September 04, 2001

WKU Oral History Project Looking For Story In New Deal Archaeological Digs In Western Kentucky

Bowling Green, Ky. - Two members of Western Kentucky University's anthropology program are looking for the human story from archaeological digs conducted in western Kentucky in the 1930s and '40s. And they need your help.

Dr. Darlene Applegate, an archaeologist, and Dr. Lindsey King, a cultural anthropologist, are conducting an oral history project on the nature and impact of archaeological tourism and New Deal archaeological research in western Kentucky.

Archaeological tourism grew in the early 20th century at attractions near Mammoth Cave, Lost City in Logan County and Ancient Buried City in Ballard County. During the Great Depression, unprecedented archaeological digs were conducted along the Green and Tennessee river valleys by the Works Progress Administration.

While technical information about the sites has been well documented, the human element has not. That's why Dr. Applegate and Dr. King need your help in finding the human story on projects in several western Kentucky counties.

To gather information, Dr. King and Dr. Applegate are looking for anyone who remembers the projects, including landowners, community members, workers and their relatives, and families who provided rooms for archaeologists or workers. Even if people think their memories aren't important, "we are interested in everything," Dr. King said.

Trigg and Marshall counties: The researchers are seeking information about Land Between the Lakes projects in the 1930s and 40s including the Jonathon Creek, Birmingham, Root and Goheen sites in Marshall County and the Roach site in Trigg County.

Ballard County: If you worked at or visited the Ancient Buried City tourist attraction in Wickliffe between the 1930s and 1960s, Dr. King and Dr. Applegate want to talk with you.

Logan County: The researchers are looking for people who visited, worked at or operated businesses that benefited from the Lost City tourist attraction near Lewisburg in the 1930s and for people who remember the Carnegie Institute excavations at Savage Cave near Adairville in the late 1960s or the Cambron excavations there in the early 1970s.

McLean, Ohio and Hopkins counties: Dr. King and Dr. Applegate want to interview people who worked on or remember the WPA-era excavations at sites along the Green River, such as the Eaton Village, Kirtley Village, Ward Shell Mound, Kirkland
Shell Mound, Barrett Shell Mound, Butterfield Shell Mound, Reynerson Shell Mound and Smith Rockshelter sites in McLean County; the Bowles Shell Mound, Chiggersville Shell Mound, Jackson Bluff Shell Mound, Jimtown Hill Shell Mound and Indian Knoll Shell Mound sites in Ohio County; and the Parrish Village and Morris Village sites in Hopkins County.

Their work is being funded by the Kentucky Oral History Commission and Western Kentucky University. Dr. King and Dr. Applegate hope to complete their interviews this fall.

For more information, contact the Department of Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies at (270) 745-2401.

More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.