Hippie Homesteaders: Art, Crafts, Music, and Living on the Land in West Virginia

It’s the 1960s. The Vietnam War is raging and protests are erupting across the United States. In many quarters, young people are dropping out of society, leaving their urban homes behind in an attempt to find a safe place to live on their own terms, to grow their own food, and to avoid a war they passionately decry. During this time, West Virginia becomes a haven for thousands of these homesteaders—or back-to-the-landers, as they are termed by some. Others call them hippies. When the going got rough, many left. But a significant number remain to this day. Some were artisans when they arrived, while others adopted a craft that provided them with the cash necessary to survive. Three panel presenters will tell their stories of the movement and the times. They came to the state, lived on the land, and created successful careers with their craft. Tom & Connie McColley made baskets coveted by the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery. Photographer Ric MacDowell came as a VISTA volunteer, and dancer Jude Binder transplanted an entire commune to the hills of West Virginia. Along with these stories, Carter Taylor Seaton, the author of newly published Hippie Homesteaders, will examine the serendipitous timing of this influx and the communal and economic support these crafters received from residents and state agencies in West Virginia and present her argument that this movement lead to the formation of Tamarack, and the birth of Mountain Stage

1983 Accent On

The student yearbook of the Northern University High School, part of the Malcolm Price Laboratory School of the University of Northern Iowa.https://scholarworks.uni.edu/mpls_yearbooks/1029/thumbnail.jp

1984 Not Just Another Yearbook

The student yearbook of the Northern University High School, part of the Malcolm Price Laboratory School of the University of Northern Iowa.https://scholarworks.uni.edu/mpls_yearbooks/1028/thumbnail.jp