The Appalachian Dulcimer: Inspiring Stories of Devotion, Love, and Preservation

Creator: Miller, Jeremy

: Dixon, Amy

: Messick, Walter

In this project, Jeremy Miller interviewed Amy Dixon, about playing the Appalachian dulcimer, and Walter Messick about building the Appalachian dulcimer. During the interviews, Ms. Miller spoke of her cousin Jean Ritchie, building her first instrument, learning to play, and more. Mr. Messick spoke of gworing up in Philadelphia and later moving to Whitetop in Grayson County, being a pastor, learning to make instruments from Albert Hash, and building dulcimers on his own. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.