Granville Oral History Project

Project Overview

Why the Project was Done

How the Project was Done

People Who Made It Happen

Interview Questions

People Interviewed

Events Held

Granville Historical Society Website

Why the Granville Oral History Project was Done

From September 2001 through March 2002, the Granville Historical Society tape-recorded over 100 hours of interviews with residents of all ages, who talked about Granville over the past 50 years and how its location on the fringe of a metropolitan area is changing the community.

"We realized that we were losing a critical component of our history –the first hand memories of life in Granville during the past 50 years," said Dick Daly, former president of the Granville Historical Society.  Granville's bicentennial celebration in 2005 was another impetus for undertaking the project.

Granville has reached a critical time in its history, with many citizens questioning the future.  Thus, it is both important and timely to document the traditions and customs of the past as they contrast with the experiences of residents today – including students, farmers, teachers, small business owners, active members of service clubs, longtime residents, newer residents as well as residents who work in Columbus

Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Ohio Humanities Council (OHC) made this ambitious community endeavor possible.  "[ Yours is ] an excellent model for engaging community residents in understanding their place in history," states the congratulatory letter from NEH.

How the Granville Oral History Project was Done

Purpose

The purpose of the Oral History Project was to record, preserve, and publicly share an oral history of Granville during the latter half of the 20^th century, giving voice to those missing years through recorded interviews.

Process

1.   The Granville Historical Society's Oral History Committee identified 64 Interviewees (representative individuals and groups within the community – students, farmers, teachers, small business owners, employees of Columbus corporations, police officers, active members of service clubs, long-term residents, and persons who chose to retire in Granville)

2.  A team of 12 volunteer interviewers were trained in how to conduct the interviews, to establish rapport with the interviewee, and to develop strategies for eliciting responses to the basic core questions.

3.   All interviews were then taped, copied, and transcribed, with the original tapes preserved in the Granville Historical Society archives.

People Who Made It Happen

Granville Oral History Committee

Interviewers

Principal Consultant:  Dr. Howard Sacks

Interview Questions

Interviewees relayed their own personal stories and connection to Granville: 

·          how they would describe Granville

·          what special memories they have of Granville

·          how changes in technology, education, culture, urban encroachment have impacted Granville

·          what they think the future holds for Granville

People Interviewed

 Events Held

The purpose of the Oral History Project was to record, preserve, and publicly share an oral history of Granville during the latter half of the 20^th century.  In addition to many newspaper articles as well as excerpted highlights on this website, two public events brought the Oral History Project to life:

·        Hey Granville, Tell Us Your Story:  An Evening of Storytelling and Conversation with Howard Sacks  (May 21, 2002)

·        From Here:  A Century of Voices from Ohio  [ The Wallpaper Project ]   (June 6, 7, 8,  2003)

 Hey Granville, Tell Us Your Story:

    An Evening of Storytelling and Conversation

On May 21, 2002, a panel of four interviewees described the places, organizations, and personalities that defined Granville over the past 25 years.  Held at Burke Recital Hall on the Denison campus, the presentation was moderated by Dr. Howard Sacks, a Kenyon College professor specializing in folklore and consultant to the project. 

 The panelists were:

The four shared personal reminiscences and viewpoints, and answered questions from the audience of about 80.

From Here:  A Century of Voices from Ohio (The Wallpaper Project)

 What was The Wallpaper Project?

The Wallpaper Project began in 1998 when organizer Rachel Barber interviewed an Ohio auctioneer for an oral history project in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  He told the story of house for which he was to conduct an auction.  The house had been owned by three unmarried sisters who became wary of putting their money into banks during the Depression.  The local banker advised the auctioneer to be alert when they took things out of the house for the auction because “there’s money in that house!”  So when the workers took a picture off the wall, the auctioneer tapped the area behind the picture and detected a hollow.  Hidden in the hole behind five layers of wallpaper was $17,000!

 “Because the stories of everyday people are the treasures we seek, we’re called The Wallpaper Project.”

Funded by the Ohio Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Wallpaper Project is an oral history-based performance program throughout the state of Ohio.  Funny, poignant, and illuminating, the stories of various community members become the text for an original play, adapted by Cleveland playwright Eric Coble.  Converting personal narratives into drama makes history accessible and interesting to wide-ranging audiences.  People of all ages and backgrounds become engaged in the performance when they realize that their neighbors, friends, and relatives have told the stories dramatized before them. 

Granville’s production was one of forty being presented across Ohio during 2003 (the Ohio Bicentennial Year).  In each community, the cast is local.  The script uses oral histories from all over the state, with additional local stories inserted for each venue.

 The four performances of Granville’s oral history-based dramatic production occurred on June 6, 7, 8, 2003, in the Ace Morgan Theatre on the Denison University campus.  The Granville cast also performed at the Ohio State Fair in August of 2003.

Adapted by Eric Coble

Directed by Sarah Morton

Produced by the Granville Oral History Committee

 The Granville Cast