Committee Chair
Craddock, J. Hill
Committee Member
Davis, Donald E.; Guo, Zibin; Tucker, John
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
This oral history research explored and examined the experiences and memories of people who lived in the Southern Appalachian region during the years preceding and following the chestnut blight pandemic. The project examined experiences from an environmental history perspective, addressing the economic and cultural significance of chestnut pre and post blight, and attitudes and feelings concerning American chestnut restoration efforts. The American Chestnut Oral History Collection includes forty-five interviews, recorded between May and December 2008. Twenty-seven of them were recorded with people who have memories of the importance of American chestnut in southern Appalachia. These interviews were conducted across Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Virginia. These twenty-seven recordings represent thirty-three interviewees who range in age from 60 to 94 years old. An additional eighteen recordings were made at The American Chestnut Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Meeting in October 2008 representing nineteen Foundation members. All recordings were transcribed. The stories of fifty-two people are archived in the present Collection. Recorded accounts of the American chestnut articulate the importance of American chestnut to the people in southern Appalachia. These documented thoughts on restoration also lend insight into why individuals undertake efforts of this magnitude. Many TACF members, who are active in the restoration of American chestnut, first encountered the American chestnut through a shared story or experience with a parent or grandparent. It is my hope that these recordings will be useful in educating and connecting younger generations with the American chestnut and the restoration effort.
Degree
M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.
Date
8-2009
Subject
American chestnut.
Discipline
Environmental Sciences
Document Type
Masters theses
DCMI Type
Text
Extent
vii, 105 leaves
Language
English
Rights
https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Recommended Citation
Baxter, Bethany N., "An oral history of the American chestnut in southern Appalachia" (2009). Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.
https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/193
Department
Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences