Bootheel Project, Records, 1993-1997(C3928)
3.2 linear feet, 161 audio cassettes, 9 records, 2 video cassettes
RESTRICTED
INTRODUCTION
The records of the Bootheel Project document the art, culture, and heritage of the Missouri Bootheel. The records include photographs, color slides, audio cassettes, transcripts, and video cassettes of interviews with Bootheel residents. Sound recordings, planning documents, field workers’ notes, and miscellaneous items collected throughout the project are also included.
RESTRICTIONS
Audio and video tapes are available for in-house use only by researchers and may not be reproduced.
The following photographs should be credited- "Photo by Carole Patterson"- #66, 157-164. Ms. Patterson wishes a copy of articles, books, or other published items containing her photography. If this is not possible, Ms. Patterson wishes to be called and notified that her material is being used. Consult with a reference archivist for her address.
ACCESSION INFORMATION
The Bootheel Project records were transferred from the State Historical Society of Missouri to the Western Historical Manuscript Collection on 26 February 1996 (SHS Accession No. 3097).
PROJECT SKETCH
The Bootheel Underserved Arts Communities Project, undertaken in 1993 and 1994, was organized by the Missouri Folk Arts Program, a unit of the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia in co-sponsorship with the State Historical Society of Missouri. The project received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Missouri Arts Council. The goals of the project were to encourage local creativity, elevate public awareness, and promote appreciation for local and regional art.
The Missouri Bootheel, consisting of several counties in the southernmost region of the state, was visited by a team of researchers in the spring of 1994. This research team included oral historians, folklorists, an ethnomusicologist, and graduate student interns. The largest period of field research was conducted March 12-20, 1994. Subsequent visits to the field took place in April, July, and August 1994. While in the field the team conducted informal taped interviews with local artists and key community members who were encouraged to summarize their personal histories
and self-evaluate their work and experiences. Researchers also documented public and private performances, events, and displays with audio cassette recording, photography, and field notes. Ephemeral material was also collected during the survey.
The project culminated in a gathering of interested artists, local historians, scholars, and citizens in Portageville, Missouri, on 27 August 1994 for Bootheel Art and Heritage Day.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Bootheel Project Records contain photographs, slides, taped interviews, and miscellaneous materials gathered during field research in the Missouri Bootheel in the southeast region of the state. These records are arranged into six series:
The Subject Files series contains background information on the Bootheel region, publicity about the project, and items collected during the project. The Missouri Arts Council grant application and questionnaires sent out prior to the visit to identify artists in the area are also included in this series. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.
The Field Notes series contains the field notes of project workers which help to document the physical characteristics of the region and provide information about the setting of the interview and the individual being interviewed. This series is arranged alphabetically by field worker name.
The Reports and Transcripts series contains interview reports, which provide basic background information on the interviewee, and transcripts from three of the interviews. The transcripts are arranged by tape number and the interview reports are arranged alphabetically by field worker name.
The Logs series consists of audio, photograph, and slide logs produced from the interviews and visits. These logs provide a detailed description of the topics discussed and photographs taken during the interviews. The logs are arranged alphabetically by the field worker’s initials.
The Photographs and Slides series contains the photographs, contact sheets of the photographs, and slides taken during the project. They include images of people, towns, and arts and crafts produced by the people of the Bootheel. They are arranged first by type of material, then alphabetically by field worker name.
The Audio/Visual Materials series consists of the audio cassettes, records, and video cassettes collected during the project. Included are the recordings of the interviews, arranged alphabetically by field worker name, sampler tapes with selected pieces of interviews used for presentations on the Bootheel, and pre-recorded audio cassettes of musicians from the region. This series also contains several 45 RPM records of area artists singing blues, gospel, and rockabilly.
Two video cassettes are included in this series. One contains interviews with Charles Baker, a long time resident of Dunklin County, Missouri and Ray Brassieur, Bootheel Project Coordinator. These interviews were conducted by Rosemary Burcham and appeared on a local cable access channel. The second video cassette was taken at the Wednesday Federated Music Club in Kennett, Missouri, and depicts two music programs put on by this group. A copy of the published resource guide Art and Heritage of the Missouri Bootheel follows this inventory.
NOTE ON CATALOGING OF PHOTOGRAPHS, SLIDES, AND AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS
The slides, photographs, and audio cassettes have been assigned two numbering systems to help in the identification and retrieval of those items. The first number, which will be referred to as the field accession number, was used by the field workers.
An example is BH94-RB2-CT2. The "BH94" designates the project code (Bootheel) and the year of the interview or photograph, 1994. "RB2" contains the initials of the field worker and the cardinal number of the interview recorded by that field worker. This item is from the second interview done by Ray Brassieur. "CT2" refers to the format (cassette tape) and ordinal number of the cassette recorded during each interview. This cassette is the second tape of Ray Brassieur’s second interview of the Bootheel Project in 1994.
An example using photographs would be BH94-RF7-BW4. This item would be the fourth black and white print from Robin Fanslow’s seventh roll of film taken during the Bootheel Project in 1994. Abbreviations used in this system are CT- cassette tape, CS- color slide, BW- black and white print, and CP- color print.
The second system of numbering applied to the cassettes and photographs was done while processing the collection at WHMC. This
system uses simple numerical ordering for each cassette, photograph, and sleeve of slides. Example: a.c. 3 is the third audio cassette in the collection. The slides were arranged alphabetically according to field worker name and put into sleeves that held 20 slides.
The field accession number will direct the researcher to the audio and photograph logs and the WHMC number directs the researcher to the actual item. A chart showing how the two numbers correspond to each other is included at the end of this inventory.
NOTE: Throughout the project records workers are identified by their initials. In the alphabetical arrangement of the records David Whitman (DW) would be listed before Erica Mair (EM).
MISSING CASSETTES
Six audio cassettes which appear in the published guide are not included in this collection. Tapes 53, 54, 77, 78 were never turned in to the project coordinator. Tapes 97 and 98 are not included because the University was not able to obtain release forms from the participants.
FOLDER LIST
| f. 1 | Advertisements-Artists |
| f. 2 | Art and Heritage Day |
| f. 3-8 | Background Material |
| f. 9 | Bronner, Flem |
| f. 10 | Calling Cards |
| f. 11 | Charleston, Missouri |
| f. 12 | Charleston-Sesquicentennial |
| f. 13 | Correspondence, February-March, 1994 |
| f. 14 | Correspondence, August 1994-September 1995 |
| f. 15 | Cotton Culture |
| f. 16 | Deering |
| f. 17-19 | Development-Grant application |
| f. 20 | Dexter, Missouri |
| f. 21 | Felts, Narvel |
| f. 22 | Final Report |
| f. 23 | Foodways |
| f. 24 | Hornersville, Missouri |
| f. 25 | Kennett, Missouri |
| f. 26 | Kennett- Sentimental Journey, August, September, Fall Issues, 1996 |
| f. 27 | Kennett- Sentimental Journey, October, December Issues, 1996 |
| f. 28 | Kennett- Sentimental Journey, January, February Issues, 1997 |
