Everyone Helped His Neighbor Oral History Interviews, AV.5314

Abstract

Everyone Helped His Neighbor: Memories of Nags Head Woods was published in 1986. The book traced the history of the Nags Head Woods community on the sound side of present-day Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Research for the book was completed by Lu Ann Jones and Amy Glass on behalf of the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve and was based heavily on oral history interviews with former residents of the community. This collection consists of oral history interviews and other recordings created by Glass and Jones during the course of their research.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Everyone Helped His Neighbor Oral History Interviews
Call Number: AV.5314
Creator: Jones, Lu Ann
Date: 1986
Extent: 0.300 cubic feet
Language: English
Repository: Outer Banks History Center

Series Quick Links

Collection Contents

Restrictions on Access & Use

Access Restrictions

Available for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by the United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying these materials.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], AV.5314, Everyone Helped His Neighbor Oral History Interviews, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, U.S.A.

Collection Overview

The Everyone Helped His Neighbor Oral History Interviews, 1986, consist of 10 sound recordings on 22 audiocassettes created by Lu Ann Jones and Amy Glass while researching the history of Nags Head Woods on behalf of the Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve. The collection includes nine oral history interviews with former residents and visitors of Nags Head Woods, including Norris Wendell Austin (1938-2017), Ester Bee Tillett Beacham (1910-2000), Sylvia Etheridge Culpepper (1910-1991), Evelyn Elloise Wise Gray (1908-1996), David Howe Lawrence (1919-2003), Texie Tillett Meekins (1916-2006), Mildred Ramona Tillett Midgett (1929-2016), Marshall Field Tillett (1902-1992), and Leonest Lealand Tillett (1913-1992). Two additional tapes containing Glass' and Jones' field notes and a sampling of local bird calls are also included in the collection.

Arrangement Note

Alphabetical.

Biographical/Historical

Nags Head Woods is a maritime forest located on the sound side of present-day Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, just north of Jockey's Ridge State Park. Today, Nags Head Woods is an ecological preserve overseen by the North Carolina Nature Conservancy. Historically, the area's forested dunes and the presence of several freshwater ponds made Nags Head Woods a very appealing location for human settlement, and families had been living in the woods since at least the mid-18th century. In the 1830s, increased tourism to the area led to the construction of several soundside cottages and a hotel in or around the woods. By the 20th century, Nags Head Woods was a thriving community inhabited by numerous local families, and the neighborhood even included two churches, a general store, and a school. As the country entered World War II and industrialization expanded, many of the local residents relocated to jobs and homes in more populated areas. Additionally, major increases in tourism led to improved infrastructure and dune stabilization, making permanent homes on the beach more attainable. Because of these factors, the last generation of Nags Head Woods residents had departed by the 1950s.

Contents of the Collection

Collection Contents

Interview with Norris Austin [2 audiocassettes], 11 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Ester Beacham [3 audiocassettes], 7 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Sylvia Culpepper [3 audiocassettes], 6 August 1986

AV Box 1

Field Notes [1 audiocassette], 11 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Evelyn Gray [1 audiocassette], 7 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with David Lawrence [1 audiocassette], 15 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Texie Meekins and Mildred Midgett [3 audiocassettes], 4 August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Marshall Tillett [4 audiocassettes], July-August 1986

AV Box 1

Interview with Leonest Lealand Tillett [3 audiocassettes], 11 August 1986

AV Box 1

Bird Calls [1 audiocassette], circa 1986

AV Box 1

Subject Headings

Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve (Kill Devil Hills, N.C.)

Nags Head (N.C.)--History

Nags Head Woods (N.C.)--History

Acquisitions Information

Donated by The Nature Conservancy, February 2020.

Processing Information

Processed by Samantha Crisp, February 2020.