This project, McDowell County NC Oral History, is property of and funded by the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority in partnership with the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. We would like to thank them for making this project possible through their matching grant program.
Eljapa Media Group was chosen as the contractor for the creative content of this project. Thanks to interviewer/writer/researcher Kim Clark, Eljapa owner/camera operator/video editor Ellen Pfirrmann and sound engineer Jon Orr.
This audio montage is a small sampling of some of the great stories and remembrances collected from residents all over McDowell County. Stories of the Cherokee, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the building of the railroad, the Great Depression and other historical events. But mostly, these are stories of how real people lived their daily lives in the times before every convenience was available at the flick of a switch or at the push of a button. Remembrances of a time when folks relied on the land around them for their food, helped their neighbors and knew how to make just about everything they needed. It is the story of self-reliance and a strong community. It’s a spirit that lives on in residents of McDowell County to this day.
A full set of complete interviews is archived at the McDowell County libraries.
As we have worked on this oral history, we have benefited from and been inspired by the work of McDowell County’s legendary historians (now passed) Binkie Adams and Nina Greenlee. We hope that we have in some way carried on their work, and that after our involvement with this project has come to an end, others will continue to gather the stories of McDowell County and collect them here or in other widely-accessible locations. – Kim & Ellen
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