Cecil Shepherd and Ellen Stephens interview with John Howl, Joe Hunter, Taft Jackson, Robert Hunter, J.B. Odom, Willie Long, and Amos Barner (part two)

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This is the second of a two-part interview. This section contains all of the first part, but excludes the story about Bob Greenwood switching allegiances during the Civil War. Next, Ellen Stephens plays five popular records, including Steamboat Bill by Arthur Collins and a few Johnny Carson tracks. Stephens then reads an article from New England Homestead Magazine, published on April 9th, 1960, titled Those Witty Tombstones, by Jack D.C. Holmes. Holmes writes about tombstones that are funny or witty, demonstrating the ability of humans to laugh at anything, including death. In the last section, Ellen Stephens interviews Amos Barner, a 50-year-old native Georgian. He tells nine folk stories, including a few about talking animals; two versions of a story about a man coming untied from his casket; one about a dead woman appearing to be alive; another about a practical joke involving ghosts; and lastly one about a haunted house. The clip concludes with Stephens reading Those Witty Tombstones again.
Cecil Leon Shepherd (1924-2008) was born in Stewart County, Tennessee, to James Shepherd (1876-1946) and Tommie Joel Hunt (1882-1959). He married Margaret Ellen Green (1926-2009) and later died in Indian Mound, Tennessee. Amos Barner (1916-?) was African American and a native Georgian. He divorced his wife and lived alone. Additional biographical information has not been identified.
Preacher's Tales
A typical setting of the recording of these songs could be in the log cabin of Cecil Shepherd which is a hundred years old. It as built by his gra ndfather and passed on to him. The men gather around the fire in the low ceiling room and play these old tunes that have been handed down to them. Or the setting may be in the home of Joe Hunter. The place is very run do;m and shows signs of poorness. But in spite of all, Joe i'inds joy and happiness in playing his fiddle which is all the riches he needs. Due to the recording of the tapes on a different machine, an unerased track is heard through the recording. This grieves me much, but since my ini'ormants Iive about :suO miles away, and so does the tape recorder that was used, the misfortune will have to be suffered through. When the tapes are played on the original recorder, the track cannot be heard. I did the best I could in fading out the lOUdest parts. 1. In The Sweet By and By John Howl - Cadence, Kentucky - Fiddle Joe Hunter - Big Rock, Tennessee - Fiddle Taft Jackson -\Indian Mouna;' Tennessee - Guitar ........ _..J 2. Carroll County Blues Joe Hunter - Fiddle Robert Hunter - Big Rock, Tennessee - Spoons Cecil Shepherd - Indian Mound, Tennessee - Mandolin Taft Jackson - Guitar J. B. Odorn - Indian Mound, Tennessee - Fiddle 3. Stone's Rag Cecil Shepherd - Mandolin Taft Jackson - Guitar 4. Soldier I s Joy Cecil Shepherd - Mandolin Taft Jackson - Guitar 5. Patty On The Turnpike Cecil Shepherd - Mandolin Taft Jackson - Guitar 6. Georgia Rose John Howl - Fiddle Cecil Shepherd - Mandolin Taft Jackson - Guitar Page 2 7. Gray Eagle John Howl - Fiddle 8. Chinese Breakdown John Howl - Fiddle 9. Whistling Rufus Joe Hunter - Fiddle 10. Story - Cecil Shepherd The story went that happened many years ago~hen pack peddlers were common in the country. This family lived out in the rural "ection and the mother was dead, and rour boys and father lived together on this Iarm. They were rough people ana gooa at playing practical jokes. Didn't bother them i1" they got a little rough. Ther,e"was a pedaler who made it a habit of coming in their house to spend the night when he came through that part of the country and it had got somewhat boresome to them "ince everytime he came he spent the night ana they had to prepare his meals. So this particular time they had it made up that when this man came in and he had put his horse in the barn and fed him, he came into the house and spoke to the old gentleman and he acted a little bit strange. He spoke to him but cidn't have anything to say. All during the meal he acted a little queer. The boys didn't say anything about it but they looked like they were taking special pains to be nice to him. They had set down for the meal. Old rellow Dade some peculiar noise and someone looked up at him and he w~s looking very wild out of his eyes. One of the boys said, "Grab that gun over in the corner. If Pa gets a hold of that he will kill the whole bunch." About that time the old man pushed the table, kicked it over, and fell back in his chair. And of course the only light was a kerosene lamp and it was put out immediately and the whole room was in darkness. The boys set up a clamour and almost frightened the peddler out of his wits. He ran to the nearest farm house some couple of miles away and sent someone back for his horse and buggy. And the community is still laughing yet over the incident. 11. The House of David Blues Joe Hunter - Fiddle 12. Careless Love Cecil Shepherd - Fiddle Willie Long - Tompkinsville, Ky. - Guitar Page 3 13. Yes, I Know 17hat It Means To Be Lonely Joe Hunter t Fiddle Robert Hunter - Guitar 14. Bill Bailey, Why Don't You Please Come Home Joe Hunter - Fiddle Robert Hunter - Guitar 15. Tune #15 (Guitar Song) John Hmvl - Guitar 16. Tennessee Fox Chase Joe Hunter and Cecil Shepherd - Narrating Robert Hunter - dog imitation Taft Jackson - Guitar Joe Hunter - Fiddle The narration to this tune is not understandable but I thought it was good all but the words, and wanted to include it. The next tune was a result of a race beb~een the two steamboats, the Robert E. Lee and the Whip-O-Will. As the tune tells, Steamboat Bill looses to the Robert E. Lee. Page~ 17. Steamboat Bill Down the Mississippi seen the Whip-a-Will Commanded by the pilot, Mr. Steambo~t Bill The owners gave him orders on the 6th you see To try and beat the record 01' the Robert E. Lee Just feed up your fires and let the old smoke roll Burn up all your cargo if you run out of coal If we don't beat that record Billy tola ehe mate Then we'll tear ana mail the pieces to the Golden G~te Chorus: Steamboat Bill, steaming amvn the Mississippi Steamboat Bill, a mighty man was he Steamboat Bill, steaming down the Mississippi Doomed to beat the record 01' ehe Robert E. Lee Up then stepped a gambling man from Louisville Who tried to gee ehe bet against the Whip-o-will Billy pledged the roll that surely wasn't 1'air The boiler it exploded, blew them up in the air The gambler said to Billy as ehey left the wreck I don't know whe"<j we're going but we're neck 'n neck Says Billy to the gambler tell you what I~ll dO I'll bet another thousana I'll go higher than you. Chorus: Steamboat Bill he tore up the Mississippi Steamboat Bill, the pilot made him swear Steamboat Bill, he tore up the Mississippi The explosion 01' the boilet' got him up in the air. The rivers all in mourning nmv for Steamboat Bill The more you'll hear the puffing of the Whip-a-will There8s a pipe on every Seeamboat ehat plows those streams From Memphis riGht to Natchez down to New Orleans The wife or Mr. William was at home in bed lVhen she got the telegram that Steamboat's dead Said she to the children, blessings honey lamb The next PaPa that you'll have will be a rail roaa man Chorus: Steamboat Bill, missing on the Mis8ip~ippi Steamboat Bill, his rhythm 'angel band Steamboat Bill, missing on the Mississippi He's the pilot on the rerry in that promise lana Chorus - repeat 18. The Old Hen C~ckled And The Rooster Is Going to Crow The old hen cackled everybody know The old hen cackled, the rooster is going to crow Old Shanghi was on the hill now Little old Bante in the oackyard The olu n"ll cacklea, cackled mighty loud Laid a little egg,,~alKeu ndght,Y proud The old hen cackled, cackled in the loft Last time she cackled, cackled in the barn Page 19. The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane Newl I'm getting old and feeble and can't work no more That rusted, grated hoe I've laid to rest o Master Sam, 0 MissU5, they are sleeping side by side Their spirits now are roaming with the blest Things are changed about the place nmv, and the darkies they have gone You'll never hear singing in the lane But the only friend that's left here is that good old dog of mine And the little old log cabin in the lane. Chorus: The chimney is falling down and the roof's all caved in Left in the shu shine and the rain But the angels watching over me when I lay down tc sleep In my little old log cabin in the lane How the foot path is growed up That lead us round the hill The fence along the road too, dec~d The pond it's done dried up where~once did go to mill And have turned it's course another way Well I ain't got long to stay here what little time I got I'm trying to rest contented while remain Until death do call this dog and me to find a better home Than the little old log cabin in the lane. Chorus: repeat 20. Leven Miles from Leavenworth Just a year ago today I waS pouting, Oh so gay Leven miles from Leavenworth There was Molly by my side rocking baby hile he crmed Leven miles from Leavenworth Le,ven miles from Leavenworth Leven miles from Leavenworth As I gazed thru prison bars I coula see two lonely stars Leven miles !'rom Leavenworth Then one day a stranger came bringing shame to Molly's name LeMen miles from Leavenworth wr,en I came home to my dear Molly's eyes were filled with tears Leven miles from Leavenworth Leven miles from Leavenworth Leven miles