Carr Creek Oral History Project

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Nicole Musgrave
  • This collection is comprised of audio-recorded interviews conducted during 2022-2023 by folklorist Nicole Musgrave with support from the Kentucky Oral History Commission. Her work was part of an effort to document the geographic and human impact of the construction of the Carr Fork Reservoir in southeastern Kentucky, which was completed in 1976. The collection’s twenty interviews with residents of Knott, Letcher and Perry Counties range in focus and content. Most of the interviewees were affected by dislocation in some way. They express different opinions about the lake and its impact on the community. Most interviewees share memories of what the area was like before the lake was built, and many have vivid memories of what the construction process was like.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Kyra Shiann Higgins Carr Creek Oral History Project

Interview with Kyra Higgins 

Nicole Musgrave Redfox, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Nancy Adams Pigman Carr Creek Oral History Project
Interview with Nancy Adams Pigman
Nicole Musgrave Knott County, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Anne Amburgey Wagner Carr Creek Oral History Project

Anne Amburgey Wagner is a retired schoolteacher who dedicated over twenty-eight years of her life to educating elementary grade students. Born in Hazard, Kentucky, she spent her early years in a small community known as Smithboro in Knott County. Her childhood was spent in a holler, a small valley between mountains, until she was fifteen when her family relocated to London, Kentucky. Her family consisted of her parents, Dorothy Blair Amburgey and Tandy Amburgey, and her three brothers, Don, Anthony, and Gary Kevin.

Nicole Musgrave London, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Paul Collins Carr Creek Oral History Project

Interview with Paul Collins

Nicole Musgrave Hazard, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Robert C. Young Carr Creek Oral History Project

Bob had family who lived in the Carr Creek area and who were dislocated because of the reservoir. Bob shares that one of his aunts died shortly after having to leave her homeplace at the lake, and Bob believes the move contributed to her death.

Nicole Musgrave Hindman, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Roni Gilpin Carr Creek Oral History Project

Interview with Roni Gilpin

Nicole Musgrave Casey County, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Charles "Feller" Frazier Carr Creek Oral History Project

Charles Feller Frazier, better known as Feller, is a native of Cody, Kentucky, born in New York City while his parents were working there. His family moved back to Kentucky, where they started their business, and Feller has lived there ever since. His father's family originally hailed from Letcher County, Kentucky, from a community called Hot Spot, while his mother's family was from Jackson County, Kentucky, near Annville. Feller's parents met in Vicco, Kentucky, and after working on the road for a while, they returned home to start their business.

Nicole Musgrave Knott County, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Roy Crawford Carr Creek Oral History Project

Interview with Roy Crawford 

Nicole Musgrave Whitesburg, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Corbett Mullins Carr Creek Oral History Project

Interview with Corbett Mullins

Nicole Musgrave Mallie, KY Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission
Sherry Lee Parks Carr Creek Oral History Project

Sherry Lee Parks

Nicole Musgrave North Vassalboro, ME Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Kentucky Oral History Commission