The Pine Mountain Settlement School Centennial Photography Exhibit

This issue features photographs from the Pine Mountain Settlement School Centennial Photography Exhibit, which was developed to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the school and to educate the public about the school’s history and influence. Pine Mountain Settlement School, located on the north side of Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky, has been dedicated to educating the residents of the Appalachian region since its inception in 1913. The school began as a boarding school for Appalachian youth and has since transformed into a center of environmental and cultural education for people of all ages.

The idea for the exhibit originally came from Jennifer McDaniels and support for the project came from the Pine Mountain Settlement School Centennial Committee. The exhibit was juried and mounted on foam core with the assistance of Larry LaFollette, Alexia Ault, Teresa Osborne, and Judith Victoria Hensley. Deb Callahan and Judy Lewis, who work for the school, helped pull photos from the school’s archives and juried and documented photos.

The photography exhibit was first previewed at the Black Mountain Wildflower Weekend in May at Pine Mountain Settlement School. The exhibit had its first public viewing at Harlan County’s Poke Sallet Festival the following month. In July, it was displayed at the Mountain Artisan National Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College and remains there for now.

The exhibit will be available to travel after the 100 Year Birthday Celebration of Pine Mountain Settlement School on August 31, 2013. Anyone who is interested in hosting the exhibit may contact Deb Callahan by phone (606)558-3571 or by e-mail at office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.