping it on hand willensure that proper steps can immediately be made.

Long Term Plan (1 – 10 years)

Policy: A preservation policy should be set in place. A preservation policy provides written

guidelines for future conservation activities and will be included with the collections policy. Aguideline for the collections policy can be found in the Museum Plan section.

Insurance: Insurance on Skyline's collection is an important option to consider. Since value ishard to place on such collections, it may be a good idea to investigate special coverage.

Format: Microfilm has the longest shelf life of any reproduction media. If funds becomeavailable, preservation microfilming may be contracted out to ensure to longevity of thecollection. Ensure the preservationist is reputable; it may also be useful to ask other institutionsfor recommendations.

Access: Control of the access to the collection is recommended. Unfortunately, theft is an

issue that too many institutions deal with. A solution for the Commissary may be, when and if the collection is brought back, to set aside a part of the Store as a “study area” for researchers. A small locker area should be set nearby for researchers to put their bags as they work. Pencilsshould be the ONLY writing utensils allowed, under all circumstances. It is not worth the risk of a researcher accidently making an irreversible mark on a document. Furthermore, researchersshould be made to sign in on a register. This will show the last date of use and user of adocument in case of theft. Professional researchers are generally accustomed to suchrequirements. These requirements should be outlined in detail in the collections policy.

Catalog: A cataloging system should be set in place. In this instance, it may be best to groupcertain parts of the collection together, since many individual documents are related. Relatedmaterials should be cataloged as one unit. Cataloging in this manner will prevent unnecessary

handling of unrelated documents, and should be relatively easy since Commissary workershave already worked with grouping the documents. Any cataloging marks should be madelightly in pencil if marking on a document and on the folders and boxes if Skyline decides toindividually catalog each item. If not, it is preferable to only mark the folders and boxes. It isbest to have many different formats of historic documents. In addition to the scanned copiesand the original documents, the Commissary should eventually plan to implement an automatedcatalog record. Doing so will only widen Skyline's accessibility to researchers and the public.



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Artifacts: Storage of artifacts not in use should be considered. Similar to documents, objectsshould be stored in materials that are chemically neutral, support the item well, and providedust-free environments when possible (e.g., acid-free boxes; metal shelves with doors for closed storage; acid-free tissue).

Funding: In addition to any local fundraisers, Skyline can apply for funding from state, federal,

and private agencies for the continued conservation of the document collection. The NortheastDocument Conservation Center can help planning funding proposals. Additional informationcan be found at the links:http://www.nedcc.org/funding/introduction.phpHttp://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=474

Restrooms: At present, the facilities do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards,which can be found at http://www.ada.gov/. To open the museum to all visitors and provide thebest experience possible, and also to meet these standards, restrooms are going to have to bebuilt. It is not a recommendation to put restrooms inside the Commissary, but instead to build aseparate structure next to the store.

First Exhibit for Commissary

The Commissary has a lot of potential for a museum. This is a rudimentary plan for aninstallation, with a few suggestions on artifacts to use that are already in the building. There willbe a few new materials suggested, especially when text is inserted into the exhibits. It isimportant to note first that any exhibit space must follow ADA guidelines. The most important of these guidelines is that there must be 44 inches of space in between exhibit panels and casesto ensure that all wheelchairs can be rolled through comfortably. All other guidelines can befound at www.ada.gov/.

As mentioned in the museum plan, the right side of the building is perfect for exhibit space. The

shelving is already in place, although some will have to be moved. It is not recommended thatartifacts or documents be placed on the bottom two shelves. These can be covered with a darkcloth. The layout for the museum is provided in Figure 2 and will help with putting everythingtogether. All parenthetical references are for the history text included in this report.

Early History

First, the visitor will walk in the front doors of the Commissary. When they turn to the right, theywill walk under a replica of a Cumberland Mountain Farms sign found on the Library of Congress website (Figure 7). To the right, the shelves there will contain information andartifacts the early history of Skyline. This can include text on the New Deal (1), the Resettlement Administration (3), tenant farmers, and cooperative memberships. The other topics that should

be included in this part of the exhibit are TVA and the displacement of families (4), criteria for membership (6), and discussion of the early community and its members (8). Artifacts from thistime period can include the handmade chairs that are already in the store, the first telephone,and possibly the stenciling from the colony house down the street, if it is available. Images thatshould be considered include a photo of an early colony house and a map of Jackson County. If possible, include an image of the stenciling on the floor in the renovated colony house.



