Southern Mountain Handicraft Guild meeting, 1931, March

The Southern Mountain Handicraft Guild met for its annual membership meeting in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on March 27, 1931. Meeting minutes generally contain committee reports, financial statement, new members, announcements of regional events, and discussion about special issues facing the organization. The highlight of this meeting was Allen Eaton's presentation of Frances Goodrich's plan to donate the Allanstand Cottage Industries to the Guild which was unanimously accepted. Marguerite Butler (later Marguerite Bidstrup) opened the meeting with an overview of the craft guild's history and growth. Several members spoke about the preservation of madder (dye plant) beds. Lucy Morgan talked about the Chicago World's Fair and the plan for the Guild to be represented. Two new committees were formed: an Educational Committee and a Committee for the Preservation of Mountain Handicrafts. Allen Eaton displayed a map of crafts production centers in the Southern Highlands. The final speakers were Lucy Morgan, Edward Worst, and a Mr. Rugg from New Hampshire. There was an afternoon session which discussed various marketing issues. Also included are two lists of members attending. The Southern Highland Handicraft Guild was founded in 1930 as the Southern Mountain Handicraft Guild. The name was changed in 1933 and again in the 1990s when it became the Southern Highland Craft Guild