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Hensley Settlement Oral History Project

Project Summary

In 1903, Sherman Hensley, along with his wife and young son, started the Hensley Settlement, an Appalachian village on the Kentucky-Virginia state line about ten miles from Middlesboro, Kentucky. The isolated community grew to a population of one hundred and lasted forty-eight years. In 1951, Sherman Hensley was the last inhabitant to leave; in 1979, he died at the age of ninety-eight. Hensley and other original settlers and their descendants discuss the history of the settlement, their way of life, farming, harvesting, clearing land, the economy of the settlement, trips to neighboring towns, education, home life, women's roles, folklore, quilting, home remedies, soap making, food preservation, religious practices, recreational activities, social activities, sickness and death, and midwifery.

Project Code

hen

Project LC Subject

Agriculture--Appalachian Region   Appalachian Region   Appalachian Region--Economic conditions   Appalachian Region--History   Appalachian Region--Religion   Appalachian Region--Social conditions   Appalachian Region--Social life and customs   Farm life--Appalachian Region   Food--Preservation--Appalachian Region   Hensley Settlement, Ky.--Social life and customs.

Linked Resource

Hensley Settlement - Cumberland Gap National Historic Park


Interviews in this Project (25 Total):

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh048_kh116
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh049_kh117
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh050_kh118
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh051_kh119
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh052_kh120
Interviewer: Bernard Goodman
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh053_kh121
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh054_kh122
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh055_kh123
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh056_kh124
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh032_kh100
Interviewer: Hobert G. Cawood
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh033_kh101
Interviewer: Hobert G. Cawood
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh034_kh102
Interviewer: Lloyd Abelson
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh035_kh103
Interviewer: George Davidson
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh036_kh104
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh037_kh105
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh038_kh106
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh039_kh107
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh040_kh108
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh041_kh109
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh042_kh110
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh043_kh111
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh044_kh112
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh045_kh113
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh046_kh114
Interviewer: Robert W. Monk
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access:

Interview Accession Number: 1979oh047_kh115
Interviewer: Bernard Goodman
Restrictions: No Restrictions
Access: