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BRI Recordings, Books, and Gifts From the
Blue Ridge Institute & Museum Store

Order by phone (540-365-4412) or mail (P. O. Box 1000, Ferrum, VA 24088).

Selected Recordings Available by Mail
The BRI Recordings series and recording in the museum store showcase the musical heritage of Virginia folk culture.  Each recording draws upon field research by folklorists and music collectors as well as vintage performances by the Commonwealth's early commercially recorded artists.  Recordings in the BRI Series have twice received nominations for Grammy Awards.

Virginia Rocks:  The History of Rockabilly in the Commonwealth (CD)
Sixty-one hip-shaking cuts by Virginia rockers from the 1950s and early '60s.  $25.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 001 Non-Blues Secular Black Music (CD)
Twenty selections showcasing African American fiddle, banjo, guitar, accordion, and harmonica traditions. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 002 Ballads From British Tradition (CD)
Old English and Scottish ballads which have long been a part of western Virginia folk music. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 004 Native Virginia Ballads & Songs (CD & Cassette)
Vintage and contemporary songs about murders, explosions, and other disasters in the western Commonwealth. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 006 Tidewater Blues (CD)
Sixteen selections by African-American bluesmen from the coastal region of Virginia. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 007 Virginia Work Songs (CD)
The work-related singing of watermen, factory workers, crab pickers, and gandy dancers. A 1984 Grammy nominee! $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 008 Southwest Virginia Blues (Cassette)
Sixty years of blues by black and white musicians from Southwest Virginia. A 1988 Grammy nominee! $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

BRI 010 Early Roanoke Country Radio (CD)
A history of the Roanoke Valley's live string band, western swing, and country radio artists from the 1920s to the 1950s. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

That's an Old Folk Story (Cassette)
African American folktales and music by the late Daniel Womack, a genuine Virginia treasure. $14.00 + $6.00 shipping and handling.

Selected Books Available by Mail

(Minimum shipping and handling charges for books are $6.00, but charges are higher for larger books. Please contact the museum store via phone or email for exact rates.)

The Red Ear of Corn: The Hillsville Courthouse Tragedy
William “Bill” Lord. Tri-Ad Litho, Inc., 1999, 506 pages. A thoroughly researched account of the infamous shootout in the Carroll County courthouse. $20.00 plus shipping and handling. (Out of stock - please check back.)

The Washington County Iron Works of Franklin County Virginia, 1773-1850
John S. Salmon. Virginia State Library, 1986, 82 pages. $17.50 plus shipping and handling.

Blue Ridge Range: The Gentle Mountains
Ron Fisher. National Geographic Society, 1992, 199 pages. A beautifully photographed overview of the culture and landscape of the Blue Ridge region. $15.00 plus shipping and handling.

The Appalachian Photographs of Earl Palmer
Jean Haskell Speer. University Press of Kentucky, 1947, 128 pages. Dozens of photographs by one of the most prolific photographers of the Appalachian people and landscape. $25.00 plus shipping and handling.

Spirits of Just Men: Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World
Charles D. Thompson, Jr. University of Illinois Press, 2011, 269 pages. A well-researched and engaging history of moonshining and the forces that drove it in an area that still touts itself as the "Moonshine Capital of the World." $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

Baldwin-Felts Detectives, Inc.
John A Velke, III. Virginia State Archives, 1997, 310 pages. A history of one of the most famous detective agencies in the United States and its role against labor organizing and coal mining strikes in Appalachia. $20.00 plus shipping and handling.

Franklin County Life & Culture: A Pictorial Record
Franklin County Bicentennial Commission, 1986, 78 pages. Dozens of pre-1950 photographs from Franklin County, Virginia. $10.00 plus shipping and handling.

Old Southern Apples
Creighton Lee Calhoun, Jr. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2010, 331 pages. An invaluable book on heirloom varieties of apples in the South. $47.50 plus shipping and handling.

A Dying Art II
Jack Allen Powell. Bookman, 2004, 224 pages. A former revenue officer’s second book on moonshining in the Blue Ridge. $14.95 plus shipping and handling.

Blue Ridge Folk Instruments and Their Makers
Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, 1992, 64 pages. An extensive exhibit catalog showcasing regional fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, and banjo makers. $10.00 plus shipping.

Strings of Life: Conversations with Old-Time Musicians from Virginia and North Carolina
Kevin Donleavy. Pocahontas Press, Inc., 2004, 347 pages. $21.50 plus shipping and handling.