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Figure 7

Commissary

Next, visitors will turn to the left and enter a sort of recreation of the Commissary. This shouldbe an artifact-heavy area with store merchandise, a cash register, and old signs if available.There are two images from the Library of Congress website that can be used as models for thissetup, one of which is included here (Figure 8). Walking forward, the visitor should flow into thenext store set-up, which includes the thread case and sewing kits on the shelves.

Figure 8



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The second section set aside for the store, as seen in Figure 2, should concentrate on how thestore was a community center (12). Text in this area should discuss the building of the structureand its role in the community – the post office, barber shop, and phone center, and howresidents depended on the store for supplies like coal, seed, and craft materials. Text shoulddiscuss early crafts that the residents of Skyline partook in, like quilts, chairs (Figure 9),

cabinets, and anything else relevant (26-28). This can also include early community events.

Figure 9

Rock School

Next, the visitor will come up on the exhibit for the Rock School. This school was an integral partof the community. Text should include the history of school buildings in Skyline (9, 40-41).Describe the typical education of residents and sports in which students might have beeninvolved. An artifact already in the store that can be used is the window, although more shouldbe found (also in Figure 9). This exhibit should show how the school has changed over timeand developed into what now exists. There are also Library of Congress images showing theearly school that should be included (Figure 10).



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Figure 10

Music & Dancing

Following the school, the next exhibit will highlight the history of music and dancing in thecommunity. Visitors should be able to read about the music (28), competitions (30, 31), theband and dancers (12, 31). There should be a short biography of Chester Allen (35) next to hisguitar and possibly some song lyrics. The store does not have many artifacts in regards to

music, so those might need to be collected. There are photographs that can be incorporatedinto the exhibit that will need captions to provide background information. The photograph of thegroup in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. is a perfect example of what to use.

Farming

The visitor will then turn left and approach the opposite wall. This is where the farming exhibitwill be. This exhibit should discuss Skyline and how it was settled as a farming community.Include information about sharecroppers (3), how much land they were given (8) issues farmershad growing crops (14), participation in the war effort (14), and the effect of farming on residents(40). There are many artifacts in the store that can help explain the history of farming in thecommunity. Tools of all kinds should be on the shelves, along with captions explaining their

uses. The tools in the front of the store should be relocated to the area in front of these shelves,and can be hung on the ceiling like they are now. The text should discuss the crops that weregrown in the community and the difficulties of farming the land. This exhibit should also discussthe store and the warehouse in the rear and the part they played in the farming community. Thisexhibit will be artifact heavy, although there are some images on the LOC website.



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Photography

The Commissary has a lot of photographs on display right now, taken from the LOC website.Those images should be shown on a digital frame, rather than hang in between support beams.However, there should be a text panel about those photographs and the importance of photography at Skyline. The photography section included in the history provides background

for this text (16-24). There are several photographs that have been “killed” (Figure 11). Thoseshould be placed throughout the exhibits and explained on the last panel. At the end, whenvisitors finish looking at the shelves, they should know why some photographs have holespunched in them and some do not.

Figure 11

The open space at the end of the exhibit side of the room will be used as a gathering space for school children to have discussions about their community.

The post office should be interpreted as a post office and a barbershop. The chair that has beenin that room since the 1950s is important in the interpretation of the Commissary as acommunity center. Exhibit text explaining this will help the visitor understand. This room shouldnot be open to the public, but instead the bookcases removed from in front of the window sothat visitors can see inside. The door with windows can also provide a view inside the room. Astep stool may be necessary for small children since the window is high up the wall.

The left side of the building should be used as the visitor’s center. There, visitors can look atanother exhibit that is currently in the museum. They can also purchase merchandise on sale inthe store. The low shelf with the bins is a good place to store these goods (Figure 12). Also, inthis location, whoever is on staff at the time can see what is going on in the store and decrease

the threat of theft. There should also be a permanent donation box in this visitor’s area. Anyextra materials like notebooks that they can flip through can be placed on top of the low shelf.



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Figure 12

Exhibit materials for this first installation should be easy enough to come by. Text can be printedon a regular printer and placed into a frame to sit on the shelves next to photographs andartifacts, although keep in mind the font must be big enough for everyone to read. A size 16-fontis about the size needed. If this does not work, hollow core doors can be purchased at anyhardware store like Lowe’s or Home Depot. Two doors can be hinged together to provide panelswhere just about any sort of paper or frame can be mounted.

