Spruce Forest Artisan Village facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spruce Forest Artisan Village |
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Spruce Forest Artisan Village in September 2014
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| Location |  Garrett County, Maryland |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Alta Schrock |
The Spruce Forest Artisan Village is a special place in Garrett County, Maryland. It's an arts and heritage center that helps keep the history and traditions of the region alive. Here, talented artisans (people who make things by hand) show off their skills. They work in old log cabins and historic buildings that have been carefully restored.
You can see artisans doing things like blacksmithing (working with metal), weaving, making pottery on a wheel, sculpting birds, turning wood, and creating jewelry. The village also has programs that show what life was like long ago, and you can visit historic house museums, like the House of Yoder. About 60,000 people visit this unique village every year!
Village History
The area where the village now stands was once known as Little Crossings. Part of the Penn Alps Restaurant used to be an old log stagecoach stop called the Little Crossings Inn. The Spruce Forest Artisan Village we see today was started by a woman named Alta Schrock in 1957.
The old buildings you see in the village were brought from different places across Western Maryland. They were then carefully put back together right here. One of the cabins is even older than the American Revolution! Another cabin dates back to the time of the American Revolution, and others are from around the 1830s. One of the cabins was even where Alta Schrock lived when she was a child.
Wind Storm of 2020
On April 8, 2020, a big storm hit the village. Strong winds, called straight-line winds, knocked down about fifty tall spruce trees. Several buildings were also damaged. The Esther Yoder Cabin, the Red Shed, and the Covered Bridge Entrance were so badly damaged they couldn't be fixed. Other buildings, like the village church, also needed repairs.
After the storm, all the remaining spruce trees were cut down. Even trees that looked okay were removed. This was because people believed the storm had weakened them, and they might fall in the next big wind.
Rebuilding and New Trees
In October 2021, the village started planting new spruce trees. They bought about 20 new trees using $20,000 that people had donated over the past year and a half. The village also planned to rebuild the entrance bridge in early 2022. They also made plans for new walking paths and a new parking lot to make visiting easier.
Things to Do and See
The village is home to 6 artists who live and work there. They show their amazing crafts in the historic buildings and at the Penn Alps Restaurant Craft Shop. The village is open all year, but sometimes winter weather can affect it.
The village often has public events, and you can even arrange workshops with the artisans to learn a craft yourself! Every year, the village hosts a special event called Christmas in the Village. During this time, the entire village is decorated with candles, lights, wreaths, and other festive Christmas decorations.
You can also find the historic Casselman Bridge at the west end of the village. The Penn Alps Restaurant is right at the entrance, and the Cornucopia Cafe is at the north end.
See also
- Stanton's Mill