Blue Ridge Folk Instruments and Their Makers
Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, 1992, 64 pages. An extensive exhibit catalog showcasing regional fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, and banjo makers. $10.00 plus shipping and handling.

African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions
Cecelia Conway. The University of Tennessee Press, 1995, 394 pages. $26.00 plus shipping and handling.

Virginia’s Blues, Country, & Gospel Records, 1902-1943
Kip Lornell. University Press of Kentucky, 1989, 238 pages. An compendium of all known recordings made by Virginia musicians during the golden age of 78 r.p.m. records. $25.00 plus shipping and handling.

Blue Ridge Music Trails
Fred C. Fussell. University of North Carolina Press, 2003, 255 pages. A guidebook to sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor where visitors can hear authentic live traditional music. $15.95 plus shipping and handling.

Rambling Blues: The Life of Charlie Poole
Kinney Rorrer. McCain Printing Col, Inc., 1982, 104 pages. A well-researched history of one of the greatest early banjo players in the Southeast. $12.50 plus shipping and handling.

Tales From The Track: Stories From the Early Days of Racing
J. Steve Strosnider. Trafford, 2002, 157 pages. A must-have book for the oval-track racing fan. $15.00 plus shipping and handling.

Full Throttle: The life and Fast Times of NASCAR Legend Curtis Turner
Robert Edelstein. The Overlook Press, 2005, 334 pages. A biography of one of oval track racing’s wildest and most-successful drivers. $20.00 plus shipping and handling.

Car Crazy: Racing and Rodding in Southwest Virginia
Brian Katen, Roddy Moore, and Vaughan Webb. Ferrum College, 2004, 16 pages. An exhibit gallery guide showcasing hot rodding, drag racing, and oval track racing in Southwest Virginia $2.00 plus shipping and handling.

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The year is 1800. A thirty-mile trip takes a day or more. John Adams is President, but most people in the Blue Ridge have never seen or heard him. “No phone, no lights, no motorcars” is real life for everyone.

Experience early rural life in the Blue Ridge at the BRI’s Blue Ridge Farm Museum, a re-created Virginia-German farmstead. Costumed interpreters prepare meals over the open hearth, drive oxen, blacksmith, and carry out a host of other household and farm chores of the period. In the gardens and around the log farm buildings heirloom vegetables and historic breeds of livestock speak to the region's agricultural heritage.

The Blue Ridge Farm Museum offers a variety of enriching tours and programs, including “day on the farm” hands-on activities with visitors working in 1800 costumes.

The Blue Ridge Farm Museum is open to walk-in visitors Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1 to 5 p.m., mid-May through mid-August. Group tours are available by reservation any day April through October. Admission is charged. Hands-on programs and lectures are available by special reservation; call for details and prices.

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2017 Hours and Tour Information

Hours and openings may vary around major holidays. Check this site for details as holidays approach.

Museum Galleries—The galleries are open year-round, no reservation necessary. Admission is free. The gallery exhibitions are self-guided, but lectures/guided tours are available by reservation; fees vary. The gallery hours are as follows:

Spring, Fall, and Winter: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Summer (mid-May – mid-August): Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Farm Museum—The Blue Ridge Farm Museum is open seasonally. See details below. Admission is charged, and prices vary by program, tour type, and hands-on activities. Call for details.

For walk-in visitors the Farm Museum is open weekends only, May 6 through Labor Day weekend. The hours are Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m.

For reserved group tours (8 or more people), the Farm Museum is open any day April -- October.

Blue Ridge Heritage Archives—Open weekdays year-round by reservation.

BRI Offices— Open weekdays year-round, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Directions and Maps

The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum is located on the west side of the Ferrum College campus, 10 miles from Route 220 on Route 40. In travel time Ferrum is about 45 minutes from both Roanoke and Martinsville, Virginia.

Directions to Ferrum College can be found HERE.

The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum Building, a brick building with a plow weather vane on the west side of campus. All farm museum tours start at the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum Building. There is ample parking for buses and RV's. For GPS devices use the address 20 Museum Drive, Ferrum, VA.

Group Accommodations

Reservations
The Institute's gallery exhibits are self-guided, and groups need not make reservations for visits to the galleries. Reservations, however, are required for guided group visits to the Blue Ridge Farm Museum.
Call (540) 365-4412 for prices and to make reservations.

BRI&M Speakers
Blue Ridge Institute& Museum staff members can entertain and inform your group with presentations on many aspects of regional history and folkways. Often complemented with audio-visual presentations, our most popular programs highlight folk music, folk and decorative arts, and moonshine heritage. These presentations normally run about one hour. Prices vary.