| f. 29 | Malden, Missouri |
| f. 30 | Master Contact List-Artists |
| f. 31 | Miscellaneous Regional Information |
| f. 32 | Monument of Delivery |
| f. 33 | New Madrid, Missouri |
| f. 34 | Poplar Bluff, Missouri |
| f. 35 | Publicity, 1993-1994 |
| f. 36 | Publicity, 1995-1996 |
| f. 37 | Questionnaires |
| f. 38 | Quilt Patterns |
| f. 39 | Religion |
| f. 40 | Student Participation |
| f. 41 | Video Project |
| f. 42 | EM Field Notes |
| f. 43 | JS Field Notes |
| f. 44 | LC Field Notes |
| f. 45 | RB Field Notes, 1993 |
| f. 46 | RB Field Notes, 1994 |
| f. 47 | RB Field Notes, 1994 |
| f. 48 | RB Field Notes, 1994 |
| f. 48a | RF Field Notes, 1994 |
| f. 49 | Transcript, a.c. 61-62, Flem Bronner |
| f. 50 | Transcript, a.c. 106-107, Maxwell Williams |
| f. 50a | Transcript, a.c. 114-115, Kent Freeman |
| f. 50b | Transcript, a.c. 116, Phil Pfuehler |
| f. 51 | Transcript, a.c. 117, Barry McFarland |
| f. 51a | Transcript, a.c. 118, Wayne Springer |
| f. 52 | Interview Reports |
| f. 53 | CK Audio Logs |
| f. 54 | DB Audio Logs |
| f. 55 | empty due to an error in numbering |
| f. 56 | DW Audio Logs |
| f. 57 | EM Audio Logs |
| f. 58 | JB Audio Logs |
| f. 59 | JC Audio Logs |
| f. 60 | JD Audio Logs |
| f. 61 | JG Audio Logs |
| f. 62 | JL Audio Logs |
| f. 63 | JN Audio Logs |
| f. 64 | JS Audio Logs |
| f. 65 | KK Audio Logs |
| f. 66 | LC Audio Logs |
| f. 67 | RB Audio Logs |
| f. 68 | RF Audio Logs |
| f. 69 | RF Audio Logs |
| f. 70 | SR Audio Logs |
| f. 71 | a.c. 152-157 Audio Logs |
| f. 72 | CP Photo Logs |
| f. 73 | DW Photo Logs |
| f. 74 | EM Photo Logs |
| f. 75 | JC Photo Logs |
| f. 76 | JN Photo Logs |
| f. 77 | JS Photo Logs |
| f. 78 | LC Photo Logs |
| f. 79 | RB Photo Logs |
| f. 80 | RF Photo Logs |
| f. 81 | DB Slide Logs |
| f. 82 | DEB Slide Logs |
| f. 83 | DW Slide Logs |
| f. 84 | EM Slide Logs |
| f. 85 | JC Slide Logs |
| f. 86 | JN Slide Logs |
| f. 87 | JS Slide Logs |
| f. 88 | RB Slide Logs |
| f. 89 | RF Slide Logs |
| f. 90 | TC Slide Logs |
| f. 91 | RB Video Cassette Log |
| f. 92 | #1-20 |
| f. 93 | #21-40 |
| f. 94 | #41-60 |
| f. 95 | #61-80 |
| f. 96 | #81-100 |
| f. 97 | #101-120 |
| f. 98 | #121-140 |
| f. 99 | #141-168 |
| f. 100 | CP Contact Sheets I, II, IV-XIX |
| f. 101 | CP Contact Sheets A-H, J-V |
| f. 102 | DB Contact Sheets |
| f. 103 | DW1-14 Contact Sheets |
| f. 104 | DW15-27 Contact Sheets |
| f. 105 | EM-JS Contact Sheets |
| f. 106 | RB-RF Contact Sheets |
| f. 107 | DB1-6 Slides |
| f. 108 | DB7-12 Slides |
| f. 109 | DEB1 Slides |
| f. 110 | DW1-7 Slides |
| f. 111 | DW8-14 Slides |
| f. 112 | DW15-21 Slides |
| f. 113 | DW22-28 Slides |
| f. 114 | EM1-5 Slides |
| f. 115 | JC1-3 Slides |
| f. 116 | JN1-4 Slides |
| f. 117 | JS1-2 Slides |
| f. 118 | BH93 RB1-3; BH94 RB1-3 Slides |
| f. 119 | BH94 RB4-9 Slides |
| f. 120 | RF1-4 Slides |
| f. 121 | TC1-2 Slides |
| f. 122 | Color Slides from Black and White Prints; Topographical Maps |
| a.c. 1-2 | Dial, Marshall |
| a.c. 3-4 | Cooper, Alex |
| a.c. 5 | Slicer Street Church of Christ, Kennett, Missouri |
