Daughters of Appalachia 002

I think the first time I met Emma Carpenter was a few years ago in our shop. I'd seen her posts about historical buildings around West Virginia and they stood out to me amid all the social media noise. It's not every day that you see a teenager posting about history on social media and I've really been impressed with her focus and dedication ever since. Plus, I think it's really admirable that she's breaking into a field that’s historically been the domain of older white men. I can't wait to see all the stuff she does in the future! 

Hillary: Where did you grow up and how would you describe it to someone who hasn’t been there before? 
Emma: I grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. I would describe it as one big community. It’s sort of in between a small city and a big town, but it’s full of local businesses, fun events, and history--and it feels like a place where everyone knows everyone. I wouldn’t want to have grown up anywhere else!
 
What’s one of your earliest memories? 
One of my earliest memories is going to the Vandalia Festival as a little kid. I always loved the music and dancing and would spend a lot of time at the different craft stations.

Your blog features a lot of historic buildings and small businesses. Is there an Appalachian town that you think is doing a good job of preserving and supporting both?
Thomas, West Virginia has done a wonderful job of preserving historic buildings and supporting local businesses. Some of my favorite businesses in historic buildings are Santangelo, Those Who Bloom, Ella, Purple Fiddle, Dandy Flats, and Tip Top Coffee. I also think Wheeling has been rocking it with preservation. I’ve loved following the renovations of the Pebler House, Chapline House, and McClain House on Instagram.

When did you become interested in history, and buildings in particular? 
From the moment I took my very first history class in fourth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Raby, taught us about the American Revolutionary War and I was captivated. The interest in buildings came a little later. In 8th grade, one of my teachers, Ms. Patterson, held an end-of-year project where we selected a building in Charleston and created a plan to turn it into something new to attract people to the city. My friend and I chose the old Daniel Boone Hotel, and I immediately fell in love with historic buildings, especially in Charleston. 

What inspired you to do your walking tour? How has the response been? 
Ms. Patterson inspired me to create the walking tour sometime in high school. I didn’t think too much about it at the time, but by the fall of my junior year, the plan was in motion. I wrote and recorded the tour during the summer before my senior year and it launched in September of that year. 

The response has been wonderful. Charleston doesn’t have a lot of options for tours, so locals and travelers were really excited about it. A group of middle schoolers even went on a field trip to Downtown Charleston to take the tour last year! I am so grateful for all the positive responses, the people who helped make it happen, and the people that took the time to take the tour.

Tell us about a Daughter of Appalachia who has inspired you.
Oh goodness there are so many! Recently I have been inspired by Mary Roush and Haley Prather, two incredible Daughters of Appalachia I had the opportunity to work with this past summer. We spent the summer interning at the West Virginia Department of Tourism (it was the best summer!) and I got to see firsthand their ambition, passion, and love for our state. Both Mary and Haley are such hardworking and authentic Appalachian women, and I know they will be incredibly successful throughout their life. 

What's something of yours that you consider a keepsake?
I'm a very sentimental person and have a lot of keepsakes, but here are my top three! (In no particular order.)

1) Books written by my grandmothers about their lives and our families

2) My family likes to put on an "Art Fair" every year at Christmas, where we make art projects and barter them off to each other. I have a matching game, photo book, cross-stitched pillow, drawings, carved gnome, hanging macrame, hand-sewn ornament, and a needlepoint project!

3) Little bits of Charleston: A glass milk bottle from Blossom Dairy, silver spoons from the old Daniel Boone Hotel, and a collection of books about historic Charleston.

What do you hope to do after school?
I plan to get my master's degree in historic preservation and work in a big city for a few years. Eventually, I plan to move back to Charleston to start my own business focused on historic preservation, interior design, sustainable design, and adaptive reuse.

What’s something you’re looking forward to?
I’m studying abroad in Italy for the spring semester, and I am so excited!