Collection Overview
Title: George Alexander Papers (Hindman Settlement School), 1916-1979
Creator: Alexander, George.
Extent: 4.0 Boxes (General)
Languages: English [eng]
Abstract
In the summer of 1964, Englishman George Alexander, who had a background in English folk and dance songs and an interest in Anglo-American folklore and song, was invited by Raymond McLain to spend a year in the Kentucky mountains at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, Knott County. Staying at Hindman, Alexander would work as an extension specialist visiting a number of rural schools. In 1965, Alexander took a leave of absence from his teaching post in Surrey, to become (as set by the limits of his exchange visa) “Musicmobile Director and Folk Arts Teacher.” He worked with numerous rural schools in the Appalachian region in 1965 and 1966 and, as he had become so taken by the people and wealth of experience open to him, returned to Hindman in December of 1967 to continue his work for another year and a half.
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This collection consists of the writings and records of George Alexander who worked as an extension specialist with the Hindman Settlement School and rural public schools during the mid to late 1960s. The collections consists of his journals, correspondence, autobiographical writings, songbooks, travel notes, photographic slides, and phonographic records. Included in the collection are: records detailing Alexander’s travels from England to Kentucky; detailed notes on his numerous visits to rural schools including number of visits to each school, songs taught, student attendance records, and maps to schools; notes on people and areas Alexander meet and visited; research Alexander conducted on the Hindman Settlement School, Kentucky, and the state of the education system in rural Kentucky; numerous photographs (in slide format) of rural schools, students, school programs, folk dance events, and places Alexander visited; correspondence with Hindman staff and others; and papers regarding Alexander’s return travels to the United States and Canada in the 1970s.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions:
Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.
Use Restrictions:
There are no restrictions on use of this material other than federal copyright regulations.
Preferred Citation:
[Object identification], George Alexander Hindman Settlement School Papers, 1916-1979, Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Berea, KY.
Processing Information:
The collection was processed by Lori Myers-Steele, Collections Archivist. The collection was opened for research in September 2015.
Other Note:
The collection was opened for research in September 2015.
BCA 0150 SAA 151
Box and Folder Listing
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Alexander's Hindman History Notes from Primary Sources
- Folder 2: George Alexander Auto Biographical writing- Kentucky Breakdown
- Folder 3: George Alexander Auto Biographical writing- Kentucky Here I come
- Folder 4: George Alexander Auto Biographical writing- Hindman History
- Folder 5: George Alexander- Mary Ruth Abbott Correspondence
- Folder 6: George Alexander/ William Tallmadge Correspondence
- Folder 7: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1965
- Folder 8: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1966
- Folder 9: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1967
- Folder 10: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1968
- Folder 11: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1969
- Folder 12: George Alexander, General Correspondence, 1970
- Folder 13: George Alexander, Canada-Summer, 1970
- Folder 14: George Alexander, Canada-Summer, 1971
- Folder 15: George Alexander, Canada-Summer, 1972
- Folder 16: George Alexander, Canada-Summer, 1973
- Folder 17: George Alexander, Canada-Summer, 1974
- Folder 18: George Alexander, U.S. visit, 1979
- Folder 19: Student Writing- Leslie County- Neighborhood Youth Corps
- Folder 20: George Alexander- Misc. Items
- Folder 21: Lonesome Tunes Songbook: Folk songs from the Kentucky Mountains
- Folder 22: Folk-songs of English Origin Collection in The Appalachian Mountains by Cecil J. Sharp (2nd series)
- Folder 23: Notebook I- of Travels and visits to schools, 1968-1969
- Folder 24: Notebook II - of travels and visits to schools, 1968-1969
- Folder 25: Notebook, 1968
- Box 2
- Item 1: Journal of Visit to U.S.A (August 1965-August 1966), by George Alexander
- Item 2: CD-Dance Music and a Song Pant Corlan yr Wyn Gathering Peascobs The Pibroch
- Item 3: 45 rpm Phonograph record- Pant Corlan yr Wyn (Welsh Folk Dance), Musical Director: Huig Hofman
- Item 4: 45 rpm Phonograph record- The Pibroch (Stanford), John Hassell Recording by George Alexander
- Box 3
- Folder 1: 152 Half-frame Color Slides- Folk Dance Events/ Kentucky places/ Scenes (1967-1970)
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Half-frame Color Slides- Knott County, Kentucky Rural Schools (1967-1970) - Photographs of presentations and other school activities