Voices of Asheville Project

Voices of Asheville Project

Extensive oral histories and research related to the last century of events local to Asheville

The Voices of Asheville Project is the work of Dorothy Joynes, who decided to "show the tapestry of the city over the last hundred years" through oral histories of people "from all walks of life, backgrounds, races and ages." She initially concentrated on people born in the early 20th century, so the collection is rich in stories about life in Asheville during the Depression, but histories also cover both World Wars, the racial divide and integration, the exodus of downtown stores, and the redevelopment of Asheville. The focus is Asheville and the people of Asheville, so although there are some mentions of national events and organizations, these tend to be in the minority. There are very few full transcripts included, but there are abstracts of the interviews. These abstracts were likely written by Joynes, are extensively cross referenced to other interviews, and sometimes include written asides and comments by Joynes. For these reasons, abstracts have been included even when there is a full transcript available. Interviews generally also include interview notes/tape index likely handwritten by Joynes and these often form the basis of the abstract. Most interviews also include additional materials such as photographs of the interviewee and places referred to in the interview, programs and pamphlets for relevant organizations and/or events, and newspaper clippings related to the interview. In some instances, these additional materials are quite extensive. Some notable African American women included in this collection are Thelma Caldwell, Harriet Haith, Lucy Mae Harrison, Minnie Jones, Phyllis Jones Sherrill, and Oralene Simmons.

Dorothy Joynes

OH-VOA

1989-1997

en-US

Oral Histories

Asheville, NC