History Commons^™

Bluegrass Backstory: Connecting People To Local History Through Podcasting, David Hunter Hartlage

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Kentucky has a rich cultural identity, built upon a storied local history. Unfortunately, certain aspects of local cultural history, such as the origins of Kentucky vernacular music or how the bourbon industry has promoted growth in Kentucky’s communities, are not readily apparent. The increasing popularity and accessibility of podcasting offers local historians an opportunity to address this problem.

The goal of this project was to create a podcast program which makes information regarding the history, culture, and identity of Kentucky accessible to all in a scholarly—but engaging—way. I researched podcasting equipment and how to use it, then purchased that equipment …

Does "Good" Mean White?: Understanding The Complexities Of Refugee Resettlement In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Molly Shaddix

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bowling Green, Kentucky is a relatively small town comparable to its counterparts across the South. However, Bowling Green has a significant population of refugee inhabitants that have resettled in waves since the late 1970s. This paper describes the lived experience of refugees resettling by analyzing community action and troubles faced while working for independence in their new homes. Some factors explored are access to affordable housing, language barriers, and trouble in education. In addition, this paper contextualizes their lived experiences with other resettlement communities across the United States to understand how Bowling Green fits into patterns of societal xenophobia, racism, …

Lesieur, John Bryan "Jack," B. 1986 (Mss 707), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and selected scanned files (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Collection 707. Documentation for an archaeological study, conducted by John Bryan LeSieur, of Kyrock, a planned industrial community in Edmonson County, Kentucky. Includes interviews, photographs, and an interpretive narrative.

Williams, Michael Ann (Fa 459), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and interview transcriptions for Folklife Archives Project 459. Interviews related to Sarah Gertrude Knott and the National Folk Festival conducted by Michael Ann Williams and Hillary Glatt as part of a joint project for the Kentucky Oral History Commission and Western Kentucky University. The audio interviews did not come with this collection. Interview transcriptions may be accessed by clicking on the "Download" button to the right and then clicking on the hyperlinks in the finding aid.

Sledge, William Leonard, B. 1948 - Collector (Sc 3514), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for SC 3514. Script and photographs from two womanless wedding shows held in the Alvaton School gymnasium in Alvaton, Warren County, Kentucky in the 1960s. The images are stored in the WKU Photo Archives.

Holland, Danny (Fa 1331), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1331. Information related to “Second Monday,” court day in Scottsville, Kentucky, collected by Danny Holland for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Holland gives a brief introduction to his research methods followed by information collected from Second Monday participants. He includes name of informant, age, and place of residence.

Cox, Hilda-Gay (Fa 1239), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1239. Student folk studies project titled “Sequent Occupance of the Main Business District of Hodgenville, Kentucky,” which includes a list of illustrations with brief descriptions of residents and buildings in the main business district of Hodgenville, LaRue County, Kentucky. List entries may include a brief description of building, resident, location, donor, and photo.

Carroll, Julianne And Emily Hudson (Fa 1219), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project FA 1219. National Register of Historic Places nomination form to register the Cedar Ridge Historic District in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Completed by Julianne Carroll and Emily Hudson, the application includes history, classification, maps, photographs, and other documentation regarding the 43 single and multi-family structures in the neighborhood, the earliest dating from 1920.

Zurowski, Susan K. And Lynn Coulter David, B. 1941 (Fa 1218), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project FA 1218. Student folk studies project titled: ““The Hick’s House: A Warren County, Kentucky Central Passage Log House” which includes documentation of a log building with modern white clapboard siding in the Hadley area of Warren County, Kentucky. Documentation includes descriptions and illustrations of traditional log building practices, photos, and historical research of the property along with information about later additions and renovations. Photos include the house and outbuildings.

Reynolds, V. Lynn (Fa 1217), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project FA 1217. National Register of Historic Places nomination form to expand the boundaries of the College Hill National Register District in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Completed by V. Lynn Reynolds in 1994, the application includes history, classification, maps, photographs, and other documentation regarding the 33 structures in the initial College Hill National Register District established in 1979; 115 structures were added in 1994 and one more in 1996. A survey inventory updated in July 2003 is also included along with Kentucky Historic Resources Individual Survey forms from 2006. Small color photos are not of …

Trafton, Paula Burt (Fa 1214), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project FA 1214. National Register of Historic Places nomination form for Taylor Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Completed by Paula Burt Trafton, the application includes history, classification, maps, photographs, and other documentation regarding the church.

Warren, Kaye (Fa 1150), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1150. Student folk studies project titled “From Slavery to Freedom for the Negro Race in Logan County [Kentucky]” which includes survey sheets with a brief description of African American life in Logan County, Kentucky. Sheets may include interviews, written records, photographs, informant’s name, age, and address.

Lost City Incorporated - Logan County, Kentucky (Sc 3225), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3225. Waivers of notice of the first meeting of incorporators and subscribers, and of the board of directors, of Lost City Incorporated, an archaeological tourist site in Logan County, Kentucky. Includes a letter on company letterhead from one director to another thanking him for family Christmas gifts.

Clarke, Kenneth Wendell, B. 1917 (Mss 635), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 635. Manuscripts, notes, publisher’s correspondence, and photographs relating to the scholarly work of WKU English and folklore professor Kenneth W. Clarke, principally "Bud Long: The Birth of a Kentucky Folk Legend" and "The Harvest and the Reapers."

