Oral History Interview with Eula and Vernon Durham, November 29, 1978. Interview H-0064. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Eula Durham and her husband Vernon recall their experiences as mill workers in Bynum, North Carolina. The Durhams discuss the integration of their mill in the early 1970s and the failures of unionization, but their recollections of their lives as mill workers pale in comparison to their vivid memories of their childhood in Bynum and the various colorful ways they found to entertain themselves. Eula's memories of the joys of her childhood are more vibrant than Vernon's: she remembers making candy, decorating Christmas trees with popcorn, and snipe hunting; box parties, spin the bottle, and chicken stews; ball games, carnivals, and stealing chickens. This interview will be somewhat useful for researchers interested in mill work, more useful for those interested in childhood and adolescence in the rural South.
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This interview is part of the Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007), a collection of over
4,000 interviews housed at the
Southern Historical Collection.
Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Subjects
Trade-unions--Textile workers--North Carolina
Textile workers--North Carolina--Social conditions
Women in the textile industry
Textile industry--Technological innovations
Bynum (N.C.)--Religious life
Bynum (N.C.)--Social life and customs
Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.