On June 23, 2015, Michael Kline interviewed Donald Stobbs at his farm in Colerain, Ohio. Donald W. Stobbs was born on June 21, 1921, in St. Clairsville, Ohio, to Matthew and Lena (Sunderman) Stobbs. He served as a US Navy Pilot during World War II, stationed in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, Donald became a farmer until his retirement. He was a charter life member of the Colerain VFW Post 8848 and a member of Colerain Presbyterian Church, the Colerain Farm Bureau, and the Colerain Senior Citizens Center.

Donald Mattingly, also known as "Duck," was born on May 4, 1944. He was raised in the seventh district, in a place he refers to as his home place. His father, Joseph Olin Mattingly, was one of the biggest seafood dealers in St. Mary’s County. Donald grew up in a community where oyster shucking was a common occupation, with many people, mostly people of color, working in the shuck houses. He recalls his father going as far as Piney Point to pick up shuckers to bring down to shuck oysters.

Interview with Drusilla Ice.

Interview with Edith Coltrane and Kemp Davis, Sierra Club members, Deep River Citizens Coalition

Edwin Veola Hutt (1918-2009)

By the age of fourteen, Hutt was running the family cannery, helping out on the farm and boxing eggs in the post office located in his father’s general store. Hutt donated to the Museum several cannery tokens that were used in place of cash to pay his workers through the World War Two era.

Michael Kline interviewed Ella Wanda Edwards, also known as Teenie, for the Steamboat Era Museum Oral History Project. Born on September 26, 1920, on Gwynn's Island, Virginia, Ella Wanda Edwards grew up in a family of thirteen children, enjoying a close-knit community filled with honest, upright people. The interview begins with Edwards sharing her childhood memories and the origins of her nickname, Teenie. She fondly recalls the trust and camaraderie among the island's residents, including a valued worker named Bozo, who was integral to the community despite his fear of water.

Erin Bowers is a dedicated educator and environmental activist with a rich background that includes service in the Army Reserves. Raised in a working-class Catholic household, Bowers' early experiences shaped her values and commitment to community service. Her career in education has been marked by a deep commitment to fostering learning and growth in young people. Beyond her professional role, Bowers has been actively involved in environmental activism, with a particular focus on opposing fracking in her local community.

Etta Gayheart, an octogenarian from Wolfpen, Knott County, Kentucky, has lived a life rich in experiences and memories. Born and raised in Smithboro, Kentucky, she has seen the transformation of her hometown over the years, including the construction of a lake that significantly impacted the local community. Her life story is a tapestry of personal and communal experiences, from her childhood memories of her parents and grandparents to her career as a state worker. Her father was a coal miner, and her mother worked in the local schools, cooking for the students.

At 101 Mrs. Braxton was articulate and good humored. A native of Middlesex County, she described her tenure teaching at African-American schoolhouses and earlier, working in the dairy at her childhood home. She graphically depicted the sounds and excitement that ensued with the coming of the steamboats. Her daughter Xennia Long rounded out the interview with her poetry on local life and culture.

Forest Blume, a native of Fayette County, West Virginia, has a rich family history rooted in the early settlement of the area. His grandfather was among the first settlers. Blume worked as a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources. His role encompassed a broad range of responsibilities, from enforcing litter laws to executing warrants in the rural counties of West Virginia.