History project focuses on Tucker`s Grove

Members of the Lincoln County Historical Association will be roaming Tucker’s Grove camp meeting this week in search of subjects for a new project.
They’re hoping to find people who will let them interview them as part of the Lincoln County Voices Oral History Project, which aims to document and preserve the rich history and heritage of the African American community by collecting personal histories through interviews.
And they think Tucker’s Grove will be the perfect place to find people with stories to tell.
“That’s the place to go meet the people and talk to the people,” said Jason Harpe, director of the Lincoln County Museum of History.
This week at Tucker’s Grove, project organizers will be passing out fliers to let those attending the event know they’re there. They’re particularly looking for elderly people who are interested in telling their stories about growing up black in Lincoln County, Harpe said.
The fliers will direct people to a table that will be set up for interviewing, he said.
For those people who can’t make it to the table, volunteers will come to their tents and talk to them there, Harpe said.
Harpe said the project is important to Lincoln County because so much of the African American history here has gone undocumented.
He hopes to add names to a growing list of people to be interviewed.
Once the initial interviews are done, they’ll be transcribed and eventually incorporated into an exhibition.
More volunteers — especially interviewers — are still needed for the project. With a goal of 50 to 75 completed interviews by early 2005, the project organizers need any help they can get.
Volunteers will be trained on what questions to ask and how to handle different situations. The suggested interview time is about an hour and a half, Harpe said, but session lengths can vary depending on the person.
For more information on the project or to volunteer to help, call Harpe at 704-748-9090.by Alice Smith