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Interview with Ruth South on October 15 ,".:. 1980, by Wade Hyder and Deloris Proffit.
It was preformed at her house.
Interviewer:
With Ruth South from Meat Camp.
Interviewer: I like find out something about the general history, you know,
about weaving in the mountians, or about how you learned how to weave?
Mrs. South: The way I started was-- I was working on the NYA now you know
that was the national youth adminisration under President Roosevelt. That's
back when there was no jobs, and not very many people went to school. It was
only the---mostly the rich people and the ones that could worked t heir way
through and the.re was not working places for everybody to go like there are
now. And a --- so I was sixteen you had to be sixteen to get a job so I started
working on the NYA and you worked two weeks and you stayed home two weeks.
And you worked nine hours a week. Nine hours that would be eighteen--Did
you turn the stove off? (directed toward her son) See we worked-Mike South:
That's on tape Mamrna.
Ruth South: And I think --anyway I made eighteen dollars that's the way it
was. It was nine dollars a week instead of nine hours. We made eighteen
dollars for two weeks. And then I stayed fiome so another girl could work.
And she did the same job that I did whicn was when I first out I was. a time
keeper and they had the--they had three, four different places. They had
the college cafeteria where they canned the food that the boys grew and the
girls canned it. And they had Green Heights they called it. That was the
house belongs to -- belongs to Mr. Hodges up on Green Heights there in Boon~.
That's where they made quilts. The girls went in and made quilts and they
let the poor people have them for just the material cost, which was very little.
And then out on the Bristol road a little ways, which we didn't go out there,
they had another set up there. They made mattresses for people, you know,
to go beds.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
They made handmade mattress's?
They made hand made mattresses.
Would that have been like down or----
Mrs. South: Cotton, they used cotton in it. Now I was out there a time or
two and the girls would get up on that and just tromp, tromp~ tromp to get
it padded down because they were hard now.
Interviewer:
Where did you say that was at?
Mrs. South: That was out on the Bristol road about where Bue Hodge has his
body shop. Right about there somewhere. And then they had of course the
Watauga Handcraft center there where you did your weaving which was somehow
connected enough with the state until they allowed her to have two girls working there. And I don't remember one of the girls was Irene Coffey, and I
don't remember the other one.
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Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Who was running Watauga Industries?
Elizabeth Lord, because she started it in 1938.
Intervie~er:
1938 she started it?
were 16 when you went to work?
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
So what would this have been when you
1940.
1940, oh well i'm not very
~ood
at math.
Mrs. South: Yeah, that was in 1940, because that was the year of the flood,
year of the flood was the first year I worked there. Was that 40 or 41?
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
You hear of the forty flood.
You haven't read about that?
Oh, I've heard about all my life, I don't think I've ever read.
Mrs. South: Yeah it was forty, 1940 I think. Well we worked that way awhile
I had to do mine in walking I didn'~ _ have a car to drive. So I would go from
Green Heights that's up above where Smitheys store is up on that hill. And
I would walk down and go down by the crafts shop first and I'd get the girls
time and take it down and it was very interesting to me and I'd look around.
And then I'd go by the college cafeteria where the girls were warki~ g and
I learned to meet a lot of people that way. And then I'd go back to Headquarters where I started. Well I learned that I had some time extra and if I went
the other way around I could spend more time in that craft shop. So I started
then down college street and came down by the cafeteria first and did that
real quick. And then I went up Hardin Street up to the craft shop and I'd
stay there till almost 4:30. And I liked the lady
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Getting there about when?
Beg your pardon.
Gettin~---getting
there about when?
Mrs. South: I'd stay there till about 4:30, just in time for me to get up
to headquarters at 4:30, and get the time in. So. I learned to like the lady
and she did me. And the place soon -- I mean it all soon fell through you know
the money gave out. And there was no more of it-- no more of it anywhere.
Interviewer:
The whole NYA?
Mrs. South: The whole NYA and the WPA now that was another thing that was
going on at the same time was for older men. Because my father worked some on
that and helped build some of the looms there in the craft shop.
Interviewer:
Oh really.
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3
Mrs. South: Well when the money gave out, natually it fell through. But
times had picked up a little till people could get a few jobs. So I was going
then in the dime store to put in an application for a job . When I meet up
with this lady . And you know when it closed dovm I just didn't go back .
So she asked me what I was going to do and I told her . And she said would
you like to work for me at the same price that you ' re getting. And I said
yes I would . And so I worked but it was steady work--it was all the time
you know, not just two weeks . But they soon grew and they begin pating me
more money, never alot of money but I was making instead of 9 dollars a week
when I finally quit there I was making something like 75 dollars .
Interviewer: What kind of a place was it then?
a craft shop?
Was it a weaving school or
Mrs. South: Yes, yes it was a non-profit organization where she had a gift
shop there where she tried to sell things for the people that made them . And
you know,
Interviewer:
Like consignment work.
Mrs . South: Like consignment most of it was on consignment. And when she
sold something she was so tickled to write the person a check for that .
And it grew to be a good money making place . I mean a place for-- to a benefit
the community, you know, and not just for one person. That was the intention
of the plac~ was to help all the people to make a little more income .
Interviewer: Who bought most of the stuff? What was it people from the _
university or were there lots of people from outside the area?
Mrs . South : In later years it wa-. But at first they were people up north,
they called them the good Lutherans because they were the people that had given
Miss Jeffcoate the money to buy the lot there.
Interviewer:
Miss Jeffcoate.
She proceeded Elizabeth Lord?
Mrs . South : No-- --UH-huh Yeah she did . And she----- she had paralysis and she
never did weave much she was never married but she raised two daughters from
uh-- they were Townsends and they were ·from the Lutheran church over in-What was the name of the place daddy?
Austin South:
Mrs. South :
Interviewer :
Valle Gruis .
Yeah. Valle Gruis .
Oh .
Mrs. South: And she educated both those girls, Lois and Annie Alice and
they're both school teachers now .
Interviewer:
idea?
What was her interest in starting the place?
Do you have any
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Mrs . South : Just to help somebody . She just -- she wanted to do pomething
to help . She herself had been a school teacher and then she had a stroke
and it paralized let's see her left side . And then of course she got retirement
you see and had money coming in to live on . There was no social security
I ' m sure I doubt if she had enough to live on . She had a home, and then she
just wanted to help somebody else .
