Berea, Kentucky: a college where the students make the brooms

By Ines Keane

Most towns pick a craft. Berea, Kentucky, picked a college and let the crafts come with it.

Where it sits

Berea is a small city in central Kentucky. The U.S. Census Bureau counted 15,539 people there in 2020.

A college first

The city’s story is tied to Berea College, which the abolitionist John G. Fee founded in the 1850s. Smithsonian Magazine gives 1855; Kentucky Tourism gives 1853.

Where the crafts come from

The craft connection runs through the college’s work program. Smithsonian Magazine reports that students in the college’s Labor Program work ten hours a week.

Smithsonian Magazine’s headline says the college has been making brooms for 100 years. We make no other claim about what students produce.

The name on the sign

Kentucky Tourism, the state’s visitor site, runs a feature on Berea under the heading “From Folk Art to the Great Outdoors”. For current craft fairs and events, check with the local tourism office.

What kind of sources these are

Smithsonian Magazine, Kentucky Tourism (the state’s visitor site) and the U.S. Census Bureau. We did not load the college’s own pages, so nothing about opening times, festival dates or individual workshops is included.

Our reading

Smithsonian Magazine describes a college where students work as part of their education, and that work includes broom-making. If you want to understand a Berea piece, ask which department made it, because the college and the town are hard to separate.

Quick answers

How are students at Berea College connected to its crafts? Smithsonian Magazine reports that students in the Labor Program work ten hours a week, and its headline says the college has been making brooms for 100 years.

What do Berea College students make? Smithsonian Magazine’s reporting covers brooms.

When was Berea College founded? Smithsonian Magazine gives 1855; Kentucky Tourism gives 1853.

Roam first. Shop later.

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