The promotional brochure for the prospective museum contains the keystone of Warren’s
philosophy: the everyday life of people living in rural areas before about 1870
is the appropriate subject matter for the study of traditional material culture
and folklife. This was a time, according to Warren, “when the old traditional ways
of life were still largely undisturbed by the Industrial Era.” The phrase, “the
old traditional way of life”, or simply OTWOL, came to epitomize Warren’s approach.
"Upon my return to Bloomington from Norway in 1960 I launched another project. I
wanted to develop at Indiana University a folk museum that would represent the traditional
ways of life of the rural population of southern Indiana. Most of my time and energy
that was left over after teaching went into this museum project. I received encouragement
and support from many university officials. Over a period of about fifteen years
from the early 1960s to the late 1970s I visited many areas in southern Indiana
looking for old buildings that could be acquired and which would be characteristic
of the folk architecture of the region. With generous support from the university,
I was able to acquire a number of structures: houses, a barn, a church, a country
doctor’s office, a covered bridge, as well as others. I had them moved to a tract
of land on the outskirts of the campus. Unfortunately, the funds needed to establish
and maintain the museum have never materialized despite devoted efforts by many
people who recognized the potential value of the project; and so, the museum remains
an unfulfilled dream.”
