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["Phyllis Marks (June 5, 1927-June 22, 2019) was born Phyllis Mariam Frashure on June 5, 1927, in Sand Fork, Gilmer County, WV. According to folklorist Gerry Milnes, Marks was the last active ballad singer in the state who, as she says, learned by heart, via oral transmission, mainly from her mother and grandmother, both of Irish ancestry. Since 1954, Phyllis performed annually at the West Virginia State Folk Festival at Glenville. A fixture at the festival and in her community, the 2005 festival was dedicated to her.Marks was recorded in 1978 for the Library of Congress and has been featured in various books and radio programs. In 1997, she worked with Gerry Milnes to release the Augusta Heritage album Phyllis Marks: Old-Time Songs of West Virginia.In 2016, the West Virginia Folklife Program received a Henry Reed Fund Award from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to host and record a concert with Marks at the West Virginia Humanities Council. Read more about that concert here: https://wvfolklife.org/2016/10/03/i-think-that-the-women-made-the-folk-songs-phyllis-marks-in-concert/Materials from that concert are available via the Library of Congress/American Folklife Center in the Emily Hilliard collection on West Virginia ballad singer Phyllis Marks: https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/search?searchCode=LCCN&searchArg=2017655418&searchType=1&permalink=yRead our tribute to Phyllis Marks on the West Virginia Folklife blog: https://wvfolklife.org/2019/07/02/a-tribute-to-ballad-singer-phyllis-marks-june-51927-june-22-2019/Interviewers notes:I went to interview 88-year old ballad singer Phyllis Marks at her home in Glenville, WV. Folklorist Gerry Milnes believes Marks to be the last living ballad singer in the state who learned her repertoire via oral transmission. Marks is blind and was accompanied by her dog. She said she was hoarse today, but would sing for me another time."]%

85. Transcript of oral history of Phyllis Marks

Identifier:
4224.MarksPhyllis.IntTranscript4.22.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Phyllis Marks
Date:
2016-04-22
Creator:
Marks, Phyllis
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Irish Americans, Ballads, Working class families, Storytelling, Folk music--West Virginia, Old-time music
Location:
Gilmer County (W. Va.), Glenville (W. Va.)
["Charlene (Jennings) Marshall Charlene (Jennings) Marshall (b. September 17, 1949) is a native of Osage, West Virginia in Scotts Run. She was the first African American woman mayor in Morgantown and all of West Virginia, serving from 1991-1998. She was a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 44th District from 1998-2002 and 2004 until 2014. In this interview she speaks about growing up in Osage, her term as mayor, and experiences as an activist in the civil rights movement in Morgantown. She also showed pictures of an exhibit she has been working on, The African American Experience in Morgantown. This interview is part of a collection of interviews conducted with Scotts Run natives/residents and/or members of the Scotts Run Museum."]%

86. Transcript of oral history of Charlene Marshall

Identifier:
4224.MarshallCharlene.IntTranscript.3.23.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Charlene Marshall
Date:
2019-03-23
Creator:
Marshall, Charlene
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Morgantown (W. Va.), Knitters (Persons), School integration, African Americans--Appalachian Region, Civil rights movements, Racism, African American women politicians, Scott's Run (W. Va.)
Location:
Scott's Run (W. Va.), Morgantown (W. Va.)
["For the past 6 years, Sandy Mashburn (b. January 20th, 1954, Albertville, AL) and her husband Tommy Mashburn come to West Virginia for 3 months from August-October to hunt root, including ginseng, may apple, yellow root, and black cohosh. They sell the foraged root and other plant parts to Tony Coffman at Coffmans Metals in Birch River, West Virginia. In this short interview, Sandy speaks about how they first started coming to West Virginia, her husbands digging hobby, how the price of ginseng has changed, and more.This interview and other materials were collected in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals 2020 festival program on American ginseng. Learn more: https://festival.si.edu/blog/west-virginia-ginseng-trade"]%

87. Transcript of oral history of Sandy Mashburn

Identifier:
4224.MashburnSandy.IntTranscript.9.16.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Sandy Mashburn
Date:
2019-09-16
Creator:
Mashburn, Sandy
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Herbs--Utilization, Forage plants, American ginseng, American ginseng industry
Location:
Birch River (W. Va.)
["Dave McKay (b.1946) is the owner of King Tut Drive-In in Beckley. He lives in Atlanta. In this interview he speaks about this history and evolution of the business, and its role in the Beckley community."]%

