Abstract:
In 1901, Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale came to Asheville as missionaries after earlier graduating from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with the purpose of helping people in the mountain communities. They went on to teach valuable weaving and wood carving skills to many of the residents and eventually founded Biltmore Estate Industries, one of the country's most famous crafts enterprises. While weaving was done at Biltmore, hand-carved wooden toys were made by the Tryon Toy-Makers and Wood-Carvers Shop in Tryon. The most famous creation from this shop was Morris the Horse, which became a town trademark.