(SNP060) Roy Harris interviewed by Dorothy Noble Smith, transcribed by Peggy C. Bradley

Authors

Roy Frank Harris

Files

Interviewee

Harris, Roy Frank

Identifier

SNP060

Format

1 audio file (running time: 1:11:08)

Interview Number

SNP-60

Date of Interview

5-15-1979

Description

Records an interview with Roy Harris, who grew up in the Brown's Gap area of what would become Shenandoah National Park. The Harris family owned a small farm and would supplement their income by tending herds of dairy cows brought up to the mountain pastures each summer. As partial payment, the family would keep the milk produced by the cows, selling it, homemade butter, eggs and other produce to the nearby Black Rock Springs Hotel. Discusses social life in the mountains, the raising of livestock and produce, as well as the moonshine business. Mr. Harris' brother, Paul Harris, is the subject of an additional interview in this series, SdArch no. SNP-59. A woman identified only as Mrs. Harris in the transcript adds several comments throughout the interview.

Rights

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Personal Names

Harris, Roy Frank, 1911-1984, Interviews

Family Names

Harris family; Sipe family.

Subjects

Black Rock Springs Hotel (Va.) – History; Mountain people -- Blue Ridge Mountains -- Social life and customs; Mountain life -- Shenandoah River Valley (Va. and W. Va.) – History; Mountain people -- Virginia -- Shenandoah National Park -- Social life and customs; Rural poor – Virginia; Country life -- Appalachian Region, Southern; Agriculture -- Appalachian Region, Southern; Food habits -- Appalachian Region, Southern; Canning and preserving – History; Cookery – Virginia; Distilling, Illicit -- Virginia – History; Dairy cattle -- Virginia – History; Livestock -- Virginia – History; Land use -- Government policy – Virginia.

Place Names

Blue Ridge Mountains -- Economic conditions; Brown's Gap (Va.) – History; Albemarle County (Va.) – History; Shenandoah River Valley (Va. and W. Va.) -- Manners and customs; Shenandoah National Park (Va.) -- History, Local.

Interviewer

Smith, Dorothy Noble, 1915-1999

Transcriber

Bradley, Peggy C.

Collection Title

Shenandoah National Park oral history collection

Collection Number

SdArch SNP

Recommended Citation

Roy Frank Harris interviewed by Dorothy Noble Smith, May 15, 1979, SdArch SNP-60, Shenandoah National Park Oral History Collection, 1964-1999, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

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