Interviewer: So it kinda started as a weaving school and then the whole
NYA thing helped to
~~~~-
Mrs . South: Yes it started first as just connnunity people coming in to weave
and they would buy the thread . Miss Lord would, and just let the peopl~ . pay
and that's the way it went on the NYA . There was never no charge for anybody
weaving there . I don't know how much you paid. I don ' t know how much they
charge now.
Interviewer:
Yeah, its still real good .
Mr . Carlson's a wonderful man I think.
Mrs . South : Yeah I think so . He doesn't need a great deal of money out of it
either and I think he's trying to keep it a whole lot like
~~~~~-
Interviewer : He still- --he lets--Our weaving teacher is Susan Sharp and he
lets her, you know, he just wants the looms being used so he lets her give
classes there. And try to have as many students as she can, to fill those
12 or 13 looms how ever many they are.
Mrs. South :
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
Well that's good they should be in use .
Well they are they are all in use
ri~ht
now.
Well that's good.
Interviewer : He doesn't take any kind of cut for the fee she gets for the
classes. Re just lets her use the looms, So that traditon is still going .
Mrs . South: Well that's good. They are not his anyway, they are like all
other school equipment like these mobile buildings, you know, mobile units
that they took to the school house, and they don't belong to any one individual
you know, it's like the board of education or however they-- it's like any
of the public schools .
Interviewer:
Yeah I see .
Mrs . South: Those looms and that building now is the same thing because the
state paid so much of Miss Lords salary 1/4 of it and the 3/4 she made in the
shop. And they paid 1/4 of mine after I got up and could do more and could
help out more .
Interviewer: I see . So back in the forties and the state was helping to keep
that place going so that for the craft purpose so that weaving could be preserved or?
�..
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Mrs. South: Yes, and still to help the people like there's a lot of people
now--now like Stella Barnes over here-- he (Austin South) was just at her
house and delivered her some saugasge. She used to work as a~--- in the
dormitory at the college. Then later her husband got sick, she needed to be
at home with him and she wanted to learn how to weave. So she could go there
and learn and just pay for her--- the material she made. And I don't know
she ah-- shes a real young lady now--- she's past 70 I'm sure, but its amazing
what she weaves.
Interviewer:
Un-Huh.
She does beautiful things.
Mrs. South: Yeah she does. And she goes to the fair. She goes to the Southern
Living Show. She belongs to the Southern Highland Guild, and she goes there
and now that her husband's gone she's still, you know, able to help herself.
Interviewer: So you started working with Miss LOrd then--- then you learned
how to weave or?
Mrs. South: Oh yes, yes. That was the first thing I did was learn how to
weave so I could help the other weavers. The new ones that came in. And
what they did we tried to keep all the looms busy all the time and ah-- the
policy was you must come enough consective days to finish the project that
you were working on. Like she would not let you start a covelet if you didn't
plan to come on and finish that cause that takes several days. But people
were very good to come and finish , but a lot of the times they wouldn't come
back to get their things.
Interviewer:
Just leave them for the shop to sell?
Mrs. South: Un-huh. And of course Miss Lord never did do that. We always
we had little scales and we weighted and some of the threads was only 3 cents
an ounce I remember and a guest towel might be 6 cent s. They would be a little
more charged for the pattern that went in it than the plain, you know ~ And
a guest towel would be 6 cents. Of course that's not today I'll tell yo u.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Oh boy.
Linen in 17 dollars a pound now. Whew-----
Yeah Are you doing Linen?
No I haven't tried it yet.
I tried wool today for the _first time.
Mrs. South: You need to come back and finish that piece you worked on down
there. Cause I've never touched it.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
came out.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
I'd be glad to.
I uncovered it here sometime back to show to Dr. Mc Gallion that
Have you much time to do weaving lately?
I've made what 2 covelets since I got out of camp Daddy?
And right
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now this past week I've been working on some curtains like this for our daughter
that's moving into a new house, only they go all the way down, the lace goes
all the way down.
Interviewer:
That's real pretty.
Mrs. South: And I'm doing that of linen. But I had some and then mamma went
in and got me a pound from Mr. Carlson the other day. So there's (points to
bedspread) one bedspead I've been working on at night. And of course you saw
the ones that they had up at the college didn't you.
Interviewer:
You had lots of pretty things there.
Mrs. South: Well now my neice is going to have an exhibit. Its going up in
December. I don't think it'll be open to the public until Janurary. But it'll
run for a month I think.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Where is this at?
In the same building.
Farthing.
Un-huh.
I see.
So your neice is a weaver too.
Mrs. South: Un- huh. Toni carlton you may know her. Do you know her? She
graduates what was it last spring. And she's going to have ~ a bed there that
she made. She made her own loom. And then of course she's does modern weaving.
Interviewer:
And you do the traditional?
Mrs. South: Un-huh. And she'll have some modern things there that's she has
made. So it'll probably be interesting for you to go there and see that.
Interviewer: Yeah, I'd like to see that. They--How many looms did they have
when you started down there with Watauga industries?
Mrs. South: Ithink about 12. I couldn't say that,you know, for an exact figure but I believe it was twelve.
Interviewer:
Well just general.
And what kind of fibers did you work with then?
Mrs. South: Linen. We used a lot of linen then. I don't think they use quite
as much linen now. And of course we used a lot of home spun wool. Now that
blue covelet that you saw up at the Farthering was home spun wool. And a lot
of the women in the community made covelets. The material was 2 dollars a
pound. It took 3 pounds of material to make one covelet and the fringe. Now
that didn't count the little extra tabby that goes through, you know, between
your pattern but now I don't know if you can get that home spun wool dyed like
we got it. Now you might be able to get it. No~ I think over at Mouth of Wilson
�7
they have it undyed tha t you can dye yours e lf.
Interviewer: Dorothy Townsend has some that, you know, she spuned as used
those natural dyes on them. But they are all--- I keep looking but the scanes
are, you know, so small that you could make somehting but you could go to a lot
of trouble.
Mrs. South: Yeah a lady brought me up some samples. I guess they must have
been 12 or 15 different colors beautiful colors that she had dyed.
