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![["W.I. Bill Hairston, 71, is a storyteller, old-time musician, and pastor (Westminster Presbyterian Church) living in Charleston, West Virginia. He was born in Phenix City, Alabama, and his family moved to Saint Albans, West Virginia in 1960 when he was 11. Through his storytelling, Hairston, as he says in the interview, combines the Appalachian culture that he was exposed to on the Coal River, to the African-American culture that he is a part of. For 35 years, he served as music coordinator at the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee, and is currently the coordinator of the Vandalia Gatherings West Virginia Liars Contest. Hairston is an active member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, the Kentucky Storytelling Association, and the Ohio Storytelling Network, the National Association of Black Storytellers, and serves as the West Virginia liaison to the National Storytelling Network. He has performed in concerts, festivals, libraries, corporate meetings, conventions and schools throughout the region and the country. In this interview, Hairston speaks about growing up in one of three Black families in the Lick Skillet area of Saint Albans along the Coal River, his interest in and work with rural West Virginia old-time musicians and 4-H camps, his friendship with Frank and Jane George, experiences with racism in West Virginia, and his work and mission as an Appalachian storyteller."]%](/image/4224HairstonBillIntTranscript91019/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HairstonBillIntTranscript9.10.19
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of W.I. Bill Hairston
- Date:
- 2019-09-10
- Creator:
- Hairston, Bill
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Storytelling, African Americans--Appalachian Region, School integration, 4-H clubs, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Hairston, Bill, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp music, Racism, Walker, John Homer, Folklore
- Location:
- Charleston (W. Va.)
![["Ernest Hofer, born in Helvetia in 1950, is from a family with deep roots in Helvetia. His grandfather was the first baby boy born in the community in the 1870s. Aside from serving in Vietnam for two years, Hofer has lived in Helvetia his entire life. Hofer recently retired from working in the mines, and has worked at the Pickens [Helvetias neighboring town] Ramp Supper for forty-two years, and the Helvetia Ramp Supper for twenty-five. He is treasurer of the Helvetia Community Hall Association and is a member of the Pickens Volunteer Fire Department. He retired from working in the mines earlier this year.People aren't going to tell you where the ramp patch isthat's a well-kept secret and I'm not tellin' you where mine's at! And a lot of the property has been closed to ramp-digging due to the lumber companies, leasing the property. Which...has hurt the ramp suppers a lot. So, you just can't dig 'em. 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/"]%](/image/4224HoferErnestIntTranscript43016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.HoferErnest.IntTranscript.4.30.16
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of Ernest Hofer
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Hofer, Ernest
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Coal mines and mining, Wine and wine making--United States, Wild leek, Veterans, Helvetia (W. Va.), foodways, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Food habits
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
Listen to Audio
- Identifier:
- 4224.RollinsSharon.AudioInt.4.30.16
- Title:
- Oral history of Sharon Rollins
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Rollins, Sharon
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Canning and preserving, Helvetia (W. Va.), Wild leek, foodways, 4-H clubs, Food habits, Cooking, Swiss
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
![["Cecelia Coleman Smith was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1949. Originally from Pickens, West Virginia, her family moved away from the Helvetia/Pickens community when she was seven so her father could take a coal mining job. She moved back to Pickens in 2005. Mrs. Smith served in the military and is a member of the local American Legion chapter. She is also part of the Pickens Improvement and Historical Society, the Farm Womens Club, and occasionally volunteers at the Hutte Restaurant.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/"]%](/image/4224SmithCeceliaIntTranscript43016/0.jpg)
- Identifier:
- 4224.SmithCecelia.IntTranscript.4.30.16
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history of Cecelia Smith
- Date:
- 2016-04-30
- Creator:
- Smith, Cecelia
- Contributor:
- Hilliard, Emily
- Subject:
- Helvetia (W. Va.), 4-H clubs, foodways, Wild leek, Swiss American women, Food habits, Cooking, Swiss, Bakers, Canning and preserving
- Location:
- Helvetia (W. Va.)
