Eventually this combined work would be published as English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians however, since its publication, the collection has mostly been referred to as Sharp’s work – rarely do we see Olive given much credit beyond her name in small print on the book’s title pages. Experts debate how her work came to the attention of the famous English folk song enthusiast Cecil Sharp, who came to the Appalachians to do similar work in 1916 to 1918 and, with his secretary Maud Karpeles, built on the collecting work done by Olive. Olive first encountered Appalachian ballads and fiddle tunes as she and John began their good works, and a little sidetracking goes a long way – Olive was the first to start collecting the old mountain ballads that had migrated from Scotland and England via the Scots-Irish pioneers, and she also created a manuscript collection of words and music. Olive had established the school in memory of her late husband, and they had both been involved in establishing settlement schools in Appalachia in the early 1900s. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, a few years ago. While undertaking her PhD in Ethnography in Newfoundland, Wendy met her as a strong feminist icon doing great work Jack discovered her as we prepared to teach ballads and folktales at the John C. She came to our attention by different routes. Olive Dame Campbell appears sometimes as a ghostly figure in the world of folk music: half champion, half a forgotten footnote. Giving the Dame Her Due: Olive Dame Campbell and the History of Ballad Collecting

Museum Lesson Plans & Educator Resources.

The Forgotten by Wendy Beck