from Leavenworth Oh I miss my guiding stars She's so near and yet so far Leven miles from Leavenworth Leven miles from Leavenworth Leven miles i'rom Leavenworth Every feeling that is there as the heart of one so fair Leven miles from Leavenworth 21. The New St. Louis Blues 22. Those Witty Tombstones - Jack D. L. Holmes Wit is where you find it, and the cemeteries of Nffiv England and New York are far from droll. Maybe death isn't a humorous subject, but one would never knmv it from a tour through many of these centuries-old tombstones. Take the example of a marker seen in Hatfield, Massachusetts: SIDE J2 - Amos Barner 1. Animal Association Tale 2. ~vo Old Painters 3. Ghost Story - Hump-back Man ~. Scare By Dead Person 5. ~vo Sisters - Preacher Tale 6. Old Captain Jack McHenry - Shaving the Poodle 7. Seeing Ghost 8. Incident of 1925 9. Haunted House 10. Corduroy Britches 11.- ~vo Drunks - Meeting of The Saints) Amos Barner, a 50 year old negro, has been a native of Georgia all his life. He is divorced from his wife and lives alone. The scene of the recording was in the one room he lives in. It was a loud pink color, and his bedroom and living room combined. The room was warmed by a gas heater. We sat around the heater as he told the t'ollowing tales. Page 1 SIDE #2 Amos Barner - Negro ini'ormant ANIMAL ASSOC,:I;ATION TALE (1) All the animals decided once they would have a meetin'. So they asked who would be the moderator. They said, "Well, we want the finest animal in the crowd". They elected the lion. They went to an old builcing to have the association. So the lion lined 'em up outside in 2s and marched 'em in and he led the march. He had taken his gavel after they had all gotten in, maTched in and taken a seat. This old dog, a hound, says, "I'm not invited but I'm going to sneak in anyway". So he sneaked in the door and got up under the back benc)'r. So the lion he opened up with a song, then he asked for prayer and got thru with prayer and he looked over the congregation and said, "The ugliest man in here go get me a bucket of water", and everybody stood up and went to looking. An old monkey jumped up and said, "Look a here Brother Moderator, you stop messing wth me." He got the bucket and went on out.About that time the dog came out from under the bench and stretched out, flopped his ears. Squirrel, he jumped up he did and run up on the benches and jumped up on the side of the window. Rabbit he was in there and he jumped up and run, hopped two or three benches, hollowed, "Brother Moderator, brother moderator, I make a motion that this meeting adjourn". He said, "Awl We ain't got through with devotional service yet. Sit down Brother Rabbit and be quiet". Squirrel hopped up and said, "I second the motion". He said, "Well, just why ya'll want to cut the meeting off right now." He said, "Brother Moderator you don't see what I see". Lion he looked around and said, "Ohl All I see is another animal." He said, "Yea, but that flop ya heard." And he cursed and say, "He want to start something. Let's adjourn the meeting." TWO OLD PAINTERS (2) They worked and all they would do was to get drunk and spend their money for whiskey. So last one day they had never rid a train or car or nothing, they had just hitch hiked and walked ever~vhere they went. They didn't have no money. One day they were alking down the rail read track and found $100. The train passed by. They decided they wanted to ride the train. They worked and walked to the nearest station and bought them a ticket a piece. Then they went around to a beer garden and they got about drunk. They come back and got on Page 2 the train. One of them went off to sleep. The other, he was noddin', woke up. He say, t1Hey~ don't this train ride good. n He say, "Yeh, it sho do. I tell you what I'm going to do." He pUlled out money Nat he had left, looked at it. He say, nYeh, I'm going to buy this train tomorrow, track and all. " The other raised up his head and said, flAw, you a lie because I ain't going to sell it to you." GHOST STORY (3) Fellow say he went way off in the country and he went to a place. They had a fellow and he was hump backed so he died and they didn't have an undertaker or nothin'. They had to just go ahead and swilled him and buried him right away. So they made him a home-made casket and put him in it and they didn't know how to break his back and lay him flat in the casket like he should so they studied and studied and made the casket too big. So they took some string and tied him in the casket. So they went in an old wood struckted church builded out of old pine slabs. And they had the casket sitting on two chairs they was in there, and the preacher was preaching and tending the funeral ana stomping around and the "ills as weak. Everytime he would stomp around the i'loor would. shake. Didn't have any glass in the casket cause they had the top of it opened. He got in a big w!'Yl,preaching and he hollering and he looked up he say he was in such inspiration with God, he could call God and he would come down out of the roof of the house. So he looked up he did, and hollered and called the Lawd, he did. So big old sister,weighed nearly 300, she jumped up and began shouting. That shook the floor and the strings broke and the fellow in the casket was hump-backed that made him sit about half up. Preacher grabbed his grip and lit out first. He jumped out the window and there was a hog pasture around the window so went he jump straadled a big Berkshire hog, he hollered back and told 'em, said, "Brother and Sister, say ya'll do the best you can cause the devil done got me and gone." SCARE BY DEAD PERSON (4) %ut I actually remember~en I was a boy there was a lady died not far from us, and my father he. I was actually scared ai' dead people. My i'ather he made me go up and they had lady "willed out and he made me go up and put my hand on her. I put my hand on the lady, well that stopped me from being scared of pead people. Long time back in that time Page all the peoples around in the country that would go and person would die they would set ',I}r up~*th lem the night before they buried lem. So way in the night I and my little cousin we went with my daddy to the setting up and mother, she went home about 9. We was up there and we ,vuz the youngest two kids there. We VlUZ around there eating p=anuts and pie and some of the ladies in kitchen making coffee. Most of them in room ~ith the body, they had all gone to sleep. Two fellows sneaked in there and got a couple of big cotton pillows and raised the lady up and propped her up on ~vo cotton pillows and got a tea cup and put in her hand. When they raised her up her eyes come open. Great big lady she was near the door and was noddin', name Aunt Jenny Lee. He run by there and shuck Aunt Jenny, says "Jenny, look a yonder. Do you see that she ain't dead. Look a yonoer Aunt Jenny~ she squalled, shJrent to hollering so in there it woke up everybody. So all them was trying to go out the door at one time and they couldn't make it. TWO SISTERS - Preacher's Tale (5) The preacher was tending a funeral and he was in a country church. The church didn't have but one door. The church was very full of people, said lots in church, two great big, large women, one was about blind and the other she couilidn't hear real goOd. They had the preacher in the church, he tending the funeral and say when the strings broke and the fellow set up in the casket, p~~acher grabbed his grip and started to run out, everybody Was hollering and looked and it scared ~verybody, and these two big women they tried to go out and they blocked the ooor. They couldn't get out the door. Preacher, he "run, he aid and he couldn't get out the door and he looked back, and it looked like the man was coming out the casket at ."" him, but the preacher he hauled off and got up on the bench and jumped through the window and broke out the window and say# ftDam a church with one door. n And one of those sisters say, "Did you hear what he said." One of the sisters sa:!,,>, "I can hear good but I can't II see so good, say "We got to get us another pastor, you heard what he said." Page 4 SHAVING THE POODLE (6) He turned in had seven peoples made talks before he did, called saving the last one till , got up and recommended him and called him up. They said he was a DDLD. He said ;'Well I didn't know what all "those D's represented", but say, he was kind of like a little boy. He had a poodle dog his hair got so long he couldn't see and it was in his way. His mother told his daddy and say "I want you to have that dog sheared." "I want you to shear him in a lion shape." He said "alright." He went ahead and sheared the dog and cut all his hair off all but head and neck and it was bushy like a lion. Little boy was gone to school. The mother washed the dog and took him upstairs ana tied him to a chair. So little boy come from school. He ate his dinner and he ant out in the yard and began to play and he mashed his hand. He cut it and he said, "God Darnm". Mother heard him and she V'as going to whip him. Daddy said, "don't whip him. I know what I'm going to do. Say, I'll punish him. I'll make him go upstairs and kneel down by the chair and pray 'till you reel God rorgive you ror telling a lie and cursing and say if you don't I'm going to take your clothes off and whip you." Boy went up to top of steps and he saw dog. Dog scared him, he thought it was a young lion. He squealed and run back down the steps and told his mother there was ... lion tiea to a chair up there. His daddy ay "that ain't no lion. That's old pOOdle." He said "no, that's a lion." He got his strap and hit him a lick a two and carried him up "there. Little boy was scared and told him, "go and pray." Little boy ~ent to bed and wouldn't go by chair ana got dovrn side or bed. Dao, he closed the Ooor and got down and looked through key hole and little boy prayed but he never aid take his eyes orf the dog. He got up and come back down stairs. He said, "aU right, you pra.yed. Did. GOd. send you out. tl nYes u ItWbat did God say". He said, llDa<ldy, God say he rorgi ve me ror cursing, taking his name in vain, aid how about lie you told about dog being a lion say I told you to pray I'or that one too. You - Gad say he rorgive me - but," "But what?'t He said, "Dam if he dian 1 t think it was lion too hen he seen. i t. lt SEEING GHOSTS (7) Now my grandmother used to tell story about meeting ghostees in the road ana grave yard. There used to be a road went through cemetery and tha"t was only way they coUld go to church and she say everytime they go that cemetery road and come back through "there on a Page b rainy night they wOUla meet ghostees and some of them wouldn't have no heads, and they would meet hot stea'll and when they passed by there would be ghostees and they ould look and actually I've never been a superstitious person but I was my mother's 7th child and born with a veil over my 1'ace and I can actually see those things but it doesn't 1'righten me too much. INCIDENT OF 19G5 (8) In 1925 I went to a Halloween parter over in west Oakland, or Bush Mountain. While ov~r chere it come up a rain one night while coming back. Boy who used to live in this house. About b of us coming back, walked back from Bush mountain. There used to be an old man over big house on DiJl1'llock St. and haa a grove that ran all the way to Sparks St. He had a pear tree right at the corner. Mr. Gunn, he was awful crazy about that pear tree. He used to wear those long P"ince Albert coats. Old boys coming back ana boy who used to Ii va here named Guy Davis says, uTell me you can see hauntslt IfYe s, I can. It He says, "you know you are telling a liet ! I said, TlNo, lIm not, I can actually see them. 1t "They tell me that on 9. rainy night you can see ole man Gunn and he be GUT there wi th that pear tree. If I say, "if lie go up Sp"rks street and he be out there, I "ill show him to you." Old boy named Roosevelt 3.08coe, he got close to me and said, "r dem rt Vlant to see him. If' you see him you show him to rest of them." But I says"! want to see himlt (other man). Sure enough when I got up near that pear tree I seen something in the shape of a dog when I first seen it. It rose on up and I called 'em and said, TfCome here Guy. You put your right foot next to my left foot and you look over my left shoulder and he looked over and seen old man Gunn. And he was really lost. Such running and squealing and hollering. They run off and left me 'till I started running and that Roscoe boy, he lived on up the street here about three houses above here and I cut across the field and to Dimmock street and went home and he follovled me home. I unlocked my room door and went in there and got in bed \vi th best clothes, shoes, everything on his feet was just as muddy as they could be. And he got beu7een 2 white sheets and covered up his head and I couldn't uncover it. Only way I could uncover him was to pull all the cove, off the bed and him too. I had to get my mother up and she had to get up and come in here and make him take his clothes off and then she made him pay to have those sheets laundered. Page 6 HAUNTED HOUSE (9) My father told me there was this great big old house dOVlIl below Fairburn, Ga. on . 'tV a old road called Rlv~town Rd. A big 2 story house, The Tanner place. It had an upstairs to it and they come through there cutting a new highy. Man wanted to somenere to and nobody had lived there in years. All the windows were knocked out and it had a big barn. So man he wanted to get somewhere so he found some of the relatives and people it belonged to. He rented the barn to put his mules and equipment in at night. Some or the fellows you might say were sorry and he didn't want to pay for no where to stay, and they said they would stay in that old empty house. So they stayed in it a night or two. Last one day it came up a rain. All of 'em went in and fed the mules and things. Boys went upstairs, some of 'em did and made 'em a bunk on the floor. They wuz laying around sleeping. One fellow made a fire in the fire place so it would be warm in there except it was in the summer time. They"Oke up and a great big white cat was sitting up in front or the fire. Woke up and looked and the house was lit up just as pretty. But he said when he sat up the lights went out and he say "'That you doing here", he