It is recommended that the kitchen utensils be removed unless they were sold in the store. If that is the case, they should be placed in the “Store” exhibit. Also, duplicates of farmingequipment should be removed and stored to provide room for photographs and text.

Visitors should not handle the maps currently on display. Instead, if there are specific maps thatare important to the exhibits, they should be copied and used in frames where visitors can seethem.



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SKYLINE FARMS STRATEGIC PLAN

Introduction

Every organization starts with a vision or mission statement. These over-arching ideas

guide the organization, but they do not provide the concrete, physical steps on how toaccomplish these goals. The strategic plan is the road map that provides the directions andguideposts, enabling the organization to understand what steps they must take to meet their long-range plans and recognize if they are moving off-course. It provides a means of reviewingthe organization’s past course of action, makes sure there is clear progress towards the futuregoals, and corrects the organization if it has veered off course.

The strategic plan is not meant to tell an organization what they are doing wrong or where they are committing errors. There are areas where improvement is needed, but this holdstrue for every organization. Every organization during its formative years will encounter oversights and issues they failed to recognize and plan for initially. This is the nature of development, and these issues are important educational opportunities transforming the

leadership from energetic volunteers to experienced cultural stewards.

This strategic plan is drafted after reviewing the bylaws of the Skyline Farms Heritage Association, hereafter abbreviated to SFHA, and after discussion with members of the SFHA inorder to determine what their hopes and goals are for their community and historic landscape.The plan is divided into four sections: Organizational Changes, Acquisition Goals and Reuse,Funding Strategies and Preservation Initiatives, and Volunteer Management and Leadership

Training .. Organizational Changes examines structural changes within the board which will aidwith efficiency and re-distributing the workload among the board of directors to create a moreprofessional and long-lasting heritage landscape. Acquisition Goals and Reuse focuses onproperties and structures the SFHA needs to acquire in order to preserve their cultural andhistoric landscape as well as recommended uses. It does not cover fundraising or the financial

element. Funding Strategies and Preservation Initiatives will contain all of the informationpertaining to money and finances. Volunteer Management and Leadership Training coversprograms for youth, volunteers, and the next generation of the SFHA leadership.

Sustainability is used throughout the strategic plan. What is meant by sustainability ? Asustainable model is one that encourages community involvement, fosters broad planning andimplementation, and reuses historic elements, insuring environmental and economic resourcesare not wasted. Additionally, the term is used to indicate a business model where the financialstability of the organization is solvent and enduring. If SFHA fails, it is unable to continue itsmission of preserving the cultural landscape. Everything in this report is directed towards a step-by-step plan of planning and preservation for future generations.

Organizational Changes

The first step in the strategic plan involves an examination of the Board of Directors’organization within the SFHA. The Board of Directors are the leaders needed to direct andmaintain the preservation and education efforts. A constant challenge facing boards is one of apathy, and in this regard, SFHA has a very active and committed board. It is important tomaintain this level of dedication and energy, but it can lead to board members feeling exhaustedand even burning out. The board members ideally share the workload so no one person



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becomes overwhelmed. The board of directors develops and shapes the financial andpreservation plans for the organization. The board of directors will also vote on appropriate by-law changes and handle the legal and ethical issues confronting the organization. Finally, theboard of directors will interact with the community, the civic organizations, and the appropriatelevels of government in the day to day operations. The board members are often the chief contributors to their organizations taking their commitment beyond the level of the average

member. Board members supply all of their skills and a substantial amount of resources to their organizations, and it for this reason sizable boards of directors are established.

Several changes are recommended to the current structure of the board. The new seatsare strategic, opening new opportunities for collaboration and partnership within the communityand local government. The current board make-up, according to the bylaws, is the executivecouncil made up of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and historian. In addition,the bylaws stipulate a steering committee composed of four members in good standing. Inpractice, the steering committee is not currently used which means the executive committee hasto assume their duties and the duties of the steering committee, doubling their workload.

The first suggestion is a bylaw change removing the steering committee and increasing

the executive board from five people to nine people. This retains the nine seats originallydetailed in the bylaws but formalizes the board into a single body rather than two separategroups under an umbrella title. The odd number of seats helps avoid ties. It is important thesefour additional seats are filled with deliberate choices rather than asking for interestedcommunity members. The ideal board will possess many of the professional skills mentionedearlier. The board needs to also represent the agencies best able to support the organization.

