Southern Appalachian Studies - 1962 Regional Survey Records,1956-1972

Author

Processed by: staff; machine-readable finding aid created by:M. Plarr

Title

Southern Appalachian Studies - 1962 Regional Survey Records

Date

1956-1972

Repository

Berea College Special CollectionsBerea, Kentucky 40404

Conditions Governing Access note

Copyright has not been assigned to Berea College.

Preferred Citation Note

[Identification of item], Southern Appalachian Studies - 1962 Regional Survey Records, KYSX188-A, 1956-1972Special Collections, Berea College, Berea, Ky.

Extent

ca. 63 lin. ft.; 205 audiotapes

Biography/History

Southern Appalachian Studies (SAS) was established as a result of the Interdenominational Conference of Religious Workers in 1956. At that conference, a need was expressed for more adequate information if the broad range of problems said to be plaguing the Appalachian region was to be meaningfully addressed. Dr. Willis D. Weatherford, Sr., who had called the conference, subsequently approached Berea College president Francis S. Hutchins and was granted the use of campus office facilities, secured a $250,000 research grant from the Ford Foundation, and became Director of Administration of SAS.

The purposes of research were: to examine changes in Appalachia since the 1935 U.S. Department of Agriculture study of the area; to determine whether such changes were constructive or destructive; to examine the state of the region's health, education, religion, and economy; to determine the needs of the people with reference to the American standard of living and culture; and to determine what practical solutions might be identified through analysis of SAS research. Findings were published in two books: THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION: A SURVEY (1962), edited by SAS Director of Research, Thomas R. Ford; and LIFE AND RELIGION IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIA (1962), by Willis D. Weatherford, Sr. and Earl D. C. Brewer.

Scope and Content

These detail sociological research conducted by Southern Appalachian Studies in the southern Appalachians from 1958 to 1962.

The collection details the research design and implementation involved in the SAS. It provides basic sociological data drawn from the Appalachian regions within Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, and resources for studying Appalachian migrants, tourism, religion, literature, agriculture, folk arts, and attitudes.

Subjects

• Appalachia -- Religion
• Appalachia -- Literature
• Appalachia -- Agriculture
• Appalachia -- Arts and crafts
• Alabama -- Surveys, social
• Georgia -- Surveys, social
• North Carolina -- Surveys, social
• Tennessee -- Surveys, social
• Virginia -- Surveys, social
• Appalachia -- Social problems
• Appalachia -- Economy
• Southern Appalachian Region: A Survey, edited by Thomas R. Ford (book)
• Life and Religion in Southern Appalachia, by W. D. Weatherford, Sr. and Earl D. C. Brewer (book)
• Appalachia -- Culture
• Appalachia -- Surveys, social
• Appalachia -- Migration
• Appalachia -- Tourism
• Appalachia -- Education
• Appalachia -- Health
• West Virginia -- Surveys, social