Pyatt, Susanna (Fa 1380), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 1380. “Woven Evidence?: Western Shaker Connections with Native Americans,” a paper written by Susanna Pyatt in April 2018 for a WKU folk studies class.

Maffenbeier, John, 1905-1978 (Sc 3199), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3199. Correspondence of John Maffenbeier, Newark, New Jersey, relating to colleting and selling Native American artifacts. Some of the correspondence is related to Lost City, an archaeological tourist site in Logan County, Kentucky.

Conaster, Victoria (Fa 377), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 377. Interview with Joe H. Page conducted by Victoria Conaster on 3 April 1993. Page, a resident of Lewisburg, discusses his childhood memories of growing up on a tenant farm. Topics covered include tobacco harvests and sales, pest control, traditional farm lore, home remedies and religious life.

Gillan, Robert Lee, 1916-2009 (Sc 3183), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3183. Letter, 7 August 2006, of Robert Lee Gillan, Thorntown, Indiana, to Martha Harrison. He refers to his interest in genealogy and relates anecdotes about “Aunt Nancy,” an African American woman and caregiver to local families in Barren County, Kentucky. He includes particulars of some of her household advice, folk medicinal treatments and beliefs. He notes that she is buried in Lyons (Lyon) Cemetery.

Brooks, Heather-Kristen (Fa 374), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 374. Student oral history project titled “The Effects of Logan County School Consolidations on the Students of Lewisburg and the Community” in which Heather-Kristen Brooks conducts research on the centralization of five county schools in 1983. Brooks’ two informants touch on issues of race, extracurricular activities, athletics, and behavioral norms. Collection contains one paper, two indexes and transcripts, and two cassette tapes.

New Matriarchs: Louisville, Kentucky Ii (Fa 1001), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Digital audio interviews, transcripts of the same, photographs and digital photo files, and corollary material related to a project conducted by Laura Fleming Ospital titled "New Matriarchs: Louisville II" in 2014-2015. It details the lives of women from Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Mexico,and Uzbekistan. The digital interviews are stored in the WKU Sound Archives and the digital images are stored in The WKU Photo Archives.

Mcgown, Joe (Fa 991), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 991. Project titled: “"Funeral Customs" compiled by Joe McGown for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Includes individual survey sheets listing a single funeral custom, the informant, date, and location. A large number of photographs, documenting tombstones, are included in the collection. The location of the tombstones is not included, but most of the survey work was done in Warren County, Kentucky.

Molesky, Constance H. And Gayle Wilson (Fa 858), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 858. This collection includes a paper discussing the Shakers and the craftsmanship found in their furniture designs of the region and period. Concentrates on the Shaker community at South Union, but includes general information about Shakers and specific specimens from Pleasant Hill. Black and white photos of furniture are included in the collection. This project was conducted by Constance H. Molesky and Gayle Wilson for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Fish, Dianne (Fa 859), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 859. Paper: “A Collection of Breckinridge County Folklore.” This project was conducted by Dianne Fish for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Reflections Of The Past (Fa 812), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archive Project 812. Recording of George C. Wright discussing resources for African American research in Kentucky (Side A) and Rena Niles talking about her folk musician husband John Jacob Niles (Side B). Two small printed pamphlets were also included with the recording that was sponsored by the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and produced by Clay Guance of the University of Kentucky.

Kentucky Folklife Festivals - Files (Fa 746), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection 746. This collection contains documentation of various folklife related festivals held within the state of Kentucky that were documented by folklorist Bob Gates. the ones documented in this collection include the Discovery Festival in Mt. Vernon, the International Festival in Bowling Green, the River Folk Arts Festival in Louisville, “A Day in the Country” Festival, the Horse Cave Heritage Festival in Horse Cave, the Ganesha Festival in Louisville, and the Watermelon Festival in Tompkinsville. There are also slides in Folder 6 that document the Michigan Folklife Festival.

Fort Williams - Glasgow, Kentucky (Mss 531), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 531. Correspondence, research, historical and archaeological reports, contracts, budgets and other documents relating to the 1970s excavation and restoration of Fort Williams, a Civil War fortification at Glasgow, Kentucky.

Quilts - Logan County, Kentucky (Sc 2864), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2864. Correspondence, promotional material and planning notes for a quilt registry in Logan County, Kentucky, sponsored by the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society and a subsequent exhibit at the Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University.

Wilson, Alexander Gordon, 1888-1970 (Sc 2857), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2857. Typescripts and a few photocopies of a printed newspaper column titled “Tidbits of Kentucky Folklore” written by WKU English professor Gordon Wilson, Sr. This grouping includes columns that were not incorporated into the bound volumes of his work found in the Kentucky Library Research Collections (GR110 .K4 W542)

Kentucky Folklore Record (Mss 501), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 501. Correspondence, manuscripts, and subscription and financial records relating to the content, editing, publication and management of the Kentucky Folklore Record, a quarterly journal of the Kentucky Folklore Society.

Shakers - South Union, Kentucky - Slaughtering Of Animals (Sc 1113), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1113. Document comprising the timeline of hog and cattle slaughtering by members of the Shaker Society at South Union, Logan County, Kentucky from 1 December 1814 to 16 December 1891, compiled from Shaker journals and other original sources. Entries often indicate the number of animals butchered, their weight, and the purpose of the butchering.