Folk music. SEE ALSO Music and musicians.

Scope and Contents

Original manuscript of Land of Canaan. Plain Tales from the Mountains of West Virginia (1960) by Jack Preble.

Scope and Contents Material includes a clipping scrapbook of Preble's column on hunting and fishing published in the Steubenville Herald Star, 1939-1942; miscellaneous clippings on Tucker County local history published in the Davis News, 1939; correspondence, 1940-1941, 13 items concerning the Mountain Lake, Maryland folk music festival, and the David H. Strother Memorial. Other newspaper clippings deal with Preble's spelunking activities and snake hunting. Correspondents include Felix G. Robinson and Jennings...

Overview

A collection of student term papers, submitted to a class in American Folklore, taught by Yvonne Milspaw of West Virginia University. The papers relate to legends, ghost stories, ballads, folk medicine, recipes, crafts, social customs, and games. A card file indicating the subject matter of each paper is included with the collection.

Overview Archives of an eminent folklorist and professor of English at West Virginia University. Manuscripts include field folklore collections, lecture notes, book manuscripts, correspondence, student papers, and folksong arrangements. There are also materials regarding Gainer's position as director of South Atlantic USO activities during World War II and a journal of a folksong collecting trip to Ireland in 1961. Also one hundred and fifty-three audio tapes containing vocal and instrumental folk...

Overview

Photographs of Appalachian folk music festivals, including the Ivydale (in Clay County) and John Henry festivals. Also included are digital files which are scans by the donor of the original prints in this collection. Many of the musicians have been identified by the titles of the digital files.

Overview

Photographs of West Virginia folk musicians taken by Thomas Brown. Most are identified by name. Instruments include banjo, fiddle, guitar, and voice. Performers include Charlie Davis (banjo), Myrtle Stemple (voice), Hazel Stover (voice and guitar), Lee Triplet (fiddle), and Bill Williams (guitar), among others.

Overview

Digital copies of color slides of West Virginia folk musicians taken by Thomas Brown. There are 85 items, most identified. Instruments include banjo, fiddle, guitar, and voice. Performers include Sherman Hammons, Sarah Singleton, Lee Tripplett, Melvin Wine, and Bill Williams, among others. A full file listing is available by viewing the Digital Material portion of this record below.

Overview

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, journal articles, and pamphlets relating to the John Henry legend, John Henry ballads, and the erection of a John Henry statue at Talcott, West Virginia.