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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 6.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 500 items) |
| Abstract | The New Bern Oral History Project was undertaken by members of the Memories of New Bern Committee, New Bern, N.C., beginning in 1991. Under the direction of Joseph F. Patterson, Jr., and others, 155 interviews were conducted with 138 older New Bern residents. Interviewers sought to capture memories of life in New Bern, circa 1905-1980, before the arrival of large numbers of retirees and "modern times" dramatically changed the town's character. The collection includes audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted in 1991-1994 about the history of New Bern, N.C., and related material, including a copy of the published book, Memories of New Bern. Many of the interviews contain discussions of education, medicine, and race relations in New Bern, including the integration of public schools, surgery practices during the Depression, and African American residents role in city government and the civil rights movement. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Related Collections
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Historical Information
The New Bern Oral History Project was undertaken by members of the Memories of New Bern Committee, New Bern, N.C., beginning in 1991. Under the direction of Joseph F. Patterson, Jr., and others, 155 interviews were conducted with 138 older New Bern residents. Interviewers sought to capture memories of life in New Bern, circa 1905-1980, before the arrival of large numbers of retirees and "modern times" dramatically changed the town's character.
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Scope and Content
Audio recordings and transcripts of 155 interviews conducted in 1991-1994 about the history of New Bern, N.C., and related material, including a copy of the published book, Memories of New Bern, which was based on the oral histories contained in the collection.
The collection contains 186 audiocassettes containting over 150 interviews with New Bern residents. Many of the interviews contain discussions of education, medicine, and race relations in New Bern. Topics on education discussed by interviewees include social aspects of school, integration of the public schools, the establishment of Craven Community College, experiences at New Bern High School, and the education of women. Medical topics discussed include the practice of surgery during the Depression, a pediatrics clinic for undeserved residents, technology in medicine, and medical care, more generally. Another issue addressed repeatedly by interviewees is that of race relations, including conditions for African Americans in New Bern after World War II, as well as African American residents role in city government and the civil rights movement. Several interviewees also talk about local politics, especially their opinions on politicians' honesty; town life, particularly childhood memories and comments on social life, dances, vegetable women, and ice men; the local economy and downtown stores and restaurants; and transportation, including the growth of the Seashore Bus Company, railroads, and airlines. Periods in New Bern's history that are discussed in many interviews include the New Bern Fire of 1922, the Depression, and World War II.
The collection also contains related documentation, consisting of of transcripts, tape indexes, original and photocopied photographs, clippings, and photocopies of documents referred to in the interviews or relating to individual interviews, among other materials. Additional materials include lists of interviewees, instructions to interviewers, and a copy of the published book, Memories of New Bern.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Audio Recordings, 1991-1994.
Arrangement: Audiocassettes arranged alphabetically by name of interviewee.
Processing information: Audiocassette titles created to correspond with folder titles.
Audiocassette recordings of 155 interviews conducted in 1991-1993, under the auspices of the Memories of New Bern Committee, about the history of New Bern, N.C. Interviewers sought to capture memories of life in New Bern, circa 1905-1980, before the arrival of large numbers of retirees and "modern times" dramatically changed the town's character.
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Series 2. Documentation, 1991-1994.
Arrangement: Topics and transcriptions are arranged alphabetically by name of interviewee.
Processing information: Note that corresponding audio recording numbers appear at the end of the interviewee names when appropriate./
Documentation consists of transcripts, tape indexes, original and photocopied photographs, clippings, and photocopies of documents referred to in the interviews or relating to individual interviews, among other materials. Additional materials include lists of interviewees, instructions to interviewers, and a copy of the published book, Memories of New Bern, which was based on the oral histories found in the collection.
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Items Separated
Audiocassettes (C-04751/1-186).
Back to TopProcessed by: Roslyn Holdzkom, Linda Sellars, 1996
Encoded by: Eben Lehman, April 2006
Updated by: Anne Wells, July 2019
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