Interviewer:
So you've worked with homespun wool7
Mrs. South: Yes I've worked with it, I've woven with it.
I spun some one time.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
I've never dyed it.
Did you?
Un-huh.
Did you like doing that?
Did I like to?
Do you like spinning?
Mrs. South: I loved that. I was just about 16 through. And my grandmother
West and I spun enough--- Well actually a lady in that community where I lived
then helped me spin it and then my grandmother dyed it and knitted me a pair
of gloves and each finger was a different color.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
that.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Oh.
Cause you get a lot of di f ferent colors or we did when she dyed
Depending on how many times you dip it?
Dip in the dye, yeah.
Interviewer: You were saying that went from up above Smitheys around to your
job. Is that where you--- You grew up in Boone? In tgown~~~
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Well up on Deck Hill.
You know where that is?
No.
Mrs. South: You go out by where the Unemployment of fice is now.
are building the new shopping center.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Where they
Yeah all right.
Yeah all right.
You go out that way and instead of going right up
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Winkler creek you go strignt up the hill .
Interviewer :
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
0 . K. I know where Deck Hill is.
And a lot of times I walked all the way from home .
Did you go to at-- --?
Mrs. South : I went to school at cool springs through the seventh grade and
then I went to the eight at Blowing Rock. We were nearer Blowing ,.Rock schoo~ than
we were Boone at that time .
Interviewer:
So you went to High School at Blowing Rock?
Mrs . South : Un- huh, Then I went to night school at Boone after I started
working for Miss Lord. You know, they had night school back during the war.
When people had to work during the day .
Interviewer :
Austin South:
Interviewer:
I see .
What about Berea?
What were you studying at night school?
Mrs. South : I took a business course . I never used it to much, I think
I've gotton a lot of good out of the math that I took and of the writing .
But the snorthand and typing I've never done much with that . And then each
year I would goto school either over at Pendelum or Berea one. I was in Berea
the year I got engaged to him. And lets see how long was I there, 3 weeks .
Austin South:
3 weeks .
Mrs . South: And I always enjoyed the places cause I always, you know, got to
make things .
Interviewer :
You studied weaving at both Pendelun and Berea?
Mrs . South: Yes un- huh. I did some wood work at Berea . I did a little chest.
and then at Pendelum I did some Pewter work. I made some pewter candle sticks .
Interviewer :
Mrs . South:
Oh .
But mostly it was weaving.
Interviewer : What was Pendulum like then in the sense of people who were
.going there to learn crafts . I said just because its so expensive now.
Mrs. South : It was a lot like it was at the craft shop over here. It was
a lot the same way because they were helping their community people too . I
think its very expensive now . And of course you stay there now and of course we
�9
stayed there. They had rooms like dormitories and it didn't cost very much
for us to stay for 2 or 3 weeks. We'd go f rom 2 or maybe 3 weeks when--like when it was a dull time at the craft shop over here.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Mrs. South: And she would take me with her and I really enjoyed it.
it was about .the only place I really got to go.
Interviewer:
Caus e
How long did you work at the craft shop?
lfrs. South: I worked 18 · year with her and then she got sick. What year was
it daddy about 58 I believe. She got sick she had cancer and had an operation
but she still wanted to go back and work part time so I went .and tried to
pitch in for her until she got able to go back. But really she never did
get able to go back. So when she passed away in 61, then the place was up.
Miss Jef fcoate was still living and she wanted me to take it and run it. But
I was trying to, you know, help educate our children and help him out a little.
So I needed to ma~e more money--- I needed a way tnat I knew I could have
some money every month. Instead of, you know,
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
got it.
Interviewer:
The risk.
The risk of making it myself there.
How long has she been gone?
So that's when Mrs. Carlson
Did she pass away?
Mrs. South: I heard them talking up at the camp this summer when she passed
away. Do you remember daddy?
Austin South:
No I don't.
Mrs. South: It was about 65. It was not to long after Miss Lord passed away
I think around 65. I'm sure you wouldn't want to ask ~r. Carlson. But I think
it wa s around then.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
And Mr. Carlson's had it ever since
Un- huh, He's kept it.
Interviewer: Tha t's great.
know if you know her?
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
t~en?
:.~o,
That's great.
Sandy his grand-daughter--I don't
but mamma does.
She's real interested, a real good weaver too.
She's real good.
Mrs. South: Mama likes her. She went over to teach her to tie fringe and
she likes her. She said she was nice. Mr. Carlson's been real nice to my
mother to take her weaving and sell it. And he sells a lot f or her.
�10
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Whats her name?
Her name is Nellie Carlton.
0. K.
I've meet her too.
Mrs. South: Now what about this movie that 's coming up this Friday night.
afi- What's---The American Herion-- How you say that I can't---- - Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
see that.
Interviewer:
Herion
Un-huh.
That's going to be shown this Friday night and you should
What's that about?
Mrs. South: It's about the
well not only mountain women but she a
---Stella Stevens made it and she made a lot of pictures of a
weaving
here.
Interviewer:
Oh really.
Mrs. South: And other things. And then also it has other people, you know,
from Hew York and California and all its a way of life of a lot of people from
a lot of places.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Austin South:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Yeah, American Beroion.
So a--- And it will be shown in the Greer.
Did I say the Greer?
The Greer Autotorian.
Autototian on Friday night beginning at 9:00.
Uh--That would be nice to see.
Yeah
you should see that.
I hope she's a
----
Is your mother in it?
Mrs. South: Yes my mother's in it and Toni is in it. And I believe Stella
Barnes over here is in it and Kathren Smith the Art teacher that was at the
college for so long. She'll be in it. And I really don't know there's some
other people from up on Meat Camp in it too, but I'm sure. Do you know anything
about it Deloris?
Deloris:
No.
Interviewer:
When did you get your own loom?
Mrs. South: When I got my own loom was a
When did we go-- when did I go to
Bevard with you Austin? And we married in 45 in August and was it that spring?
�11
Austin South :
Yeah .
Mrs . South : Of
suprise for me.
Interviewer:
4~ .
That Miss Lord had my father make me a loom.
It was a
Oh how nice.
