Kent,

I didn't intend to include you in my whining about being ignored.

All that I know about the history of Morris Dancing in the US is what I read in Whisnant's book. I have done no independent research.

Having grown up in WV, my guess is that Morris Dancing appeared in WV significantly later than the period Whisnant covers and that the motivation would have been quite different from that at Whitetop.

I left the state in 74 but attended festivals in the late 60s and early 70s. Glenville, Pipestem, Morris Brothers, Cedar Lakes, etc.

I don't remember any Morris Dancing. I remember that Jane and Frank George were seriously into Scottish culture. Frank regularly appeared with bagpipe and kilt and Jane taught Scottish dancing. I don't know what their motivation was. Frank might be the best person to talk to about the first appearance of Morris Dancing in WV. Another person who's been around forever is John Morris.

An interest in Morris Dancing might have been one of the byproducts of "The Great Hippie Migration". There's a nice article about that in the latest issue of Goldenseal.

Russ (Permanent GUEST and WV expat)