One position should include an official from the county’s tourism commission or with anagent of city planning. Dus Rogers, the official responsible for the economic development of Jackson County could serve in this capacity and should be actively recruited. This enables theSFHA to remain actively involved in the greater tourism planning of Jackson County and insuresSkyline will be a part of any tourism planning. With its proximity to the Walls of Jericho and its

historic character, the community would benefit from this form of partnership. Also, historicpreservation is a strong tool of neighborhood and community revitalization. This creates local jobs and retains more dollars within the community.330

The attorney acting on behalf of SFHA would make an excellent addition to theleadership as one of the extended board positions since legal advice is indispensable in themodern era. Having an attorney on the board insures a qualified legal counsel is present atbusiness meetings when proposals are discussed. This prevents the board from having toadjourn until they can contact an attorney for guidance and creates more efficiency at themeetings. It also insures free counsel for routine services such as contract negotiation.Considering the expense of even these routine services, the benefits of an attorney on theboard becomes clear.

Another position should be offered after identifying conscientious and capable businessmen or women in the Skyline, or greater Jackson County, area. This individual would bringbusiness management skills to the board, something many, if not most, historical organizationslack. Bill Gibson is the designated accountant for the SFHA. If he is a licensed CPA with aprivate practice, he should be considered for a seat unless there are readily identifiable

330

. Donovan D. Rypkema, The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide (Washington, DC: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1994), 12.



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corporate sponsors whose CEO or owner would make a better candidate. Often, theseindividuals also bring their own sizable charitable contributions to the board. These individualsthen provide a network of contacts eligible for sponsorships or fundraising.

The final position needs to be targeted for individuals with a strong history of fundraisingand charitable contribution management. This does not mean the potential board member

needs grant-writing experience. The financial element will be addressed later in the strategicplan, but grants provide only a minor component of funding for historical organizations. Privatecontributions generate the largest component of operating budgets, and it is essential the boardhas someone unafraid to approach individuals seeking contributions for the SFHA’sendowment. Having a board member with a fundraising background is critical as many historicsites launch without the endowment needed to maintain their structures or pay standard costssuch as utilities. It is not enough to obtain funds to purchase the structure or property, routineexpenses must be paid also.

By selectively offering these positions, the board develops partnerships within thecounty, enabling it to better meet its goal of being significant beyond the local level. Also, theseboard members bring critical professional skill sets to the board’s disposal. It is obvious the

current board treasures their history and is committed to its preservation and sustainability, andadding these individuals only strengthens this commitment and encourages its success.

Acquisition Goals and Interpretation

Currently, the SFHA has two acquisition goals. It seeks to purchase the rock store(Commissary) and the rock house (Administrative Office). The stated plan includes making therock commissary into a living history museum and the administrative office into a library. It isrecommended the board obtain two additional properties and changes its suggested use for theadministrative office. SFHA should acquire the structures in a set order based upon their availability and their threat level. Threat level pertains to their physical condition and danger of

demolition or development in which the structure would lose its historic character.

The first structural element in the landscape should be the warehouse. The warehouseserves a crucial point as the first phase of acquisitions. First, it would serve as the chief community gathering spot for rentals which will generate revenue enabling additionalpurchases. Second, the warehouse’s adaptation is less expensive and can then serve asstorage while major renovation takes place on the rock commissary, preparing it to serve as aliving history museum. Third, the warehouse, being wooden, will not endure time with the samestructural soundness as the rock commissary. Its early acquisition and maintenance will requireless funding than later acquisition.

With the rock commissary intended as a living history museum, exhibit space and the gift

store will utilize the majority of the floor space. Too many people, the presence of food, and thepresence of drink will endanger the artifacts in the museum space which must be avoided. For Skyline reunion groups and other community events, there is no other meeting space availablewithin the commissary. Having a portion of the warehouse’s square footage available for thesegroups provides a rental community space where they can gather. Additionally, the warehouseis a key component in interpreting the development of the original Skyline Farms. Theadministrative office, the commissary, and the warehouse all contain elements of the overallagrarian elements in the economy and organization for the first colonists.



