I don't think this is entirely fair. There are people in the United States who carry on skills that most people consider lost. One marvelously documented one is Dave Engel, wainright and wheelright in Joliot, MT. He has documented his skills in a weekly youtube video for years. There are many others. My wife is an expert in Scandinavian fiber techniques, and teaches weaving, spinning, dying and nalbinding (a Norwegian fiber technique that looks like knitting, but is in fact entirely different and much older). She can make you a sweater, or wool rya (thing the warmest bedcover you can even imagine) from raw wool, straight off the sheep (which she raises, and I shear) and the right pile of weeds (for dyes).