Group Meals
Catered meals and/or refreshments can be provided at the Institute. Visitors may also enjoy lunch or dinner in the Ferrum College Dining Hall, at the Ferrum College Mercantile, or at other nearby restaurants. For those bringing their own meals, a outdoor tables and chairs are available on the museum patio.

Meeting Facilities
The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum offers a meeting room for public use by reservation. Depending upon availability, additional meeting space may also be arranged elsewhere on campus.

Contact Information
The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum can be contacted by phone at 540-365-4412 or 540-365-4416, by e-mail at bri@ferrum.edu, or by mail at the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum, Ferrum College, P. O. Box 1000, Ferrum, VA 24088.

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The BRI&M actively collects photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, books, and documents related to the folklife of the Blue Ridge, Appalachia, and Virginia as a whole. Among the many gems in the collection are the Galax Old-Time Fiddlers Convention tapes, the vast Elmer Smith Collection of Shenandoah Valley folklore, and Virginia's premier collection of African American folk music. Used by scholars, museums, teachers, and students, the archives are open to anyone interested in regional folk culture.

Some of the Blue Ridge Heritage Archives holdings, including over 4,000 musical performances and 500 photographic images, can be accessed on-line through the Digital Library of Appalachia. To go to the DLA, Click Here.

In addition, a growing portion of the archives catalog can be searched on-line. The approximate percentage of the BRHA catalog database currently online is as follows:

Audio Recordings (All Formats) -- 80%
Photographic Images (All Formats) -- 70%
Video Recordings -- 100%
Books -- 60%
Documents -- 75%

(When searching through the BRHA online catalog, keep in mind that the SUBJECT category is less specific than the Name/Description category. For example, the term ARCHITECTURE is suitable for searching in the SUBJECT category, but the term CABIN is more appropriate for searching in the NAME/DESCRIPTION category.)

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Moonshine - Blue Ridge Style
Over the course of a century, mountain distillers went from making "mostly legal" whiskey and brandy for nearby markets to producing millions of gallons of untaxed "sugar liquor" for customers in Philadelphia and similar urban centers.Take a long sip of moonshine's real history. |
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Full Throttle: Racing and Rodding in Southwest and Central Virginia
The popularity of car racing today is nothing new. Oval track racing in the Commonwealth is over a century old, and Virginians were building and racing hot rods over 50 years ago. Cruise into the past. |
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Deathly Lyrics: Songs of Virginia Tragedies
A story told in song, the ballad has for centuries been a means for passing history from one generation to the next. Virginia ballads cover a host of tragedies, from military battles and cyclones to train wrecks and broken-love murders. |
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Great Road Pottery From the American Revolution through most of the nineteenth century, earthenware potters produced distinctive styles of pottery along the “Great Road” of western Virginia and eastern Tennessee. (BRI Director Roddy Moore and his collection of Great Road Pottery were featured on a 1999 episode of PBS's Antiques Roadshow.)

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Ferrum College created the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum in the early 1970s to document, interpret, and present the folk heritage of the Blue Ridge region.  Since that time, the Institute has grown steadily, expanding its work throughout Virginia and Appalachia while maintaining an emphasis upon the western portion of the state.

The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum enjoys a national reputation.  From festivals and concerts to exhibits and publications, the BRI offers educational and entertaining programming of unmatched quality and authenticity.  The Institute’s audience spans all ages and backgrounds, enhancing Ferrum College’s educational mission for all.  The major programs of the Institute include:

The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival—Virginia’s largest annual celebration of regional folkways, now in its fourth decade.

BRI Museum Exhibitions—Heritage exhibitions for museums around the state.

The Blue Ridge Farm Museum—Living history on an 1800 Blue Ridge farmstead.

The Blue Ridge Heritage Archives—The permanent repository for folklife-related recordings, photographs, and documents.

BRI Recordings—Nearly a century of Virginia folk music in Grammy-nominated compilations.

BRI Internet Resources—On-line exhibitions, archive resources, and travelers’ guides for heritage fans and researchers.

A heritage-tourism leader, Ferrum College’s Blue Ridge Institute & Museum is a major venue along The Crooked Road:  Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and a guiding player in tourism efforts in the region.  In recognition of its accomplishments, the Institute was designated The State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore by Governor Gerald Baliles and the Virginia State Legislature in 1986.