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There is a parcel of property adjacent to the rock commissary which contains chimneys,the only remnant of a colony house destroyed by fire. This property would make an excellentaddition to the SFHA. The property lies between the commissary and the school providing anatural walking tour and maintains the historic structures within close proximity of one another for interpretation. Local citizens have offered to donate existing colony houses to the SFHA aslong as the homes are relocated to another site. Obtaining this empty property would provide a

site for an original colony house. By moving a house to this property, it protects it fromdemolition. Also, the house remains within its historical context meaning it retains any NationalRegister eligibility. Moving structures is an expensive process, and it is possible these offeredcolony houses might face demolition before the SFHA obtains the needed funds. As a protectivemeasure, accurate drawings, pictures, and floor plans should be made. If a colony house isdestroyed, these plans would enable the construction of a reproduction.

The second landscape element for acquisition is the parcel of land. This land is currentlyvacant. Any development of the property privately can jeopardize the potential historic character of the community and limit the options for heritage tourism. Purchasing the property serves as aprotective measure in that regard. This site faces a higher threat than the warehouse, but thewarehouse can potentially generate the resources needed to acquire the property faster through

community rentals.

This site also possesses interpretive possibilities beyond a colony house. The settlersplaced the original craft cabins for men and women near this property. There is norecommendation to build reproductions of these cabins, but these do not need to be rebuilt todevelop their interpretation.

The rock commissary should be acquired third. This site, as the living history museum,provides the bedrock of Skyline’s historical interpretation, but the building is stable and faces nocurrent threats. With the surrounding properties acquired and developed, the artifacts can besafely stored while the much-needed maintenance is performed. Also, the SFHA has access tothe commissary and can lease it annually. Ideally, a long term lease can be developed with a

small annual payment until such time as the SFHA can purchase the building outright.

The final structural element of the landscape should be the administrative office. Theadministrative office, while beautiful, is not critical to interpretation. Also, the administrativeoffice appears to be the most problematic to acquire and faces the greatest financial cost due tothe perceived financial value by the current owner. Unfortunately, important historic and culturalvalue does not translate into important financial value. The administrative office also faces nocurrent development which reduces its threat level. In the future, the board can attempt tonegotiate a purchase from the owner or potentially develop a planned giving where theadministrative office passes into the hands of the SFHA upon the death of the current owner.

Should the SFHA successfully obtain the administrative office, it is strongly advised not

to petition for a library branch from either the state or county. In 2009 and 2010, dozens of libraries and research libraries across the United States faced permanent closing due to budgetshortfalls. Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, NC proposed closing twelve branch libraries in Marchof 2010.331 Yes, a library branch would bring in state funds to maintain and stock the library,libraries become easily cut programs during lean budget periods. The administrative office

331

. Library Journal.com, “Charlotte Meckenburg Library To Close Half Its Branches, Lay Off 140,” LibraryJournal.com, http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitymanaginglibraries/884428-273/charlotte_mecklenburg_library_to_close.html.csp (accessed 12/14/2010).



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would make a better learning resource. The two strongest uses would be as either a technologycenter or as a small archival depository.

The square footage of the house and the interior floor plan limits the use of the structure.Some corporations, specifically those dealing with technology, provide equipment tocommunities demonstrating a need. This might provide computer hardware, monitors, a printer,

and potentially a scanner. This would benefit the children of Skyline by providing more technicalskills, a requirement in the current labor market. With the documentary evidence SFHA currentlyowns, the administrative office could also function as an Appalachian learning center, aminiature archive. These are two suggestions the SFHA can deliberate upon if the housepasses into their hands, dependent on the prevalent economic conditions at the time.

Finally, the non-profit is warned it should not attempt to acquire excessive amounts of property or structures. Each will carry with it its own maintenance costs and needs, and thiswould prove taxing to the financial health of the SFHA. Instead, focus on a few core propertiesand insure their preservation for posterity. By ignoring the desire to develop a “building zoo”,historical character is maintained, and the interpretation of Skyline’s past can remain conciseand focused.

Funding Strategies and Preservation Initiatives

Funding is obviously the topic most will consider the most important. It is not. Theorganization and make-up of the board is the most important element of this plan. A wise andcompetent board can make more from scarce resources than a reckless and impatient boardwith a large endowment. Money can never replace poor decision-making.

Many historic sites have received gifts of buildings and artifacts. However, the sitesnever receive an endowment along with these properties. What is an endowment? Theendowment is the total value of the organization’s investments.