88. Transcript of oral history of Dave McKay

Identifier:
4224.McKayDave.IntTranscript.7.9.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Dave McKay
Date:
2019-07-09
Creator:
McKay, Dave
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Food habits, Beckley (W. Va.), Drive-in restaurants, Diners (Restaurants), Restaurateurs, foodways
Location:
Beckley (W. Va.)
["Dural Miller, a Charleston native, is a member of Keep Your Faith Corporation, working with students and families at Mary C. Snow Elementary with urban gardening and social services. Dural speaks about his work and the West Side of Charleston where he grew up.Miller was interviewed by producer Aaron Henkin with Emily Hilliard as part of the Out of the Blocks podcasts two episodes on Charlestons West Side. Learn more: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/17/out-of-the-blocks-podcast-highlights-charlestons-west-side-west-virginia-folklife-hosts-listening-party-february-12/"]%

89. Transcript of oral history of Dural Miller

Identifier:
4224.MillerDural.IntTranscript.11.22.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Dural Miller
Date:
2019-11-22
Creator:
Miller, Dural
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, Henkin, Aaron
Subject:
African Americans--Appalachian Region, Literacy, Urban gardens
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Nola Morgan (b. Ronceverte, WV) and Ron Shepherd (b. Parkersburg, WV) are avid marble collectors living in Jackson County, West Virginia. They are founding members or the West Virginia Marble Collectors Club and are particularly interested in machine-made marbles, once made at various factories in West Virginia, including Alley, Vitro, and the newer company Jabo, which is still in operation. As part of their collectors hobby, they have conducted digs at the site of the old Alley factory to excavate vintage marbles.In this interview they speak about their marble collecting hobby, the history of marble-making in West Virginia, the marble collecting community, and the varieties of marbles they collect. Emily Hilliard was introduced to Morgan and Shepherd by Janey Singleton of Sandyville, WV who sits in on the interview. Learn more about the West Virginia Marble Collectors Club: https://westvirginiamarblecollectorsclub.com/members/"]%

90. Transcript of oral history of Nola Morgan and Ron Shepherd

Identifier:
4224.MorganNolaShepherdRon.IntTranscript.11.9.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Nola Morgan and Ron Shepherd
Date:
2016-11-09
Creator:
Shepherd, Ron, Morgan, Nola
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, Singleton, Jane
Subject:
Ravenswood (W. Va.), Glass manufacture, Marbles (Game objects), Collectors and collecting
Location:
Jackson County (W. Va.)
["John D. Morris of Ivydale led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle and stories of Clay County with Jen Iskow of Thomas as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. John D. MorrisBorn in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors, including banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year. The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of Davids original music, the group played together through the mid-70s, releasing an LP in the late 60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes. John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopples 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopples 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.Morris was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2020.Jen IskowJen Iskow is an artist, designer, musician, and community organizer based in Thomas, West Virginia. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Jen grew up learning to play blues and punk music. It wasnt until she moved to Morgantown in 2009 for college that she was introduced to old-time music at the weekly Brew Pub jam hosted by Stewed Mulligan. After graduating from West Virginia University, she finally settled in Elkins, West Virginia and accepted a position as the Marketing Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Center. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented traditional artists, Jen was immersed into the music and inspired to learn to play fiddle. After studying under talented fiddlers such as Scott Prouty, Erynn Marshall, Jesse Wells, Ben Townsend, John Harrod, and more, Jen met John Morris at his house in Ivydale, and the rest is historySee our feature on Morris apprenticeship with Iskow here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

91. Transcript of oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.IntTranscript.6.14.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Morris, John D., Iskow, Jen
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Fiddling, Clay County (W. Va.), Old-time music
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)
["Jay ONeal (b. Amarillo, TX) is a Charleston resident, history teacher at Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and one of the central organizers of the West Virginia Teacher Strike. He speaks about his role in the strike and the context of it within a broader labor movement."]%

92. Transcript of oral history of Jay O'Neal

Identifier:
4224.ONealJay.IntTranscript.3.20.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Jay O'Neal
Date:
2019-03-20
Creator:
O'Neal, Jay
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Labor union members, Charleston (W. Va.), Strikes and lockouts--Teachers
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Aaron Parsons, 20 years old at the time of this interview, is a native of Jackson County, WV. He makes turkey calls with materials (slate, native woods, bone, etc.) found on his familys land in Jackson County. He is also a hunter, trapper, fisher, and hide tanner. I met Aaron Parsons at the Community Interest Fair at Gilmore Elementary School in Sandyville, WV, back in the spring of 2016."]%

