Say \'Boo\' To Big Stone Gap: Ghost Stories from Big Stone Gap, VA.
Creator
Mirizio, Eryne
Blanken, Arlene
Smith, Robin
Calton, Charlie
In this project, Eryne Mirizio, who was from the suburbs of Northern Virginia, grew up in a town with not very much in the way of historical buildings, so she decided to do her project on ghost stories in a town very different from any in Northern Virginia. Her project focuses on the ghost stories of Big Stone Gap, Virginia and for it, she interviewed storyteller Arlene Blanken of Big Stone Gap; family friend Robin Smith, also of Big Stone Gap; and Charlie Calton who was aware of additional ghost stories of the area. 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.