Tennessee Valley Authority memorandum on mountain handicraft industries

This 1934 memorandum from G. A. Schweppe to W.L. Sturdivant outlines Schweppe's findings and opinions after a preliminary tour through areas that would be affected by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) initiatives. This is a companion memorandum to a one on handicrafts other than "artscrafts." These memoranda presumably factored into the creation of the Southern Highlanders, Inc., which became a marketing venue for craft artists throughout western North Carolina during the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. In the 1930s, the federal government, through TVA, needed to relocate people from the hills and valleys of Tennessee that were about to be flooded with the construction of dams. G. A. Schweppe was hired by TVA to study the role handicrafts could play in re-developing the economy of Tennessee and Appalachian regions affected by TVA. In this memorandum, Schweppe identifies current handicraft production centers, and the role of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild in generating and marketing traditional mountain crafts. He describes the work of individual production centers and evaluates the quality and design of items being produced, most of which he identifies as crude in quality and limited in design. He then outlines what type of production and marketing would work better for the region. Note is also made of "unfavorable propaganda" being spread throughout the area by people suspicious of the TVA's intentions