Tales from the Back Stoop
Abstract
The Tales from the Back Stoop Collection consists of 1.5 linear feet of audiocassette recordings of interviews of Milledgeville and Baldwin County residents, typed transcriptions in paper and electronic format, and the script "The Day the Capitol Building Caught Fire" by David Muschell.
Historical Note
The Tales from the Back Stoop group began seeking volunteers to interview Milledgeville and Baldwin County's aging community members in February 2001 in an effort to preserve Milledgeville's dying oral history. Based on an oral history project that began in 1991 in Colquitt, Georgia called Swamp Gravy, the group struggled with a name that created a unique identity, one possibility being Tales from the Front Porch. Following Swamp Gravy's lead, the Milledgeville group aspired to produce skits based on the interviews and recollections that could serve to unite the community.
The first skit was held on May 11, 2002 as a preview of the group's work. Since its inception, Tales from the Back Stoop has staged performances at Georgia Military College, Oconee Regional Medical Center, the First United Methodist Church, as well as other venues. Tales from the Back Stoop was also awarded a $600 grant from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia in 2002-2003 to help them purchase equipment and supplies for gathering oral histories.
Scope and Content
The Tales from the Back Stoop Collection currently contains 1.5 linear feet of material. Included in the collection are audiocassette recordings of interviews, typed transciptions in paper and electronic format, and the script "The Day the Capitol Building Caught Fire" by David Muschell, adapted from stories by Furmor Hargrove, Harold Goodrich, and Billy Hargrove.
Through the interviews, it is possible to see aspects of Milledgeville and Baldwin County's history, social life, and folklore.
More information on the group and their activities may be found at the Tales from the Back Stoop web site, the Union-Recorder, and the Baldwin Bulletin.
The Tales from the Back Stoop Collection is open to all qualified researchers.
Provenance and Arrangement
Interviews continue to be donated from volunteers of the Tales from the Back Stoop group.
Interviews are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the interviewee. Box 1 contains transcriptions of the interviews. Box 2 contains the audiocassette recordings of the interviews and typed transcriptions on 3.5 floppy disks and compact discs.
