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PARK W. FISHER: His WWI Mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In the early years of WWI, Park W. Fisher (1880-1959), a Congregational minister and craftsman, initiated a series of lectures in support of the war effort. He proposed to take his message directly to the people in the Central and Southern Appalachian mountains where he had worked for some years. A two-page broadside (see image of page 1 above) that Rev. Fisher used to advertise his lectures describes his fundraising vision: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy eight years of experience in the Kentucky mountains enables me now to see the need and opportunity of the hour and I have volunteered to do my bit by going this year to these isolated sections and giving Stereopticon Lectures covering the various phases of the War. I plan not only to encourage voluntary enlistment but to present the Liberty Loan, War Savings and Red Cross work as well<\/em>.” His long-time interests in the arts and crafts of the Appalachians had made him a supporter of the region and its people. He called upon his deep Appalachian connections, particularly Pine Mountain Settlement School, and later the John C. Campbell Folk School<\/a>, to support his WWI fund-raising efforts. He was evidently quite persuasive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to support his ambitious information and fundraising project, he enlisted the support of Pine Mountain Settlement School’s director, Ethel de Long Zande<\/a>. Following a series of back and forth correspondence<\/a> he succeeded in convincing Mrs. Zande and the settlement school in Harlan County, Kentucky, to promote his efforts. Pine Mountain became a strong supporter of his initiative and they used their influence to move the program to reality through their deep connections in the region and in the school’s supporters in the Northeast and in Washington DC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fisher’s work helped Kentucky and other Southern Appalachian states to become some of the leading contributors to the war effort. Despite the difficult process of securing funds for his project, his walking disability since birth, and his travel by horse and buckboard, Fisher was a powerful persuader. He was able to move many families in the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia to pull money from their small family incomes to support the war effort. Harlan County’s contributions to the war were particularly remarkable — due, in part, to Rev. Fisher’s work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See Also: For more about Rev. Fisher’s life, go to: Title<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Park W. Fisher<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Alt. Title<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Rev. Park W. Fisher ; Rev. Fisher ;\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Identifier<\/p>\n<\/td>\n
— PARK W. FISHER Correspondence<\/a>, PMSS Collections, page 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPARK W. FISHER: Deep Appalachian Connections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PARK W. FISHER: His WWI Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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PARK W. FISHER Correspondence I<\/a>
PARK W FISHER Correspondence II<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
CRAFT REVIVAL: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present – Park Fisher<\/a>
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