Corn husk seat weaving is a skill of the past, but for one week in September, Island Farm will be bringing the craft to the public with expert corn shuck chair bottom weaver David Russell.
Visit Island Farm on Tuesday – Friday, September 10, 11, 12 and 13 and get a chance to meet David Russell – otherwise known as “The Chair Guy.” While at the Farm, Mr. Russell will be demonstrating the art of creating strong chair seats from the shucks of corncobs, while also sharing the history of the disappearing trade. The public is invited to attend during open hours, which are 9 a.m until 3 p.m. Demonstrations are included with the regular cost of admission.
Corn shuck seat weaving stemmed from the necessity of having to use exactly what was on hand to make an item of function. In many Southern states, the “husks” or “shucks” from corn cobs were often on hand. Russell has been weaving corn husk seats for over 20 years. Hailing from Washington, Georgia, Russell is one of the few people who is taking a hands-on approach to preserving this type of craft, by weaving and demonstrating across the South. Today, only a couple hundred folks remain who know the trade.
Several corn shuck chairs are part of Island Farm’s collection, indicative of the period and the ethos of the time: use what you have on hand. On Roanoke Island in the mid-19th century, corn was produced in high volumes. In 1850, Adam Etheridge (who owned and farmed the land that is now Island Farm) produced 200 bushels of corn on 15 acres. The popularity of corn shuck seat weaving was growing quickly in the 18th and 19th centuries on small-scale farms (much like those that were on Roanoke Island), especially where corn was plentiful but luxuries were not. Today, original corn-husk woven chair seats are as rare as the people that know the trade.
For any questions about this upcoming event, please visit www.obcinc.org or call 252-473-6500.
Admission to Island Farm is $10, and children 3 and under are admitted for free. Island Farm is open April through November, Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., where programming and activities vary throughout the season. The farmstead is located at 1140 N US Highway 64, north of Manteo on Roanoke Island.