| a.c. 6 | Burcham, Britt |
| a.c. 7-8 | James, W.F. |
| a.c. 9 | Jones, Harold and W.F. James |
| a.c. 10 | McColloch, Si |
| a.c. 11 | Cooper, Roy, Jr. |
| a.c. 12 | Hobbs, Daisy |
| a.c. 13 | Brown, Tina |
| a.c. 14 | First General Baptist Church Easter Pageant, Malden, Missouri |
| a.c. 15-16 | Cooper, Alex |
| a.c. 17 | New Bethel Baptist Church, Portageville, Missouri |
| a.c. 18 | Cooper Family Reunion |
| a.c. 19-20 | Monument of Deliverance Church, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 21-23 | Bootheel Project Orientation Meeting |
| a.c. 24 | Monument of Deliverance Church, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 25 | Nalen, Alma |
| a.c. 26-27 | Cooper, Alex |
| a.c. 28 | Jones, Eugene |
| a.c. 29 | Dukes, James |
| a.c. 30 | Echoes of Joy |
| a.c. 31-33 | Art and Heritage Day Roundtable Discussions |
| a.c. 34 | Spivey, Nina |
| a.c. 35 | Townsend, Nadine |
| a.c. 36 | Boyer, Hattie |
| a.c. 37 | Glover, Lucy |
| a.c. 38 | Watson, Almeda |
| a.c. 39 | Brumley, Priscilla |
| a.c. 40 | Peck, Charlotte |
| a.c. 41 | Ruff, Lila |
| a.c. 42 | Nowell, Gertie |
| a.c. 43 | Buchanan, Martha |
| a.c. 44 | King, Lara Mae |
| a.c. 45-46 | Henry, Mildred |
| a.c. 47 | DeJournett, Shirley Fay |
| a.c. 48 | Hickson, Georgia |
| a.c. 49 | Watson, Ruby, Edna Harper, and Margaret Garner |
| a.c. 50 | Hager, Bessie Thelma |
| a.c. 51 | Rollins, Glenda Pauline |
| a.c. 52 | Jones, Irma |
| a.c. 53-54 | no tapes |
| a.c. 55-56 | Monument of Deliverance Church, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 57 | Whitehorn, Mildred and James |
| a.c. 58 | Peel, Trinita |
| a.c. 59-60 | Full Gospel Evangelical Church Choir, Hayti Heights, Missouri |
| a.c. 61-62 | Bronner, Flem E. |
| a.c. 63-64 | Eastside Spiritual Church Choir, Hayti Heights, Missouri |
| a.c. 65-66 | Newson, Jesse |
| a.c. 67 | Whitehorn, Kellie and Jasmine |
| a.c. 68-70 | Full Gospel True Holiness Church Youth Rally, Cottonwood Point, Missouri |
| a.c. 71-72 | North Sixth Street Church of God in Christ Choir, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 73-74 | Monument of Deliverance Church, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 75-76 | Higgerson, Lorene |
| a.c. 79 | Kinder, Helen, Gordon Gaines, Sheila Clark, and Sandra Skidmore |
| a.c. 80 | Skidmore, Sandra and Bernice Daniels |
| a.c. 81 | Roddy, Ed |
| a.c. 82-84 | First United Pentecostal Church, Kennett, Missouri |
| a.c. 85-86 | St. John Missionary Baptist Church Revival, Sikeston, Missouri |
| a.c. 87 | Riddle, Bill and Frieda |
| a.c. 88 | Garner, Ermer J. |
| a.c. 89-90 | Living Water Tabernacle, Blodgett, Missouri |
| a.c. 91 | Echoes of Joy |
| a.c. 92 | Jam Session, Paul's Jewelry and Pawn, Sikeston, Missouri |
| a.c. 93 | Frailey, Fred and Norma |
| a.c. 94 | Keene, Joe |
| a.c. 95 | Mobely, T. Everett |
| a.c. 96 | Windshield Survey, Portageville to Poplar Bluff, Missouri |
| a.c. 99-100 | Monument of Deliverance, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 101 | Cooper, Roy, Jr. |
| a.c. 102 | Chanvitayapongs, Songsiri |
| a.c. 103 | Kinfold Ridge Baptist Church, Caruthersville, Missouri |
