In this radio short, folklorist and 2014 WKU Folk Studies grad Lilli Tichinin introduces excerpts from a collection of interviews conducted by Larry Morrisey during his Folklorists in the Park Project residency at Pennyrile State Park and the Pennyrile region of Western Kentucky in 1996. These interviews -- part of a series of 30 interviews in Hopkins, Caldwell, and Christian County -- were conducted in conjunction with the Kentucky Oral History Commission (KOHC).

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Lilli Tichinin -- Larry Morrissey, Folklorists in the Park Project at Pennyrile State Park, 1996

Kaitlyn Berlie uses archival oral history recordings to share the story of Allie Corbin Hixson, a pioneering female educator in Kentucky. 

Image Courtesy of University of Louisville,
from Allie Corbin Hixson Papers Finding Aid.
http://louisville.edu/library/archives/findingaids/hixson.html

Kaitlyn Berle -- Allie Corbin Hixson & Kentucky Women's History

In this piece, Devin Payne Serke documents her family and community members' memories of the catastrophic Louisville Flood of 1937 in a sound-rich, place-based interpretation of the influence of this disaster in Depression-Era Jefferson County.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Foundation.

Devin Payne Serke -- Louisville Flood of 1937

In this piece, Kaitlyn Market uses archival occupational folklore oral histories with community historians stewarding the legacy of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad to tell the history of transportation's influence in the Midsouth region in the mid-19th century. 

Kaitlyn Market -- History of the L&N Railroad

This piece by Renee Pinkston (read by Jess Holler) discusses the long history of mineral spring resorts -- an incredibly popular recreation destination for Kentuckians in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through archival oral histories with Margaret Rutledge, Pinkston explores the vivid recreation culture and entertainment scene of one of the Bluegrass's premier hot springs resort hotels, and looks to the ultimate fate of many of these beloved destination spots with the advent of automobile culture in the mid-20th century.

Script, archival clips and research by Renee Pinkston; read and produced by Jess Holler.

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Images.

Renee Pinkston -- Crab Orchard Springs Hotel

In this sound-rich piece by Celeste Happeny, Catherine Dobbs Hill remembers an important entertainment of times past: showboats on Kentucky's Green River. With Catherine's archival oral history footage, Celeste explores the often-forgotten entertainment experience that showboats brought to rural communities along Kentucky's interior rivers. Catherine discusses not only her fond memories of particular showboats, but of the rich culture of music and dramatic plays that the boats brought to the countryside. 

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Celeste Happeny -- Showboats on the Green River!

Here, WKU Folk Studies graduate student Joshua Chrysler uses oral history reels with Deedy Hall from 1989 to chronicle the 1922 auction that marked the closing of the South Union Shaker Village community. The Shakers were especially well-known for their fine craftsmanship in furniture and household items. Deedy tracks and describes the Shaker furniture and material goods her parents were able to obtain at the auction, and also tracks some of the piece's eventual migration to the Shaker Museum at South Union today. 

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Josh Chrysler -- South Union Shaker Village Auction Radio Piece

In this piece, WKU Folk Studies graduate student Jack LeSieur uses archival oral history clips from workers with KYRock, the Kentucky Rock Asphalt Company, to track the history of unionization in this iconic Edmundson County industry. 

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Jack LeSieur -- Unionization In The Kentucky Rock Asphalt Company

In this piece, Teresa Westfall uses a 2007 oral history with Chris and Denise Nelson to interpret the story of the Chrisman Mill Vineyard & Winery, located outside of Lexington, Kentucky. The piece charts the couple's journey into winemaking, and the process by which they shaped their vineyard and winery's unique approach and local flavor along the way.

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Teresa Westfall -- Chrisman Mill Vineyards & Winery

This piece by Bess McHone takes up archival oral histories with students of Lou Tate -- a weaver, teacher, and entrepeneur who helped established Louisville's influential Little Loomhouse. Lou Tate helped develop the table loom, and was an influential force in the cottage weaving industry in Kentucky.

Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Bess McHone -- Louisville Kentucky's Little Loomhouse

This piece by Alena Cieszko (read by Jeffrey Nagle) explores the legacy and community influence of the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, a collaborative work and gallery space and hub for collaboration for artisans and artisans from across Eastern Kentucky. Alena draws from archival oral history interviews with two are jewelers, Nancy Brown and Rebecca Amburgey, to explore the influence of the center on their lives and their art.

Script, original research and clip production by Alena Ciezsko; read by Jeffrey Nagle and produced by Jess Holler. 

Image of the Appalachian Artisan Center Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Alena Cieszko -- The Appalachian Artisans' Center (Hindman, Kentucky)

This feed is for the audio + sonic productions of the WKU Folk Studies Program, a masters' program in folk studies based at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The feed features radio pieces using archival and oral history audio footage from Dr. Michael Ann Williams's Cultural Conservation class from Fall 2013. All pieces are student-researched and produced by graduate students in our department! Look out for more coming soon! 

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