Ozark Folk Center

The Ozark Folk Center State Park near Mountain View, AR, is dedicated to the preservation of traditional Ozark Mountain crafts and music. It includes 24 buildings and outdoor areas housing craft demonstrations and daytime music programs commemorating the time period of 1820-1920 in the Ozark Mountains. The demonstrations include an assortment of dying skills such as the making of quilts, knives, candles, soap, brooms, baskets, dolls out of corn husks, and many more. The music is natural and amazing and follows you as you move among the buildings.


These people are so musical that they actually make their own instruments. All of the ones in this picture were made on site.



We enjoyed the old fashioned kitchen, especially when the volunteer offered us delicious lemon cookies made in that old iron oven.



Is that a very sloppy bird's nest or a 'bad hair day', Miss Cow?



I've always been particularly fascinated by spinning and weaving. This lady was spinning angora from the goats in the pen behind her. (No matter what I did, I couldn't get the goats to pose.)



This was the Cooper. I thought coopers only made barrels, but this one has branched out into buckets, butter churns, and even bowls and spoons that he hand-carves.

I thought the Ozark Folk Center was a fascinating glimpse back in time and recommend it highly.