Woodworking

At one time woodworking was one of the most common crafts of the American South. All aspects of carpentry and carving, including the selection of wood, were traditions passed from parent to child. Woodworking was an essential skill in rural South Carolina. Before rail transportation, inland residents had little access to imported wares. Local craftsmen made most of the basic furniture and household items – bureaus, chests, tables, chairs, utensils, mixing bowls, benches – the variety is endless. Vernacular furniture was often hand-hewn from native woods. Carved items used for hunting include bird decoys and bird calls. Whimsies, toys, and walking canes were also carved in abundance. While these objects were utilitarian by nature, most of them also incorporated ornamentation that reflected individual and communal artistic expression.

Content is provided by McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.

For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

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Archie Hunter Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions
Archie Hunter Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Archie Hunter of Florence belonged to the third generation of a family of traditional chairmakers. His grandfather began selling his handmade chairs to supplement the meager income from his Kershaw...
Carving Roosters, Squirrels | Digital Traditions
Carving Roosters, Squirrels | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver from Seneca, SC (Oconee County). He carves figurines out of wood including flowers, squirrels, and roosters. His wife, Frances, assists him with painting and arranging the carved flowers...
Charles Williams Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions
Charles Williams Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Charles "CeCe" Williams has been making handcarved walking canes for over twenty five years, and cast nets since he was a boy growing up fishing with his father in McClellanville. As Chief Detective...
Digital Traditions - Artists
Digital Traditions - Artists

Document

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Ahrens, Pat All Male Chorus of Blacksburg Arnold, Mac Ayers, Sara Basket, Nancy Baylor, Amos Bellow, Roger Bennett, Mary Jane Benson, JD Blackwell, Richard Boggs, Horatio Manning Bollack, James Booker...
Edwin Nettle's Photos | Digital Tradition
Edwin Nettle's Photos | Digital Tradition

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver in Walterboro, SC (Colleton County). He decided to take up wood carving after his friend Kirby Evans introduced him to the craft. Interview conducted by Michael Chiarappa.
Getting the Wood | Digital Traditions
Getting the Wood | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver from Seneca, SC (Oconee County). He carves figurines out of wood including flowers, squirrels, and roosters. His wife, Frances, assists him with painting and arranging the carved flowers...
Harold Wayne Turner Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions
Harold Wayne Turner Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

At age five, Harold Wayne Turner picked up a banjo for the first time. Within a short period, he taught himself to pick out a rough approximation of “Cripple Creek.” This childhood experience began a...
Herman Ricard Photo | Digital Traditions
Herman Ricard Photo | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Woodworking Mr. Herman Ricard is a traditional woodworker from Lexington, South Carolina. He learned the art from watching and practicing with his father in the 1970s. He works with Peanut Wood Craft...
Ike Carpenter Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions
Ike Carpenter Photo Gallery | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Ike Carpenter is a third generation woodcarver, cabinetmaker, and carpenter who lives in the small Edgefield County town of Trenton. His grandfather was known throughout the area as a talented...
Jennings Chestnut Photos | Digital Traditions
Jennings Chestnut Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Jennings Chestnut evolved into a master builder of mandolins, banjos, violins, and guitars. Born in 1942, Chestnut had been a fan of bluegrass music since he was six years old. During the 1950s...
Jesse Powell Photos | Digital Traditions
Jesse Powell Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Mr. Jesse Powell is a 4th generation woodworker and wood artist. He learned the art of woodworking from watching other family members and has been exposed to this art since he was a child. He uses...
Judson Madden Photos | Digital Traditions
Judson Madden Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver from Seneca, SC (Oconee County). He carves figurines out of wood including flowers, squirrels, and roosters. His wife, Frances, assists him with painting and arranging the carved flowers...
Judson Madden Photos | Digital Traditions
Judson Madden Photos | Digital Traditions

Document

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver from Seneca, SC (Oconee County). He carves figurines out of wood including flowers, squirrels, and roosters. His wife, Frances, assists him with painting and arranging the carved flowers...
Neil Cost Photos | Digital Traditions
Neil Cost Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Greenwood native Neil Douglas Cost was regarded by many as the premiere turkey-call maker in the United States. According to Donna Branch of the National Wild Turkey Federation, “No call maker has had...
Other Types of Wood to Use | Digital Traditions
Other Types of Wood to Use | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Wood carver from Seneca, SC (Oconee County). He carves figurines out of wood including flowers, squirrels, and roosters. His wife, Frances, assists him with painting and arranging the carved flowers...