Lestel and Ollie Childress White Oak Egg Basket, 1970s

White Oak Egg Basket, made by Lestel and Ollie Childress, 1970s. They were married in 1945, the same day Lestel enlisted in the Army during World War II. He had just turned 18, and Ollie was 15; they had known each other for years prior. Measures 6 inches in length and width, and a total of 6 inches from the bottom to the top of the handle. It is made of White Oak splints, with the handle fashioned from a thick slice of Oak. The tag on the basket has yellowed with age and shows both of the Childress's names, address, and phone number. The other side says "White Oak Basket". This was a valuable find; these baskets don't come up very often in the market.

Basket makers would set up tents to sell their baskets to tourists coming down the 31 W Corridor in Kentucky. Lestel remembered back then that there would be a line of cars of people who would stop and buy their baskets. However, when the new I-65 was constructed, the number of baskets made and sold in the area were reduced drastically. There were new job opportunities for people then, and they didn't have to depend on the profits they made from baskets.

Lestel (1927–2010) and Ollie Childress (1930–2003) were renowned White Oak basket makers from Park City, Kentucky, recognized for preserving traditional, handcrafted techniques. They were considered 4th- and 5th-generation basket makers, specializing in Kentucky White Oak baskets, often featuring the distinctive Hart County/Mammoth Cave style. The green colored splints that go around the basket and also down the middle of the body were dyed with commercial dyes. They did not make many baskets with color; mostly egg baskets, like this one here, had dyed splints on them.

Key details about Lestel and Ollie Childress:
Technique and Materials: They used traditional methods, splitting White Oak timber by hand for handles, hoops, and ribs, a process that took nearly a week per basket. They did not use electrical machinery in their work.
Recognition: Both were honored by the State of Kentucky with awards for their basketry.
Legacy and Teaching: They taught the craft to others, including notable basket makers like Scott Gilbert and Beth Hester.
Style: Their baskets were often described as durable, functional items, such as egg baskets designed to hang over a mule's saddle horn.

Lestel was also noted as a cousin to fellow basket maker Mark Childress (1964-2021), who was a 7th Generation White Oak Basketmaker.