Mrs . South: But and but she - -- he was a person that he- - - he did real good
work didn't he daddy? But he was out a working all the time and he never
thought and I never thought really how important it would be for me to have
a loom of my own. Because certainly I could never go out and buy the looms
at the price they are . But she had him make me one . And that was the big
one that was right behind the one that you worked on. Now he helped make that
one that you worked on .
Interviewer : That was neat . And so did you start selling things in the shop?
Or did you first start marketing?
Mrs . South : Yeah , right along then . She had me put-- . I said what should
I put on my loom and of course she had me do it up, you know, she said I think
it would be nice to put on a 18 inch warp and do runners and towels . I could
do runners and towels and placemats and napkins all on that same width .
Interviewer:
Width .
Mrs . South: And so I moved that loom around . I had it up at his house in the
bedroom and he later moved it upstairs for me and then when we moved into
this house we had it back in that room over there . And then eventually we
moved it down in the garage and that ' s where it stayed. But I use to use-weave off and I ' d go up there to put my warps on . Now he made me a thing
here I have the whole apparatus to do my own warping here.
Interviewer :
Oh he did, and he made that, the warper?
Mrs. South : He made that for me, uh-huh, but I used to have to carry it up
there . And I ' d weave 3 110 yards warps every year.
Interviewer : Boy, that ' s a lot of weaving Three 110 yard warps .
were still working with the 18 inch?
And you
Mrs . South : No, no now after I did this one 18 inch warp, and then she said
You know, I think you could make the most money on a 36 inch warp on your
loom and make aprons . I could make skirts, and I could make runners to with
hemming the ends of fringing the ends and hemming the sides . And theres still
many things you can do on one loom . But she said the material for the aprons
would-- would be less expensive than the linen which I was using on the 18
inch loom.
Interviewer :
Right .
Mrs . South: And I don ' t know . Austin ' s mother she use to help me hem the
strings and help me watch the children . We had 3 little ones and he was away
working . And she said I know you must have everybody in the United States an
�12
apron now.
And I'm sure she felt like it cause I made a lot didn't I Austin?
Austin South:
Interviewer:
Yeah.
What did you use for the apron?
What kind of material?
Mrs. South: We used what they called a sea island mercerized which last almost
as long as linen but ah it was just a highly mercerized cotton.
Interviewer:
What does that mean?
What does Mercerized mean?
Mrs. South: Mercertized that means that it is spun and spun and spun more
times adn twisted tighter.
Interviewer:
I see into a tougher fiber.
Mrs. South: And some of it really has a shine ta it. Like its been polished
or dipped in dye or something, out its only by the spinning of it.
Interviewer :
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
I see.
That makes it.
What does worsted mean on wool?
Worsted, I think you 've got me there.
I'm not quite sure.
It might just be something about the lanolin or something.
Mrs. South: It is and its something about the twist of it I'm sure.
the homespun ah-- we know what that was.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Explain that process.
Now
How would-- How would somebody get that?
Do homespun wool?
Yeah.
Mrs. South: 0. K. You took the wool, the raw wool which ah-- Mr. Hodgeson
up here above you all used to buy it they said from the people and ah--then he'd sell it to companies, you know, where they made it . You take the
raw wool, you wash it first . Then you card it, card it first . You get all
the twigs and anything, the spots anything that's in it out. And with the
cards you make it into a little role. And then you pack those roles up.
I've seen my grandmother West have a pack as high as this here. And they'll
lie right together you see but it won't mash together. But th~y would never
fall over. And then she'd get her spinning wheel up by it. And you take
one of those roles which was about 12 inches long and you start with your
spinning wheel and then as you spin you take another one and it catches right
into the end of this one as this is twisting around it'll catch into the one
that you have in your hand. And that's the way they do the homespun. Now
the worsted- they- I don't know what. They must do something with a machine
with that.
�13
Interviewer: It's not that important I'm sure I could look it up. I just
saw it on a packet of thread . I just started working on, and I wandered what
it meant.
Mrs . South : Yeah, I think that's something that they are doing with a machine
to it the worsted .
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
I see.
Oh I love
END OF SIDE 1.
Uh- What fibers do you like to use most now?
�14
SIDE 11
Mrs. South:
I've never tried to dye any, its easier to buy it.
Interviewer: Yeah. Also since you're such a good weaver why spend your time
doing something like that. Ah---I'm just real vauge on this but I know you
had a real honor in this last year with one of your pieces, didn't you get
some kind of a recognition?
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer :
Yes.
What was that?
Let me show it to you.
What was the award?
I'll show you.
To modest to say?
Mrs. South~ A work of excellence; which I was really pleased with that as
much as the money that was in it.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Carolina Designer Craftsman award for a work of Excellence.
Now they only gave one for the whole state.
Oh really, that's great.
Un-huh.
I was really tickled with it.
When did you get that?
In April of this year.
Well that's great.
Mrs. South: I look terrible there. ( She showed us a book with her picture
and the award winning covelet in it.) So look at the covelet and not me.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Oh, that's pretty.
That's the picture they made of it that night.
Did you do the lace too?
No, my mother tied the lace, I can't take credit for that.
Do you know how to do lace?
I know how and I have a rack that my father made me before he
�15
died, and I've got some dark brown yarn that I 'm going to learn on. I think
if I, you know, do some soil of something or, you know, you can wear it out
trying to learn. I'm going to try to do it myself,because I do want to learn
to before, you Rnow, while she's still living. But she does tie pretty fringe.
Interviewer :
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
really nice.
What's this pu°blication?
That's the whole
show ~
42th annual North Carolina Art and Artists expedition.
That's
Mrs. South: Yes, I 'd had an invitation, I guess they got my name through the
guild probably. I have belonged to the guild since in a----I believe---in
probably the middle forties.
Interviewer:
The southern highland?
Mrs. South: Un-huh. I 've got an invitation every year.
did get around to getting anything in .
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer :
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
But I just never
Is this the first year you've ever submitted?
That's the first time.
That's the first time you submitted?
Yes it was.
Oh boy,
you must just
------
Mrs. South: And ah--- so when I went up to get the award this lady came up
to me and she------ of course you feel out a blank, you know, if you want the
gallery to sell it or if you don't want it sold. You put a not for sell on it.