93. Transcript of oral history of Aaron Parsons

Identifier:
4224.ParsonsAaron.IntTranscript.11.9.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Aaron Parsons
Date:
2016-11-09
Creator:
Parsons, Aaron
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Hides and skins, Turning (Lathe work), Turkey hunting--Equipment and supplies, Turkey calls, Turkey hunting
Location:
Jackson County (W. Va.), Ravenswood (W. Va.)
["Levi Phillips, 68 at the time of the interview, is a former basketball player from Charleston, West Virginia. He grew up in public housing in the Triangle District neighborhood and currently lives on Charlestons West Side. Levi was on the first all-Black integrated basketball team at West Virginia University, and played professional basketball with the Baltimore Bullets and the Philadelphia 76ers (his teammates were Wes Unseld and Julius Erving).Justin Phillips, 39, is Levis son, who was also a high school basketball player in West Virginia. He owns Fun Fitness and lives in the South Hills neighborhood of Charleston, WV. Justins son was a high school state champion West Virginia basketball player like his grandfather.Levi and Justin Phillips were interviewed by producer Aaron Henkin with Emily Hilliard as part of the Out of the Blocks podcasts two episodes on Charlestons West Side. Learn more: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/17/out-of-the-blocks-podcast-highlights-charlestons-west-side-west-virginia-folklife-hosts-listening-party-february-12/Learn more about Levi Phillips career at WVU:https://wvusports.com/news/2020/12/1/mens-basketball-phillips-basket-a-part-of-wvu-coliseums-golden-history.aspxhttps://wvusports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/levi-phillips/12290"]%

94. Transcript of oral history of Levi Phillips and Justin Phillips

Identifier:
4224.PhillipsJustinPhillipsLevi.IntTranscript.11.22.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Levi Phillips and Justin Phillips
Date:
2019-11-22
Creator:
Phillips, Justin, Phillips, Levi
Contributor:
Henkin, Aaron, Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
African American basketball players, Charleston (W. Va.), African Americans--Appalachian Region, Basketball, School integration, Urban renewal, Interracial friendship
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Elaine (Moore) Purkey is an activist songwriter and musician from Harts Creek, West Virginia in Lincoln County. She was born on May 29, 1949, on the same piece of property where she still lives. She was raised in a family of musicians and flatfoot dancers and attributes her powerful voice to the acapella singing she learned as a member of the Church of Christ. As a teenager she played in bands with her brother, and in early adulthood she was the lead singer of a local country band. In the 1980s, she began performing regularly on the Wallace Horn Friendly Neighbors Show, a live radio program out of Logan County that has been on the air since 1967. She now hosts the show. Purkey wrote songs for the Pittston Coal Strike and Ravenswood Lockout and has performed at concerts and festivals across the continent. Her song \"One Day More\" written for the Ravenswood Lockout, is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings compilation Classic Labor Songs. Purkey is portrayed in the 2014 film Moving Mountains, based on a book by Penny Loeb. A proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Purkey teaches singing classes to children at the Big Ugly Community Center."]%

95. Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey

Identifier:
4224.PurkeyElaine.IntTranscript.10.27.16
Title:
Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey
Date:
2016-10-27
Creator:
Purkey, Elaine
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Working class--Songs and music, Country music, Purkey, Elaine, Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--West Virginia, Coal mines and mining, Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Harts (W. Va.), Lincoln County (W. Va.)
["Henry Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1978. He is the daughter of Catherine Irene Mailloux and grand-daughter of Eleanor Mailloux, the co-founder of the Hutte. His daughter, Morgan Rice, was also interviewed for this project. Henry Rice cooks for the Hutte Sunday buffet, and works in construction. He is also an avid hunter, trapper, ginseng and ramp digger, morel mushroom hunter, and a collector of old bottles and other artifacts.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

96. Transcript of oral history of Henry Rice

Identifier:
4224.RiceHenry.IntTranscript.4.30.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Henry Rice
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rice, Henry
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Canning and preserving, American ginseng, Cooking, Swiss, Wine and wine making--United States, Wild leek, Pickling, Deer hunting, Morels, Cheesemaking, foodways, Food habits, Restaurateurs, Turkey hunting, Tanning, Trapping, Hides and skins, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)