Dempsy Clyde Perkins

Woodworker and Blacksmith

Dempsy Perkins was born in 1941 and is a native of Reeves, Louisiana. Mr. Perkins, a fifth generation sheep farmer, lives on the same property as his grandfather. When not occupied with raising sheep, Mr. Perkins performs traditional crafts such as white oak basket making, making blacksmith tools, and making syrup. He says that he has worked with wood since he was a teenager. He learned these skills from his grandfather and has continued using them everyday while living on the farm.

Mr. Perkins works with his wife Brenda on white oak baskets and does most of his work on the weekends. He uses 18th- and 19th- century methods when working on his crafts. Dempsy uses tupelo gum and white oak to create his baskets, carve wooden bowls, wooden pitchforks, cutting boards, furniture, beds, hay rakes, and much more. He handcrafts many of his own tools in his blacksmith shop.

He cuts timber from his own farm and processes the wood for the products at his one-man sawmill, which he designed himself. The family has its own family syrup mill. The day after Thanksgiving, they grind homegrown sugar cane and cook the juice to make syrup.

Dempsy works everyday around the farm and sometimes he demonstrates at a local festivals. He has demonstrated at the Leesville Folk Festival in Leesville, Louisiana.