So this lady ran up to me as I went down the steps and she said now I want
to buy that covelet, and of course I was ' all shook up anyway and I said I don't
know about that, it 's here at the gallery now and I said they're supposed to
sell it, you know, and they 've got there commission and she said well that's
all right I 'm with the gallery. So I want it and she did. The covelet was
sold already before I got over there. But then here is her letter even.
I saved it .
Interviewer :
Mrs. South:
Interviewer :
Miss Lord?
The Whigrose pattern?
Un-huh.
Is that the one
------~
Did you learn that
e~~ly
on with
Mrs . South: Yes, we did a whig rose. It was not exactly like mine. If you ~
notice the blue one that was hanging up there, was one that I did at the craft
shop in 19.40, or probably 41. And it was a little smaller design than the one
�16
I made here. Interviewer: Someone was telling me, I can't remember who it was~ how Ruth
South made her whig rose . You round out your whig rose a little bit more or
something you did yourself to the pattern .
Mrs . South: Yes. Mine's different from Mr. Godwins. Now they say the old
ones were like his. They were kindly long shaped. But the only covelets I've
ever seen, and we had one that was about a hundred year old there at the craft
shop, made in two colors. And it was fairly round.
Interviewer: They were really impressed with something you'd done . I don't
know if it was in the pattern ah--you know, the treadling ·
?
Mrs. South: Yeah, the treadling now that little loom that was setting there.
I made that pattern that was on that. Now it's just like this only its a smaller
I just took out threads now and then and made it smaller .
Interviewer: With a-----Did you learn most of the traditional patterns themselves, like the whig rose and honeysuckle like those at Watauga handcrafts?
Mrs . South: Yes, yes. ~ow I have books with all the patterns in it. Mary
Hardin down at Lily mills, I've bought so much thread, gave one by Margaret
Graham, I believe, one of the better books with all the patterns in it . But
you know I've never used one of them.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Oh really.
I just stick to the old ones.
What are your favorite patterns?
}!rs. South: Oh my favorite one is the whig rose. And of course sweet brair
beauty is what I had on my apron loom so long. Now that's a pretty pattern too.
Interviewer:
What did you like for the towels?
Mrs . South: The towels I had sweet brair beauty. And ah--- one time I did put
two
no I had another loom that I put another towel warp on and single
snowball on it.
Interviewer: I saw some of your placemats with yarn that you did snowball
on it at Watauga handcrafts.
I was going to get you to go
Mrs . South: Yeah that's what I've got on
- - pick me up that loom tonight Mike, of all the looms I've got I still go up to
the camp and borrow one of their looms .
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
~
. _._., ., .
,.,
_, ' ,
What do you do at camp Yonahlossee?
I teach weaving to the girls?
-
..
,.
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�17
Interviewer :
Is that an all girls camp?
Mrs. South : Un-huh, it's an all girls camp .
214 girls . All the time .
Interviewer :
And this year they had around
All of them learn?
Mrs. South : Most of them most of them . I usually try to, well I get everyone
that wants to at all. Now there ' s a few that brin~ there on horses up and thats
about all they want to do. Well ther ' s a few that like to go sailing and
swimming. And of course they swim there and they go to Watauga Lake and sail
Well they don't do much weaving.
Interviewer:
Then there's some that get real interested in reading.
Mrs . South : Yeah some of them get real interested . Now this year I had a
helper that was a camper with me for about six or seven years . And she wove
a lot every year, she was very interested in it . And she wants a loom. And
by the way her mother taught weaving there as a couseler several years ago
and her father is a doctor . Let ' s see he's a
I forget if he's a neurosurgeon or a heart doctor . But she wants a loom sometime, when she gets through
school .
Interviewer :
Mrs . South:
Interviewer :
How many looms do you have up there to work with?
Twelve .
Twelve .
Mrs. South: Un-huh . Seems like twelve is a good number, because twelve is
what the Caldwell community college required me to have here .
Interviewer:
Mrs . South :
Interviewer :
You taught for Caldwell community college?
Un-huh .
Did you use the Watauga Handcrafts?
Mrs. South : No I didn't use any of there looms, because I have five down
here and I had my father had made mamma and me one together and then I borrowed
one of her others- was seven and then: ,I got the rest from the camp.
Interviewer:
How many looms does your mother have?
Mrs. South : She has one of her own. A big one like mine my father made for
her. Then she has one that Miss Lord gave me for her to use as long as she
wasnted it.
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
Interviewer:
Did she get interested in weaving after you did?
Yes .
That's interesting.
�18
Mrs. South: Yes. My mother use to tie fringe for the knotted bedspreads.
And she would pull roots and herbs, she would pull galax and things like that
and she did some hooking like hooked rugs, hooked chair backs and hot mats
for the table. She did that for a long time. And Miss Lord asked her one
day, you know, there was a requirement for students there then, just like
with Susie with her weaving. If the state paid so much of her salary then they
had to be so many students being taught all the time and so that's why we tried
to keep all the looms busy. And a--- so Miss Lord said, you should get your
mother to weave. So I asked my mother about it she said well will you teach
me? I said no you got to get Miss Lord to teach you cause she'll teach you
the right way. She was a good teacher.
Interviewer:
Was she, I've heard that.
Mrs. South: So she did go a time or two, you know, then after she got her
own loom while I usually do. There's one thing she don't like to do is tie
up the looms if a string breaks or something like that. She don't like to
do that. And then eventually, Miss Lord of course, we were needing another
student and she said why don't you get your aunt to weave so my aunt Fatta,
my mother's sister weaves too. And they have taken
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Your sister weaves to doesn't she?
Yeah, My sister can weave.
She has dark hair doesn't she?
Mrs. South: Yeah. She worked there at the craft shop for a long time. Yeah
she can weave and my other baby sister can weave, out they didn't like to
as much as I did.
Interviewer:
Your aunt is a weaver too?
Mrs. South: Yeah my aunt is a good weaver. She's a very good weaver. She
came over just a couple of weeks ago and put a warp on her loom. Well now
she and my mother took over a lot of my orders. When I started working at
the camp I quit doing a lot of orders that I always did and so they took those
over for me. Especially the aprons.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Did they make the aprons that we have at Watauga handcrafts?
Un-huh.
They sure did.
Are they linen?
Mrs. South: No now those ate the mercertized.
aprons. But Miss Lord thought
We still do the mercertized
0
Interviewer: What about the linen placemats and stuff, do they weave a lot
of that stuff?
