Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Page, Tate Cromwell "Piney," 1908-1984 (Fa 1397), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1397. Papers of Page, former Dean of the College of Education at Western Kentucky University, primarily concerning his work documenting the people, places, history and folklore of the Ozarks region in Arkansas where he was raised. Also includes his photographs of historic structures, made mostly in western Kentucky.

The Landscape Does Not Care It Is A Landscape: A Utopian Pessimist Journey In Kentucky., Shachaf Polakow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

These thesis and exhibition, invite the viewers to travel through different places in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The region’s landscape, like many other American landscapes, is often known to the public through the settler colonial lens—a lens that ignores Indigenous peoples’ history in the region. The work in the exhibition is a response to landscape art's history and its complicity with American settler colonialism- art that was recruited to create a new identity for the settlers and for the country from the beginning of the American Colonial Project. Landscape art was a crucial part of this effort, presenting the land …

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 …

Conjugal Relation: The Shakers'question For Frontier Kentucky, Peter Hawes

James W. Jackson Award for Excellence in Library Research in the Social Sciences

At its heart, this is a case fraught with pain and loss that is not unique to this particular period in frontier Kentucky. Although the presence of the Shakers, and a community’s reaction to them, imbue this case with meaning historically, this divorce also speaks to unchanging questions about the nature of conjugal relation in the face of an uncertain eternity. This is a case that reveals something about broader anti-Shakerism, but it also demonstrates that for many, the broader contexts of religious change and budding institutions were not perceptible factors in their experience of life on the frontier. With …

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, …

Access To And Use Of Technology For Health: Comparisons Between Appalachian Kentuckians And The General U.S. Population, Robin C. Vanderpool, Lindsay R. Stradtman, Anna Gaysynsky, Quan Chen, Meghan Johnson, Bin Huang

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Technology may increase the availability of health information and enable health promoting behaviors. However, lack of access to and use of technology may also exacerbate disparities, particularly in rural communities with limited Internet access.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare Internet access, device ownership, and use of technology for health between Appalachian Kentuckians and the general U.S. population.
Methods: Findings from the 2017 Assessing the Health Status of Kentucky (ASK) survey were compared to national estimates from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 1 (2017), with a particular focus on degree of rurality. …

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.

Ridington, Amber Flower, B. 1969 (Fa 599), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 599. Folk studies project titled: “At the Crossroads: Commercial Music and Community Experience The Quonset Auditorium – A Roadhouse on the Dixie Highway” which includes interviews with performers about their time at the Quonset Auditorium in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Interviews may include a brief description of their performances and memories of the Quonset. Ridington used this material for her WKU master's thesis of the same title.

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.

Stewart, John George, 1890-1970 (Sc 3509), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3509. Letter from John George Stewart, Architect of The U.S. Capitol, to U.S. Congressman William H. Natcher certifying that the accompanying flag had flown over the U.S. capitol. The flag was for the Bowling Green, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

United Way Of Southern Kentucky - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 687), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 687. Minutes, financial documents, correspondence, promotional material, and committee reports related to United Way of Southern Kentucky, a re-granting agency that supports a number of social, educational and charitable organizations in south central Kentucky.

An Ethnic Cultural Landscape: German Breweries And Social Institutions In Covington, Kentucky, 1860-1920, Andrew Jones

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A useful marker for recognizing the impact that ethnic groups make to the social and cultural characteristics of a city are the institutions and material landscapes created by those groups. In northern Kentucky, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, German immigrants and their descendants in the city of Covington established institutions such as breweries, saloons, social associations, and churches that became the heart of ethnic neighborhoods and shaped the form of the landscape. This research examines institutional and cultural landscape markers of German cultural identity in the city of Covington, Kentucky, from 1860 to 1920. Demographic and spatial data …

Downey, John Michael, B. 1951 (Fa 1350), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1350. Folklife project titled "Antiques" by John Michael Downey for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Project includes an illustrated paper about the acquisition and use of antiques collected by friends and family members in DeKalb and Haralson counties in Georgia, Warren County, Kentucky and Rockingham County, Virginia. Survey sheets may include brief description of antique’s origin, use, sample of handwoven coverlet, color photo, illustration, text classification, and bibliographic source.

American Association Of University Women - Danville, Kentucky (Mss 681), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Collection 687. Records of the Danville branch of the American Association of University Women, including minutes, president’s reports, newsletters, historical information, programming materials and other miscellaneous items. Also includes more limited material about the state and regional divisions of the AAUW.

Miller, Harold Asher, B. 1939 (Mss 679), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 679. Correspondence, speeches, political material and notes related to Harold Asher Miller’s political career, which included several terms on the Bowling Green City Commission and one term as the city’s Mayor in the 1980s. It also includes material related to several Miller campaigns for the Warren County Judge Executive position.