say, the cat say, "They ain I t nobody here but me and you." He said, "You are here but I don' t want to be here long." He run down stairs and began to wake up the fellows. They all of 'em run out in the yard. They say something come down them steps. Said it looked like a big mule but it s low like a dog. Says it was dragging tract chains. Them fellows hit the woods and highways and they left and the next day the man didn't have anybody to work. My father told us that story a time and again. The bad part about it I had done got up to be a kid boy, lG or 13 years old and I liked to run about at night and I lived down there about 2 miles out of Fairburn. We moved about! mile of that house on that road and I like to go up to Fairburn and stay until about 8 or 9 o'clock at night and go home, but there wasn't no way to go h~~e but to cut through the woods and rields. that went by this house. But if it cloud up, I got home before dark. TF.E CORDuroy BRITCHES (10) My daddy used to be crazy about corduroy britches. He bought a pair or corduroy britches in the fall of the year. About this time of year it began to turn cold. He went Page 7 off one night and he was kind of knock kneed. So he was walking along one night and he seen a grave yard pretty close to the road. He say he begin to hear a noise. He stopped and looked all around. Figured there was somebody trying to scare him. He said, "You ,making that noise better tell who you is, even if you have to make up a namJ,be mine". He still didn't see nobody. So he started walking, rubbing corduroy to they say, "roosh, roosh, roosh. The faster he walk the louder they get. He stopped and looked but couldn't see nobody. So finally he let out and went to running and he say he run about t mile as r~rd as he could run and the noise got louder and louder and he stumbled and fell and the done racket stopped. He got up, started off and chen he realized what it was. H~~been run himself to death nearly with his o\~ britches. MEETING OF THE SAINTS (11) On corner of Peter and McDaniel Street, used to be a uvo story house there and say was a church. The sanctified people had a meeting there in the downstairs part of it. So some fellows went over there and they had a bar across the street there years back. They would go over to the bar and get drunk every night. Bot of ems vnves tole em as they out one night, if they come back drunk, they going to sleep on the porches. They wasn't going to let them in. So fellaw. he went on off, he and his bUddy, got to drinking. They kept on and got about drunk. One say "Hey! you know by God I can't go home, what we going to do" he say "There's a big empty house over there, let's get another drink", he say ''We can go over there and get sober until we can go home." He went ahead and got another drink. They got so drunk the bartender put em out of the bar. They went over there, opened the door and went in the church. Laid dmvn on the back benches, went off to sleep. Sexton, he come and turned the lights on, in a while the saints come in. They was going to have a meet in. They found two drunks back there, he was going to put em out but the elder he say "No" "The kind of meeting we're going to have doing good. So wake em up and let em listen." He shook em and woke em up and told them he was good mind to put em out and have em locked up being in church drunk. So they begin having a meeting. Elder he sang a hymn, one of the deacons he prayed. They he say brothers we're going to have an old quaker meeting. Everybody tell their experience. Say we is going to start with the brothers. All brothers on that side got up and told how they got their religion. Some of them would shout and Page 8 cry. The sisters they all told theirs. One of em (drunks) dropped his head. The preacher said, "Well, we done been around, we is heard what all the brethren lIDlIlt had to say. Now we got to hear 1'rom them." He say, "get em woke up there and say let em have something another to say. Let em tell something if ain't nothin but good evening." So one he was looking and lady got up and testified she was the last. H (preacher) say, "you brother there on the end, you heard us all, get up and tell experience." He say "Aw, I ain't got nothin to say," he say, "tell us ~omething it' it ain't but just how you got here." He say, "are you glad to be here or sorry.tl He got up and say 11\"1e11, brothers and sisters, my wife is a child of the LaUd," he say, "I'm not." Started crying and sat down. Other fellow jumped up and say his wife is a child of "the Laud and said, "You'll never see your father-in-law if you don't quit drinking likker."
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Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions.
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