Mrs. South:
Yes, my mother weaves a lot of linen and I'm doing linen in the
�19
curtains I'm doing for Teresa.
Pause in tape
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
And what have you been making?
I've got work with cotton.
Pause in tape
Mrs. South:
same thing.
And you've got to, you know, . be able to fill orders, and do the
They want the same thing.
Interviewer: Just people saw your stuff and started asking you could you make
me one? That kind of thing?
Mrs. South: Yeah that happens a lot of times especially while I was working
the re. They'd come in and see something in the selve maybe I had done. I
put weaving in there while I was working there.
Interviewer:
Un-huh.
Mrs. South: Or maybe that. someone else had done but they wanted a different
color or a different size or something like that, and I've done a lot of special
orders. I don't like to do special orders as well as I do just like if my
guild shop, see there's five of them and if I keep them supplied with aprons.
They say send me three dozen aprons they say a dozen and half o f the colonial
patterns and they say a dozen and a half of strips. We make them with four
different colored strips. You've. probably seen them there at the craft shop.
Well you know that's a lot easier to. You can make say four or five at a time
of one color which cuts down on your time if you're go i ng into it for production.
Interviewer:
Right.
Mrs. South:But it would be nice just to sit down and make something and just,
you know, not know what you're going to make, not know what's going to come
out. I'm going to do that sometime. Just, you know, make up a new pattern
and see what I can make.
Interviewer:
It's just real f un to do.
Mrs. South: I know its really, its a lot like a painting you don't know just
how its going to look, until you get it painted.
Interviewer:
What makes you like weaving so much?
Mrs. South: Well I guess its because its about all I've ever done, except
what little housekeeping, Mike knows thats not much of course I used to sew
I did sewing for the kids and always £or myself. I've always made all our
clothes until
, I don't know there's still as many hours in a day
as there ever was but somehow they get gone faster or I've got a lot slower
one.
�20
Interviewer:
The wood and the pewter didn't do that much for you?
Mrs. South: No, no that didn't. I enjoy just doing that and I made a silver
bracelet once. I enjoyed doing it and I also made a stencil dress. I liked
that a little.
Interviewer:
Stencil Dress?
Mrs. South: Un-huh. You cut out your own stencil you made your ovm design,
and they had paints and then you set it with white vinegar and I liked that
quite a lot but still not as much as weaving. And I guessed that I liked
it because, you know, I could make a little money at it, I've never made
a lot of money but it was a way I could make a little and be at home with
the family.
Interviewer: That's a nice situation. You say youstarted at the craft shop,
people would have seen your things, creating a demand for them, then was like
the next stage starting at the craft guild?
Mrs. South: Yes, that was a good thing, in helping me sell my things, because
once I got in the guild, you know, you submit your things and they know what
you make and they like it and then they order it and they have it in their
shops and I've never had anything that I didn't sell that I couldn't sell.
In fact I've ne~er made anything much to keep at home. Like I did make a
couple of these curtains about 25 years ago the -----. Ones suppose to te in
the other room but I've got it down right now. And maybe a bath mat in the
bathroom. And one time I did make some curtains for a bedroom which I got
a thread from, it was somewhere in Ohio. And it lt!aS very cheap; it was
fifty cents a pound. And it was beautiful it had a gold metallic through
it and a
those were real pretty. I used those for years and years
and now my sister!s using them in her room. But I've never made a lot of things
for myself.
Interviewer: Did the craft guild take---Did they take just a real big percentage or was it nothing?
Mrs. South: Fifty percent. Do you think that's big? That's big used to
most of the shops only took forty, they _gave you sixty and that was a lot
better. But I guess that's one reason that I don't break my neck to weave
a lot anymore. Now I've got demands for that lace that you liked, you were
doing. They are writing me from all those guild shops all the time when are
you going to do us some of that lace. Well I could be down there doing that
instead of doing those curtains for Tereasa. But it just don't mean that
much to me anymore. Its not that I've got that much money but I don't have
too, and I got more for it I'd probably be more inticed to do it and still
I know that they have to make something. But it seems like thats alot.
Interviewer: I guess that was what I was wandering about.
how you felt about the guild?
How, you know,
-·
�21
Mrs . South : Now Mr. Carlson is really good about mamma . He pays maITllna a
lot better percentage than' she gets when I send fier stuff to the guild . You
see I sell their stuff through me so I have to inspect it and see that
I have no fear ever that they don ' t come up with my standards. Cause I would
be kicked out of the guild, you know, if I sent something that didn ' t come up .
Interviewer: Do you think the guild ------------ Do you think people could
market their stuff without something like a guild?
Mrs . South: I think that a lot of them get to where they do now .
know of one.
Mike South:
years ago .
I think you could now.
I don ' t
I don ' t think you could ten, fifteen
~~rs.
South: No that's right. You ' re right Mike. You couldn ' t then people
had to I used to have to depend on it . I mean I just had to because I needed
to - - - - -
Mike South:
There was no other market .
Mrs. South: I didn't have time to get out and market my stuff . And , you
know, I was going to get the money out of it when I got it made. Cause when
I'd put the money into the thread I knew I had to get something out . So
that its just a little
it seems like its a litt~e t g much cause
that ' s a non-profit place too . They don't pay any government taxes and now
they ' ve built this new folk arts center , which is a beautiful place and they
have beautiful things in it and after us giving fifty percent of our stuff
we make, they asked for a donation for it. That's why I gave them the book
instead of weaving something for them . So somebody is making some money I ' m
sure.
Interviewer :
Mrs . South :
Interviewer :
Un-huh makes you wander?
Un-huh makes you wander where it goes .
I ' ve heard other people remark
---- -----
Mrs . South: I know one person that got out of the guild. Now down here Carlos
my neighbor, he's dying to get in it and I ' m wandering how long he ' s going
to stay in it, because he likes to market his stuff himself . They just came
from a show in Mt. Airy.
Interviewer:
He ' s the potter?
Mrs. South: Un-huh, he's the potter . Now Deloris you should make an appointment with him and talk with him now hes new here. He's not from this area.
And maybe you don ' t maybe its just this area that you're working on .
Interviewer:
How did you get in contact with him?
�22
Mrs. South : He was in school here . And my husband worked at New River Light
and Power. You know, well they always in the summertime hired some of the
school children for part-time work so he helped him. And he was married
· when he came here and they ¥ ere going to have a little baby and they lived
1
in a little trailor . And Austin was building that little house down there.
And Austin took a liking to him and '•Te had him out for Christmas. nis wife
after the baby came, his parents sent her the money to fly to Florida so they
could see the baby and he didn't go. We had him out for Christmas and ·he wanted
to help Austin finish that place so he could rent it and then it went on and
on and we finally sold him a little spot there. So he has his own shop .
Interviewer:
How long has he been here?
Mrs. South :
How long two years?
Mike South :
Two and a half .
Mrs. South :
But he's a real nice fellow, nice quite man.
Interviewer:
How did you get to know Janice Whitner?
Mrs . South: Well let ' s see, . how did I get to know ner. It seems like I ' ve
known her for a long, long time, and where did I first ~eet her . Probably
at the craft shop and then she begin coming out here. She ' s a lovely person
isn't sbe?
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
Sne is, she's dynamite.
Sne really is, she ' s so smart.
I like her a lot .
Interviewer : So much of your weaving that you sell now, your orders are
where people call you and ask you for things?
Mrs . South: Yes. Now with my mats I sell, Betsy Morell out at, it used to
be Country House but now its Green Mansion out on 105 just above the potter
place the kilt room.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Mrs. South: Country Villiage, and she ' s in the middle and she sells all of
my mats, that I make. And sometimes I make three and four hundred during the
winter.
Interviewer :
That's a bunch.
Mrs. South : But you see I don't do as much weaving now as I used to since I
teach up at camp three months during the summer and then I'm up there a couple
of weeks doing up the looms.
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
Do you like teaching?
Yes, yes I like the children.
I love the children.
�23
Interviewer: What was the lady's name, the other weaver that used to live
out here years ago?
Mrs. South:
That I just mentioned a while ago, Lulu Ragan .
Interviewer:
Yeah Lulu Ragan .
And she lived on Upper Neat Camp?
Mrs. South:
I guess you call that Jefferson highway don't you Micheal?
Mike South :
Un-huh.
Mrs . South :
It's on out toward Todd.
Interviewer:
Route 194.
Mrs . South: Yeah 194 .
was not in her.e .
I hope I didn't get my books · - -- - -- now her picture
PAUSE IN TAPE.
(picked up talking about teaching for Caldwell)
Mrs. South: I did enjoy it. But the thing is, it kept
I couldn't weave . But I may do it again .
Interviewer:
~y
looms tied up and
How long did you teach over there .
Mrs. South:
A couple of winters wasn't it Mike?
Mike South:
Two winters .
Mrs . South:
I did it down here.
Interviewer :
nice.
Oh right here.
In your garage.
People came up here.
Oh that's
Mike South: They were tied up year round that way, you taught at camp in the
summer and Caldwell in the winter.
Mrs . South :
Interviewer:
Un-huh, you see that way I didn't ever get to weave any.
That ' s no fun.
Mrs . South : Cause here in the winter time and just as soon as my class was
over in the spring it was time for me to go up there. So it was six years that
I didn ' t weave on my covelet loom. Carol Deal, Dr. Will Deal at the University
now, he- --his wife made a beautiful one for a king size bed, I did a lot of
extra work for her to do that . But I was not doing anything else, I mean that
was just something I could be doing while I was teaching the class. What
we had to do was we made two strips with the border on this side then we had
to take the border off and make a middle strip, but that was really beautiful
it was prettier than where the seem goes down the middle, cause it came down the
sides and looked more like it was supposed to be.
�2.
Interviewer:
So you went ahead and clipped those warp threads or tied them up.
Mrs. South: I didn't clip them. I had to take them out of the heddles through
cause once you take threads out if you just leave them hanging in the heads they're
going to get tangled up and break. So what I did was I took out so many sections
and put tape on it just like I was putting on a new warp if you've seen that
done and then take it back to the back and let her go ahead and do her piece
and then latter brought it back in to the border.
Interviewer:
That's a lot of work through.
Mrs. South: That was extra work because I brought it
a mistake in it. I had taken out one thread more and
What I did was I thought I was marking the pattern on
I should start but I had one extra thread out. I had
cause it didn't look good.
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
~rs.
South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
Mrs. South:
Interviewer:
in one time and I had
I'd mismarked my pattern.
my draft right where
to go back and fix it
You have to read those right to left to don't you?
Un-huh, f ight from left.
Did you teach your neice?
Toni?
Yeah.
No.
Where did she learn at?
She did that at the college.
Now she's going to have her own show.
Mrs. South: Yeah, she's goinr to have her own show and she's doing~~~~~
She did a piece for P. B. Scotts. I don't know if you've been out there.
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Mrs. South: Well she did that wall hanging there. And now she's
yeah up there the other day I don't know if you was there
Interviewer:
doing~~~
There's a wall hanging in Pepper's I remember.
Mrs. South:
Well she might have one up there too.
Mike South:
Yeah she does.
Mrs. South: And right now she's doing somethinE for a lady that's--- the price --~~~
is $18QO for two panels and its somehow, she's an art teacher too, the lady is.
�She wants it to keep the cold out and its a room divider and its all different
colors and of course sne lays these colors in, like, you know. I have done
a little of that weaving .
Interviewer:
Off loow weaving?
Mrs . South: No she's doing this on the loom in 36 inch strips
And I believe
it was ninety inches ea ch strip was . Something like you see y~u pull in probably
from 36 to 30 so she'll be doing 3 strips for each side of it.
Interviewer:
Mrs.
side
that
have
I see.
South: And one side somehow matches the one room over here and this
matches th~ room over here in color . So there ' s going to be a piece of
hanging in the gallery so you must go and see that. See what all we
there.
PAUSE IN TAPE
(picked up talking about chair bottoms)
Interviewer:
Mrs . South:
interviewer :
That's neddlepoint?
· Yerah, , rrow th'is is -wool.
Oh that's pretty .
Mrs. South : What I got was like in a k.it, it was laid off like in numbers, and
numbered for the colors.
Interviewer: With this linen warp and linen, weave thing.
up that way with linen warp?
Mrs . South:
Interviewer:
Were many looms set
No not very many.
But a few towel looms and stuff?
Mrs . South: Un-huh. Now Dare Strother, have you heard of her, over at Cove
Creek, she always put linen on her warps, always.
( showed us some of her work and other works . )
Now this is a piece that Dr. Marge Ferris did, and I've got to let her come back
and do some napkins to go with it . Now this was made on the same loom that I'm
making Teresa's .
Interviewer :
That's a nice weave .
Mrs. South : Now linen, they say never show linen to yo ur best friends till its
laundried. And this hasn't been laundried . It will feel a lot softer like that
( Showed us another piece . ) I just washed that the other day I didn't---I dryed
it in the dryer it had gotten so soiled. I just kept it for a sample, but I didn't
iron it . Now that will be much prettier and softer when its ironed . But linen
is one thing you can't get away with like this here-- that's why people like this
�2'
thread better-- because you can wash it, throw it in the dryer a few minutes and
its go--ready to go. But this you 've got to iron .
Interviewer : Yeah . That 's true . How--What--How do you think--What about the
history of weaving in the mountains? Did people make looms do you think?
Mrs . South: Yes, they do. Weaving at one time was just about, you know, unheard
of here. Maybe a few people like Miss Ragan had one of the old looms, like Mr.
Carlson gave to the college over there. Have you seen that big one ?
Interviewer :
Yeah .
Mrs . South: I used to weave on that. As a matter of fact I 'm not sure that that
towel was not made on that loom. Cause I made a lot of towels on that. What
Miss Lord would let me do was put on a warp and when I had free time
I
waited for my father a lot he worked in town and when I would ride home and go
home which was most of the time unless it was real bad. And I 'd be waiting on him
and I wanted something to do . So she would let me have a warp on a loom and
I'd weave on it. This is some napkins that I think I made up at camp one time
with the lace center . Now these need washing to before anybody should see them.
Interviewer:
Mrs . South :
with it.
Interviewer :
Those are pretty .
Natural .
What's that color called?
This is the natural linen .
Now do you see anything wrong
No .
Mrs . South: This was one year when
it was about the first year that
thread got so high and I was trying to save money for camp so I used half cotton
and half mercerized
END OF SIDE 11.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews
Description
An account of the resource
In 1973, representatives from Appalachian State University (ASU) began the process of collecting interviews from Watauga, Avery, Ashe, and Caldwell county citizens to learn about their respective lives and gather stories. From the outset of the project, the interviewers knew that they were reaching out to the “last generation of Appalachian residents to reach maturity before the advent of radio, the last generation to maintain an oral tradition.” The goal was to create a wealth of data for historians, folklorists, musicians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in the Appalachian Region.
The project was known as the “Appalachian Oral History Project” (AOHP), and developed in a consortium with Alice Lloyd College and Lees Junior College (now Hazard County Community College) both in Kentucky, Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and ASU. Predominately funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the four schools by 1977 had amassed approximately 3,000 interviews. Each institution had its own director and staff. Most of the interviewers were students.
Outgrowths of the project included the Mountain Memories newsletter that shared the stories collected, an advisory council, a Union Catalog, photographs collected, transcripts on microfilm, and the book Our Appalachia. Out of the 3,000 interviews between the three schools, only 663 transcripts were selected to be microfilmed. In 1978, two reels of microfilm were made available with 96 transcripts contributed by ASU.
An annotated index referred to as The Appalachian Oral History Project Union Catalog was created to accompany the microfilm. The catalog is broken down into five sections starting with a subject topic index such as Civilian Conservation Corps, Coal Camps, Churches, etc. The next four sections introduced the interviewees by respective school. There was an attempt to include basic biographic information such as date of birth, location, interviewer name, length of interview, and subjects discussed. However, this information was not always consistent per school.
This online project features clips from the interviews, complete transcripts, and photographs. The quality and consistency of the interviews vary due to the fact that they were done largely by students. Most of the photos are missing dates and identifying information.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records, 1965-1989
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1965-1989
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Hyder, Wade
Deloris Proffit
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
South, Ruth
Interview Date
10/15/1980
Number of pages
26 pages
Date digitized
9/24/2014
File size
15.6MB
Checksum
alphanumeric code
b28169ac9b6f7646ad5fbdd8b21b8121
Scanned by
Tony Grady
Equipment
Epson Expression 10000 XL
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright for the interviews on the Appalachian State University Oral History Collection site is held by Appalachian State University. The interviews are available for free personal; non-commercial; and educational use; provided that proper citation is used (e.g. Appalachian State Collection 111. Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965-1989; W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection; Special Collections; Appalachian State University; Boone; NC). Any commercial use of the materials; without the written permission of the Appalachian State University; is strictly prohibited.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
AC.111 Appalachian Oral History Project Records; 1965 - 1989
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
111_tape492_RuthSouth_transcript_M
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Ruth South [January 10, 1976]
Language
A language of the resource
English
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a title="Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989" href="https://appstate-speccoll.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/195" target="_blank">Appalachian Oral History Project Interviews, 1965-1989</a>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Hyder, Wade
Proffit, Deloris
South, Ruth
Subject
The topic of the resource
Watauga County (N.C.)--Social life and customs--20th century
Floods--North Carolina--Watauga County
Mountain life--North Carolina--Watauga County--History--20th century
Appalachians (People)--North Carolina--Watauga County
Community life--North Carolina--Watauga County--History--20th century
South, Ruth
Description
An account of the resource
Ruth South talks about working with the NYA (National Youth Administration) under Roosevelt's New Deal policy and the classes she took on weaving. She has been weaving with homespun wool her whole life and sees homemade crafts as a very important part of life. It is certainly an integral part of the mountain community life during the early twentieth century. South also took classes in wood-working at Pendelum and Berea.
1940 flood
Berea
Blowing Rock
Boone
camp Yonahlossee
Carolina Designer Craftsman
crafts
Deck Hill
Green Heights
homespun wool
Meat Camp
North Carolina art and artist expedition
NYA
Pendelum
potter
Ruth South
Southern Highland Guild
stencil dress
The American Heroin
Theodore Roosevelt
traditional crafts
traditional weaving
Valle Crucis
Watauga Handicrafts
Watauga industries
weaving
wool
WPA