The Threads that Bind Us: Researching Nineteenth Century Weaving Drafts from the Dahlonega Library Archives

Abstract

Handwritten weaving drafts dating back to 1832 were recently found in the Lumpkin County Library in Dahlonega, Georgia. Sallie Sorohan, a local historian, found them while sorting through papers, notes, and receipts in the Lorenzo Dow Davis collection. Local weavers, historians, and weaving students at the University of North Georgia, collaborated to translate the drafts in order to be useful in the 21^st century. The current weaving professor at the University of North Georgia, Jo-Marie Karst, as well as professor emeritus, Tommye Scanlin, combined efforts to apply the knowledge gathered from Barbara Miller, instructor at John C. Campbell Folk School, and Deb Schillo, librarian at the Southern Highland Craft Guild, to involve UNG students. They read the translated drafts and wove a traditional as well as a modern sample of the patterns by Susan Davis. Their work was exhibited at the Hansford Hall Gallery on the Dahlonega campus in the Fall of 2014. This paper delves into the combined research of past and present weavers, making threads that bind together the legacy of weavers for more than a century.