Foxfire Tries to Scale Mountain of Misfortune; Guardian of Appalachian History Fights to Overcome Founder's Sex Abuse Conviction
Foxfire, the nonprofit guardian of Appalachian history, is working to erase what remains of its own troubled past with hopes of reclaiming its former folksy glory.</br></br>After decades of national acclaim, the pioneering history- keeping group has struggled since its high-profile founder's conviction for molesting a 10-year-old boy.</br></br>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.</br></br>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.</br></br>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.