Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Elsie Watty

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  • Elsie Welch Watty (1935-2016) was a master Cherokee basket weaver who specialized in making white oak baskets and was known for creating her own designs. She lived and worked on the Galamore Branch in the Big Cove community near Cherokee, North Carolina. While she was an active basket weaver, she is said to have made 100 baskets a year. In this photograph, Watty (left) is showing her work to members of a delegation that accompanied Joan Mondale, wife of Vice President Mondale. The photograph was made on June 7, 1977 when Mrs. Mondale attended the ground breaking of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC. Mondale was accompanied by the wife of the U.S. Senator from North Carolina, Robert B Morgan, and Mrs. Lana Gudger, wife of Vonno Lamar Gudger, a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina's 11th District. The photographer's name is unknown.