Foxfire slowly recovering

MOUNTAIN CITY - Foxfire, the nonprofit guardian of Appalachian history, conceived in this Rabun County town nearly 40 years ago, is working to erase what remains of its own troubled past with hopes of reclaiming its former folksy glory.

After decades of national acclaim, the pioneering history-keeping group has struggled since its high-profile founder's conviction 14 years ago of molesting a 10-year-old boy.

Foxfire _ the all-encompassing name for an educational movement, a magazine, a publishing powerhouse and archives of the region's history _ began as a high school English-class experiment in 1966 to get kids interested in their work. It evolved into a nationally respected example of hands-on learning.

For almost four decades, teenagers in Rabun County on the wooded border of Georgia and North Carolina have interviewed their family members and neighbors, documenting countless lives in stories and photographs for the magazine produced entirely by high school students.

In the process, Foxfire has made stars out of the Appalachian old-timers. Their stories and memories of the old ways _ everything from fiddle-making and faith-healing to moonshining, bear hunting and hog dressing _ were turned into an acclaimed series of books that fueled a national frenzy over folk art.

Foxfire's archive contains thousands of taped interviews and more than 120,000 photos of those who lived the quickly vanishing Appalachian traditions, an archive used constantly by researchers, historians and archaeologists.

History, though, can be a messy thing. It's not all dulcimers, quilts and homemade remedies. That's a lesson Foxfire learned the hard way. In 1992, Foxfire's founder and president, Eliot Wigginton, pleaded guilty to child molestation.

Though Wigginton was jailed for a year and now only has informal contact _ like the occasional Christmas card _ with those running the organization, his controversial past looms large over Foxfire.

"It's still really hard for us on a daily basis," said Ann Moore, president and executive director of the organization. "It will always be part of our history."

The conviction was followed by civil lawsuits against Foxfire over Wigginton's actions. The lawsuits were settled for undisclosed terms in 1999.

The episode marked the beginning of hard times for Foxfire.

The dot-com bust and post-Sept. 11 stock market crash took their toll on Foxfire's endowment, which largely consisted of invested royalties from the books. At the same time, Foxfire poured money into a nationwide teacher training program that stretched the organization thin, Moore said.

But Foxfire _ named after a glowing lichen that grows on rotted wood in the local hills _ has yet to be extinguished.

"We call it the hunkering-down phase," Moore said.

Foxfire cut its staff to two full-time employees, down from a height of a dozen full-time workers. The group's teacher training program will be taken over by Piedmont College this summer, and Foxfire is selling some of its land. Foxfire's former center on the main road through Mountain City is now vacant and on the market.

Instead, visitors must look carefully for its small sign _ no bigger than a campaign yard sign _ right before the now-defunct Pure gas station. That takes them up a twisting road over the slopes of Black Rock Mountain. The route has barely enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and, on one warm spring day, was hampered by three fat dogs sunning themselves on the asphalt.

Like Foxfire's base, the program itself is returning to the mountains.

At Rabun County High School in nearby Tiger, teacher Angie Cheek presides over the busy Foxfire newsroom. While some students edit stories for the upcoming edition of the 1,500-circulation The Foxfire Magazine, a teen struggles over the wording of a thank-you note to a new subscriber.

"The students have a hand in their own learning," the teacher explains. "They own this thing. They know their work is real."

At one time, Foxfire was a major presence at the school. Numerous classes were offered with a Foxfire slant, including English, folklore and radio production classes. As the teachers moved on, the classes dropped off. Now, only the magazine class, an elective, remains at Rabun County High.

Tenth grader Alex Thompson was proofreading her article about the life and adventures of 97-year-old Mr. Nichols. She enjoys the opportunities presented by Foxfire, but her family is moving to Waterloo, Iowa, before the next school year.

"I'm moving to a big city where they don't have things like this," she explained.

Five years have passed since the last in the Foxfire series of books was published. It is set to resume in October, with "Foxfire 12," which will include sections on square dancing, woodcarving and making traditional musical instruments, as well as instructions for catching, cleaning and cooking turtles.

Foxfire also plans a 13-part radio show made from its extensive interviews with the Appalachian natives who keep alive the traditions it documents.

"The heart and soul of our program is Rabun County. I'm happy being local and regional," Moore said. "We are in a real good place right now."