Bowling Green, Kentucky - Fire Department (Sc 3489), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of documents (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3489. Compiled correspondence and documents related to the purchase of fire trucks for the cities of Bowling Green and Smiths Grove in Warren County, Kentucky. Most of the material was scanned and is only available in digital format, but a few original letters and documents were retained.

Bowling Green, Kentucky - Waterworks (Sc 3488), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of documents (Click on "Additional Files" below for Manuscripts Small Collection 3488. “Changes in Plans and Specifications for Water Works Improvements, Contracts Nos. 1 to 5, Incl[usive] for the City of Bowling Green, Bowling Green, Kentucky, December 12, 1947.”

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.

Thomas, Patricia Lee (Fa 1330), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archive Project 1330. Short narrative paper titled “An Allen County Tombstone Maker” written by Patricia Thomas for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Includes biography of tombstone maker William Chase Bonner of Halfway, Kentucky. Also includes photographs of several tombstones crafted by Mr. Bonner for family members. Mr. Bonner was Thomas’ great-grandfather.

Feintuch, Burt, 1949-2018 (Fa 1315), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1315. Collection of folklife and folk arts by Burt Feintuch, ethnographer of traditional music and professor of folk studies at Western Kentucky University (WKU) from 1975 to 1988. Includes the session materials from the Folklife and the Public Sector: Assessment and Prognosis Conference at WKU, 1985, along with the manuscript and proof pages from his book Kentucky Folkmusic. Recordings of musicians and singers and interviews with the same in Barren, LaRue, Logan, Marshall, Metcalfe, Monroe, Muhlenburg, Todd, and Warren counties in Kentucky and Warren County, Tennessee.

West Kentucky Coal Company - Sturgis, Kentucky (Mss 670), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 570. Accounting records, chiefly accounts payable, for West Kentucky Coal Company headquartered in Sturgis, Kentucky. Most transactions include receipts from a given vendor along with a summary voucher from West Kentucky Coal. Also includes some payroll records.

Schottenfeld, Judith Dian (Fa 1309), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 1309. Student folk studies project titled “Construction of the White Oak Basket, ”which includes an interview with Walter Logsdon about the traditional basket making process in Edmonson County, Kentucky. Project includes sheets with a brief description of each traditional practice, tool, and photo.

Waldrop, Melanie (Fa 1310), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1310. Student folk studies project titled “Basketmaking for Walter Logsdon: ‘A Way of Life,’” which includes two interviews with Walter Logsdon about the traditional basket making process in Edmonson County, Kentucky. Project includes sheets with a brief description of each traditional practice, tool, and photo.

Sadewasser, Judith K. "Judi" (Fa 1308), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 1308. Student folk studies project titled “The Folkways of Walter D. Logsdon: Basketmaker,” which includes an interview with Walter Logsdon about the traditional basket making process in Edmonson County, Kentucky. Project includes interview transcriptions along with sheets with a brief description of each traditional practice, tool, and photo.

Wiseman, Michelle (Fa 1306), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1306. Student project titled “Folk Songs and Legends,” which includes survey sheets of folk songs and folk legends collected in Indiana and Kentucky. Sheets may include folk songs, lyrics, musical scores, Brown Collection variant number, legends, informant’s name, age, and address.

Thomason, Mary Jean (Healan) (Fa 1299), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Oral Histories

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1299. Project titled “Ten Broeck and Mollie: An Intriguing Puzzle,” which includes variants of the texts for “Ten Broeck and Mollie” and “Skewball” collected primarily from Jesse Blair in Grayson County, Kentucky. Project may include texts, song lyrics, tunes, photos, and informant name and location.

Guthrie, Charles Snow, 1922-2000 (Mss 668), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 668. Research, correspondence and manuscripts of WKU English faculty member Charles Snow Guthrie regarding the history of Freemasonry in Kentucky. Includes some business records relating to Guthrie’s farm in Cumberland County, Kentucky.

Bowling Green Welfare Home - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 3390), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3390. Two reports on the Bowling Green Welfare Home, 1023 Adams Street, Bowling Green, Kentucky. The first lists expenses from 1932-1934 and provides a short history and a list of residents. The second, by Marie Pennington, is dated 1936 and reports on the home’s history, personnel and finances, and describes a few of the welfare cases.

Libraries - Woodford County, Kentucky (Sc 3391), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3391. Collected research on the history of library services in Woodford County, Kentucky. Includes clippings, correspondence (particularly regarding the merger of the Woodford County Library and the Logan Helm Memorial Library), and historical narratives.