Historic sites receive these properties with nothing to fund preservation-related activities,and the boards face a struggle simply to pay the monthly utilities. Building maintenance isdeferred until it reaches a crisis point and exceeds the non-profit’s limited funding. Visitation atlocal historic sites, often only a few thousand, rarely generates the funds necessary to cover thevarious expenses. The goal of the strategic plan is to develop financial principles and strategiesin order to enable SFHA to avoid this scenario.

Before discussing fundraising proposals, the board must understand certain financialmyths. First, there is not a never-ending supply of grants waiting for applicants. Most of thegrants available are small-scale grants, and many of these grants are designated for specificcosts and cannot be allocated elsewhere. Also, many grants are not available to the SFHA until

it owns the properties in question.

Some community foundations do exist that provide local grants for purposes of preservation and restoration. The Alabama Historical Commission contains a list of thesefoundations.

The first suggested foundation is the Daniel Foundation of Alabama. Their website ishttp://danielfoundationofalabama.com, and the Daniel Foundation of Alabama does provide



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grants for capital campaigns. The winter 2010 deadline has passed, but the next deadline isMarch 15, 2011.

Alabama Power also provides community enrichment grants to 501(c) 3 non-profit. Themethods of applying can be found at http://www.alabamapower.com/foundation/guidelines.aspand there are two grant deadlines. Amounts in excess of $50,000.00 are reviewed quarterly,

and amounts under $50,000.00 are reviewed every six to eight weeks.

These are two examples of community foundations. The Alabama Historical Commissionshould be contacted by a representative of the board for additional guidance. The AlabamaHistorical Commission can be found via the internet athttp://preserveala.org/staffdirectory.aspx?sm=a_d, and Mary Shell is the communitypreservation planner.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recommends two resources for guidancefamiliar with Alabama’s preservation laws. The first is Mr. Frank White, the Executive Director of the State Historic Preservation Office and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). Hisphone number is 334-242-3184. His e-mail is [email protected]. The second contact is

the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation, the Statewide Partner. David Schneider is theExecutive Director, and his contact information is: UWA Station 45, Livingston, Alabama 35470.His phone number is 205-652-3497. His e-mail is [email protected], and the website ishttp://www.alabamatrust.info. Either of these gentlemen should be able to assist Skyline withunderstanding the preservation tax credits within the state of Alabama as well as file anynecessary paperwork.

There are additional grants on national and state levels as well including:

• The National Trust for Historic Preservation does provide smaller grants, and their website is http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/find-funding/.

• The Kresge Foundation, based out of Detroit, MI, is a $3.1 billion private, nationalfoundation. Their website is http://www.kresge.org.

• The 1772 Foundation focuses on historic preservation, and it primarily targets farmingand industrial development. The website for this organization ishttp://www.1772foundation.org.

• The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) offers grants each year.

• These grants are confined to particular programs, but Skyline would be eligible for thesefunds. The website for this organization is http://www.imls.gov.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities at http://www.neh.gov provides a widearray of grants for projects involving the humanities.

• The Alabama Humanities Foundation at http://www.ahf.net/index.html

• The Appalachian Regional Commission at http://www.arc.gov



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• Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) athttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov

Grants are useful sources of revenue, but they must not be depended on as sources of

funding. Grant funds are competitive and tend to be less available during times of economichardship. Having board members involved in the professional community and in the fundraisingcommunities will supplement the grant funds.

An early issue that needs addressing is the cost of the properties SFHA should acquire.The board of directors has yet to consider the warehouse or the vacant property for acquisition.The board would need to approve the planned purchase of these properties and arrange anappraiser to obtain fair market value. The purchase price for the rock commissary has been setat $50,000.00. This does necessitate a side note. The by-laws currently are unclear onsituations involving a conflict of interest, and this needs to be clarified. With a board member offering to sell the structure to the board for a set price, the agencies overseeing non-profitorganizations will take notice. First, how was the purchase price set? Ideally, any property being

acquired by the SFHA should be appraised by an independent agent to insure the mostaccurate estimate. When any votes are taken regarding the properties, any board members witha vested interest, such as ownership, should abstain from voting. It is a conflict of interest and

unethical for a board member to take part in any vote regarding the purchase of property they own by the non-profit. It is preferable to make the property a tax-deductible gift although this isnot always possible for financial constraints.

