Title: Oral History Interview with Eula and Vernon Durham, November 29, 1978. Interview H-0064.
Identifier: H-0064
Interviewer: Leloudis, Jim
Interviewee: Durham, Vernon
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    
Extent: 00:00:01
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 many 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.