Tryon – There’s a quiet kind of magic in a handmade wooden toy. Whether it’s the smooth curve of a painted horse or the playful tilt of a carved mountaineer’s hat, these objects have a unique ability to spark imagination across generations. That spirit is alive and well at Tryon Arts and Crafts School (TACS), where a new exhibition honors the legacy of the Tryon Toy-Makers and Wood-Carvers, a once-thriving workshop that helped define the town’s artistic identity.
The Tryon Toy-Makers: Selections from Three Collections, now on view through June 26, features a vibrant display of painted toys created between 1915 and the 1930s. The historical pieces are thoughtfully paired with contemporary handcrafted wooden toys by local artisan Ray Buckmaster of Younger Brother Woodworking, offering visitors a blend of old-world charm and present-day craftsmanship. The exhibit tells a remarkable story of art, community, and social reform that spanned across Western North Carolina.
That story begins with two remarkable women: Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale. Originally from New England, Vance and Yale moved to Tryon in 1915 after managing Biltmore Industries in Asheville for a decade. At that time, they were part of a wave of artists and reformers who believed in the power of craftsmanship to transform lives. They set up a shop on Grady Avenue, teaching local youth the art of woodcarving and painting.
“These ladies weren’t just making toys,” says Julia Calhoun, the current owner of Tryon Toymakers. “They were giving young people a different path. Instead of working on farms or in mills, they were learning real skills, making beautiful things, and getting paid for their work.”
The toys they created were imaginative and highly detailed. Visitors to the exhibit will find sets inspired by nursery rhymes and Appalachian life, including a “Mountain Home” diorama complete with a hand-painted cabin, family, and farm animals. Other pieces include dolls and furniture, stilts, zoo animals, and a classic horse on wheels now affectionately known as “Morris.”
The Toy-Makers’ fame once reached far beyond Polk County. Their creations were featured in the 1923 Christmas issue of Vogue and even caught the attention of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who visited Tryon and praised the workshop as a model for employing rural youth in creative, meaningful work.
Though the original business closed after a devastating fire in 1939, its legacy has lived on. Calhoun, a Tryon native, purchased the business in 2016 and has worked to preserve the founders’ original patterns and color schemes. She also plans to revive the carving and furniture-making side of the workshop in the future, continuing the founders’ mission of teaching artisan skills to local youth.
“I think the Toy-Makers are central to Tryon’s identity,” Calhoun says. “This town has always been an artist colony. We’ve had writers, musicians, and craftspeople here since the late 1800s. That creative spirit is who we are.”
In fact, Morris the Horse has become the town mascot, with a giant replica of the wheeled and spotted horse welcoming guests to the center of Tryon and a smaller, though still impressive replica sitting outside the gallery of TACS.
There’s still time to catch the exhibit and see that spirit in action. On Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m., Calhoun will lead a gallery walk at TACS, offering deeper insight into the Toy-Makers’ history and the lives of Vance and Yale. Light refreshments will be provided.
And if you’re wondering whether handmade wooden toys still hold their charm in the age of screens and gadgets, Calhoun has no doubt.
“Kids walk into the shop and make a beeline for them,” she says. “They’ve got all the modern stuff at home, but they love these toys. I think they always will.”
The exhibit is open to the public during regular business hours. Many of the toys on display have been generously loaned from three collections: Western Carolina University, TACS’s own archives, and the estate of the late Rick Dunn, a devoted local collector. A set of original tools from former Toy Maker Lemuel Keith Grady, donated by his granddaughter Fran Grady, adds a personal touch to the historical narrative. Purchases of toys from Younger Brother Woodworking directly support TACS and its mission as a nonprofit community arts center.
Whether you’re a longtime resident or a curious visitor, this exhibition is a joyful reminder of how simple objects made with care can carry the stories of a place and its people.