To purchase the four properties mentioned earlier will require a large cash principlewhich the SFHA currently lacks. A dual strategy of leasing and purchasing becomes necessaryin the short-term. For the eligible properties, SFHA should negotiate a relatively lengthy leasewith the property owners. This would enable a small yearly payment, perhaps even subtractingdirectly from the amount needed to purchase the property. This secures the SFHA’s access to

the properties while protecting the property owner until such time as the non-profit can purchasethe properties in full.

There are many alternative fundraising methods independent of grants, and in fact,individual (90%) and corporate (5%) contributions generate the overwhelming majority of fundsfor historic sites. There are numerous options available, many requiring no initial expense fromthe non-profit.

SFHA needs to investigate planned giving within their community. This planned givingshould be confined to financial contributions unless the property offered is one of the targetedproperties in the SFHA strategic plan. A board member solely responsible for fundraising wouldbe an ideal candidate to lead this initiative. The potential donor negotiates what will be given

and any restrictions with the organization prior to their death. Upon their death, the property or funds transfer from the deceased’s estate to the non-profit organization. An attorney on theboard could negotiate these planned gifts and provide the necessary paperwork, expediting theprocess.

Admission and gift store revenues for historic sites make up miniscule portions of theoverall budget, and both house museums and local historical sites will confirm these amountswill not sustain an institution’s endowment. Much of Skyline’s funds have come frommemberships and from the gift shop sales. These sales cannot generate the needed revenue



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stream to meet the funding goals and needs. Membership fee levels need to be examined.Higher fees tend to reduce overall members, but those paying the higher dues demonstrated acommitment to the organization and its willingness to grow. Twenty member at twenty dollarseach are generating less revenue than ten members at fifty dollars each. There are currently tenmembership or donor classifications for the SFHA, and this needs to be streamlined. The SFHAdoes not need two different named levels for a $1,000.00 and above contribution. Rather than

setting a family membership as $15.00 per person to a maximum of $60.00, simply set thefamily level membership at $75.00 for one year.

A potential source of revenue will be the warehouse as a community site. Renting thefacility for reunion groups and for community celebrations will bring in much needed revenue.Revenue needs to be set in a capital fund which can also generate interest on the principle, andthe principle needs to remain untouched to avoid its depletion.

Volunteer Management and Leadership Training

The board of directors needs to supervise a volunteer management and leadership

training program. The lifeblood of any program is its education and community engagement. Also, with most historic sites, older community members occupy the board seats. These menand women are either close to retirement or have already retired. Who will take over andmanage the 501(c)3 when they are gone? Who will have the training, experience, anddedication to maintain the SFHA?

With its close proximity to the school, the rock commissary will make an excellentservice project for children or the local Boy and Girl Scout troops. The students can help withroutine property maintenance as well as oversee the gift shop once the living history museumopens. Students would make excellent docents or historical interpreters for the community aswell, providing tours, and this meets the non-profit’s goals of preserving the community history.Students would be ideally suited to handle the new social media element of advertising and

community engagement as Facebook and Twitter.

These volunteers of today are can become the leaders of tomorrow. Developingcommittees, like one for Skyline Days, provides a valuable opportunity to train those interestedin the administrative details. It provides a measure of responsibility and encourages a greater level of involvement from the volunteers.

Why is it so important to include the students and younger community members? Acommon challenge in preservation circles is incorporating newer and younger members. Theseyounger members fail to see the value in history, and many develop their love of history as theymature in years and develop the greater perspective of it.

The goal is sustainability. This is not just financial but must also encompass the peopleinvolved with preservation and interpretation. Someone will have to fill vacant board positionsfor the organization to continue. It is imperative that younger members become involved in order to obtain the training and knowledge needed to sustain the community-centered organizationthat SFHA is developing. Some additional websites for information on volunteer programs:

• http://www.serviceleader.org

• http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov



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• http://www.nationalserviceresources.org

• http://www.volunteermatch.org

By developing these four areas, SFHA can build a sustainable program to interpret the

federal programs leading to the colony’s formation, the musical heritage which brought itnational prominence, and the unique culture which developed in the Great Depression and NewDeal Eras in Northern Alabama. Skyline will fulfill its goals in the articles of incorporation for its501(c)3 status, and it will better educate its community-members about their past.



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Skyline Farms Heritage Development Plan

Documents

Transcript of Skyline Farms Heritage Development Plan