| a.c. 104 | Bock, H. Riley |
| a.c. 105 | Full Gospel Evangelical Church Choir, Hayti Heights, Missouri |
| a.c. 106-107 | Williams, Maxwell |
| a.c. 108 | Nabors, Ray |
| a.c. 109 | Mercy Seat Baptist Church Choir, Charleston, Missouri |
| a.c. 110 | DeLisle, Joseph |
| a.c. 111 | Cotton Club, Holcomb |
| a.c. 112 | Live Gospel Radio Broadcast, KMIS Radio Station, Portageville, Missouri |
| a.c. 113 | Fisher, Thomas E. "Jake" |
| a.c. 114-115 | Freeman, Kent |
| a.c. 116 | Pfuehler, Phil |
| a.c. 117 | McFarland, Barry |
| a.c. 118 | Springer, Wayne |
| a.c. 119 | Treece, Carole |
| a.c. 120 | Barkovitz, Noah and Geraldine and Lynn Parshall |
| a.c. 121-123 | Armour, Benjamin and Osie |
| a.c. 124-125 | Cooperman, Eleanor and Jack |
| a.c. 126-128 | Driskill, Beryl and Linda |
| a.c. 129 | Fendler, Oscar |
| a.c. 130 | Falkoff, Richard |
| a.c. 131 | Ford, Billy J. and Carrie |
| a.c. 132 | Astrachan, Sol |
| a.c. 133 | Hunter, Martha, Rose Cheetam, and Mildred Henry |
| a.c. 134 | Henry, Mildred and Martha Hunter |
| a.c. 135 | Hunter, Martha and Mildred and Bud Henry |
| a.c. 136 | Brumley, Martha |
| a.c. 137 | Higgerson, Lorene |
| a.c. 138 | Peel, Trinita [Part II of interview with Jean Crandell- see a.c. 58] |
| a.c. 139 | Brassier, Ray, Field Notes, 1996 |
| a.c. 140-141 | Williams, Maxwell |
| a.c. 142 | Bootheel 45 RPM Records |
| a.c. 143 | Best of the Bootheel |
| a.c. 144 | Monument of Deliverance Church, Hayti, Missouri |
| a.c. 145 | Wandering Five |
| a.c. 146 | The Harmonettes |
| a.c. 147 | Bootheel Sampler |
| a.c. 148 | Six Minute Sampler |
| a.c. 149 | Art and Heritage of the Missouri Bootheel Sampler |
| a.c. 150 | Bootheel Sampler, 1996 |
| a.c. 151 | James, W.F. [Part III of interview with Debbie Bailey- see a.c. 7-8] |
| a.c. 152 | Crosby, Pansy |
| a.c. 153 | Van Cleve, Ballard |
| a.c. 154-156 | Baker, Charles |
| a.c. 157 | Walker, Calvin |
| a.c. 158 | "Songs of the West (More or Less)"- Sons of the Western Bootheel |
| a.c. 159 | "I Give You Jesus"- Fred & Norma Frailey |
| a.c. 160 | "Portrait of My Life"- Narvel Felts |
| a.c. 161 | "Season's Greetings"- Narvel Felts |
| rec. 1 | The Wandering Five
Side A- How Good God Has Been; Walk With Me
Side B- I'll Fly Away; I Thank the Lord Each Day I Live |
| rec. 2 | Narvel Felts
Side A- (I Can) Wrap My Arms Around the World
Side B- From Memphis to Malden |
| rec. 3 | Sand Hill Gang
Side A- The Love My Mama Gave
Side B- Nite Cap Boogie |
| rec. 4 | Brother Phelps
Side A- Eagle Over Angel
Side B- Let Go |
| rec. 5 | The Kentucky Headhunters
Side A- Dixie Fried
Side B- Celina Tennessee |
| rec. 6 | The Kentucky Headhunters
Side A- Ballad of Davy Crockett
Side B- Smooth |
| rec. 7 | Danny Adams
Side A- I'm Walking
Side B- Leave Me Alone |
| rec. 8 | Doyle Laws
Side A- Bullfrog Blues
Side B- If I Ever Needed Anyone |
| rec. 9 | Joe Keene
Side A- Working All Day and Loving All Night
Side B- Nobody Can Do It Like Me |
| v.c. 1 | "Time for Talk" Interviews- Charles Baker and Ray Brassieur |
| v.c. 2 | Wednesday Federated Music Club, Kennett, Missouri |
|