Carraro / Weller "Retracing Russell Lee" Project Collection

1991-1993

 

11 linear feet

13 document cases

3 oversize boxes

 

Acquisition: Gift donated by Francine Carraro and Eric Weller , 1994.

Access: Direct inquiries to Archivist, Albert B. Alkek Library, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666-4604. (512) 245-2313.

 

Processed by: Amanda Oates, 2000.

Project History:

In July, 1991, a team of photographers and oral historians from Texas State University-San Marcos set out to retrace the steps of Farm Security Administration photographer, Russell Lee (1903-1986). Fifty years after Lee visited and photo-documented the living and working conditions of the Depression era communities of San Augustine, Texas, and Pie Town, New Mexico, this group was inspired by Lee's FSA images held at TxState's Southwestern Writers Collection. The group visited these same two towns Lee visted, in some cases the same people, taking photographs and conducting oral histories. The team was funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation, and was led by Francine Carraro, Ph.D., and Eric Weller, M.F.A., students included Tom Anderson, Kathleen Dolan, Homero Garcia, Kerri Madden, Darryl Meyer, Stephanie Shaddock, Karen Sorenson, Mark Edward Smith, Russell Smyth, and Sondra Talbert.

The oral histories and photographs taken by this team led to an exhibit and accompanying catalog featuring selected photographs and portions of the oral histories. The exhibit was first shown at TxState in September, 1992, and traveled to Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) and Stephen F. Austin University (Nacogdoches, TX) in 1993.

Jean Lee, widow of Russell Lee, and Bill Wittliff, founding donor of the Southwestern Writers Collection and the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography, donated a significant collection of Russell Lee's vintage FSA prints and field notes, as well as cameras, personal papers, and photographs spanning Lee's entire lifetime and career, to the Southwestern Writers Collection beginning in 1986. While other institutions such as the Library of Congress, National Archives, University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Louisville also hold important Russell Lee collections, the collection at Texas State University-San Marcos includes the largest group of vintage FSA prints.

For more information about photographer Russell Lee, please visit our web site at www. library.txstate.edu/swwc/wg/exhibits/rlee/.

 

Scope and Contents:

This collection includes oral histories recorded on audio cassette tapes, transcriptions, videotapes, photographs, notes, and exhibit text panels which document this project, retracing FSA photographer Russell Lee's Depression era work in Pie Town, NM and San Augustine, TX. Dates range from 1991-1993.

 

 

Series descriptions :

1. Oral Histories (1991)

Audiocassette tapes and transcriptions of oral histories taken by team members are arranged into Subseries A: Pie Town, New Mexico, and Subseries B : San Augustine, TX. Under each town, materials are filed in alphabetical order by the name of the subject, with the audiocassette tapes first, followed by the transcripts. Most tapes have transcriptions, several do not.

2. Videotapes (1991)

The majority of videotapes in this series document the project by capturing the team members traveling and planning their progress, and by including some oral history work. These tapes are marked either "Pie Town" or "San Augustine", and are numbered. Additionally, one tape includes a thirty-minute interview with Russell Lee circa 1975, produced by Paul Hightower.

3. Exhibit Catalog (1991-1992)

This series includes notes, drafts of the catalog text, page proofs, and one final copy.

4. Exhibit Panels (1992)

The exhibit text panels include roughly the same text as is featured in the exhibit catalog, and are mounted on white mats.

5. Photographs (1991)

Photographs of Pie Town and San Augustine by Kathleen Dolan, Kerri Madden, Daryl Meyer, and Mark Edward Smith are included in this series. They are arranged by photographer in alphabetical order, then in groups featuring Pie Town and San Augustine.

 

Inventory

 

Box File

Series 1 : Oral Histories (1991)

Subseries A : Pie Town

Barney, Arden and Josie

Transcription 606 1

Coon, Andy, and Coonridge, Nancy (The Goat People)

Tape 606 2

Transcription 606 3

Crawford, Beatrice (also Don and Nita Kearbey)

Tapes (2) 606 4

Hill, Mike

Tapes (3) 606 5

Transcription 606 6

Hill, Mike and Chris

Tape 606 7

Transcription 606 8

Hogg, Jim (tape only, also includes Mary and Richard Medlin, and Molly Thomas) 606 9

Hoggett, Ms. (tape only, filed with McCoy, Tim) 607 6

Hutton, Pat

Tape 606 10

Johnson, Barbara Ann

Transcription 607 1

Kearney, Don (filed under Nita Larronde)

Larronde, Nita, and Kearney, Don

Tape 607 2

Transcription 607 3

Lee, Dan

Tape 607 4

Transcription 607 5

McCoy, Tim (and Ms. Hoggett)

Tape 607 6

McGee, Bob

Tapes (3) 607 7

Transcription 607 8

McGee, Opal

Tapes (2) 607 9

Transcription 607 10

McGee, Opal and Bob

Transcription 607 11

McKee, Maudie Bell

Tape 608 1

Transcription 608 2

McKee, Roy

Tape 608 3

Transcription 608 4

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 1 : Oral Histories (1991), cont.

Subseries A : Pie Town, cont.

McKee, Sam

Tapes (2) 608 5

Transcription 608 6

Medlin, Mary and Richard

(tape only, filed under Hogg, Jim) 606 9

Norris, Rex and Granvil

Transcription 608 7

See also tape with Granvil Norris and Kathryn Roberts,

filed under Roberts)

Panks, Dan

Tapes (2) 608 8

Transcription 608 9

Roberts, Kathryn

Tapes (4, plus 1 w/ Granvil Norris) 608 10

Transcription 609 1

Shalbar, Colita

Transcription 609 2

Sibille, Stanley

Tapes (2) 609 3

Thomas, Molly (tape only, filed under Hogg, Jim) 606 9

Williams, Bernadine, with Clifford, Page, and Crystal

Transcription 609 4

Williams, Calvin

Tape 609 5

Transcription 609 6

Unidentified transcription 609 7

Numbered Pie Town tapes (oral history interviews

with named persons)

#1 Lester Jackson, Fred Gengehagel, Bernadine

Williams 609 8

#2 Blank? 609 8

#3 Rudy Akin, Frank Elliot, Barbara Johnson 609 9

#4 Barbara Johnson, Molly Thomas, Arden and

Josie Barney 609 9

#5 Barneys, Lola Albin, Russell LeGaudiet, Russell 609 10

#6 [no info] 609 10

#7 [no info] 609 10

Notes from numbered Pie Town tapes 609 11

 

 

 

 

 

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 1 : Oral Histories (1991), cont.

Subseries B : San Augustine

Alford, A.B. "Red" (tape only, filed under Dorsey) 610 7

Birdwell, Harold (tape only, filed under Dorsey) 610 7

Brewer, Flo (tape only, filed under Dorsey) 610 7

Bridges (Pharmacist) (tape filed under Murpheys)

Brittain, James and Barbara

Tape 610 1 Notes 610 2

Bryan, Sheriff

Tape 610 3

Notes 610 4

Clark, Ed

Tapes (2) 610 5

Transcriptions 6

Dorsey, Ruby and Cornell

Tape (also includes Alford , Birdwell and Brewer) 610 7

Tape (also includes Leroy Lane) 610 8

Tape (also includes Leroy Lane)Oglesby, and 610 9

Carolyn and Joe Ladner)

Notes 611 1

Goetz, Curt

Tape 611 2

Transcription 611 3

Grant, Jewell

Transcription 611 4

Hardy, Ray

Tapes (3) 611 5

Transcription 611 6

Jackson, Micheal

Transcription 611 7

Ladner, Joe & Carol

Tape (filed under Dorsey) 610 9

Notes 611 8

Lane, Leroy

Tape (filed under Dorsey) 610 8

Notes 611 9

Lane, William and Ha

Transcription 611 10

Matthews, Woodrow

Transcription 611 11

Mitchell, Rudy

Tapes (2) 611 12

Notes 611 13

 

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 1 : Oral Histories (1991), cont.

Subseries B : San Augustine, cont.

Murpheys, and Tommy

Tapes (2) (also includes Pharmacist Bridges,

and Willie Mae Tendall) 612 1

Notes 612 2

Nichols, Jack

Tape 612 3

Transcriptions 612 4

Oglesby

(Tape only, filed under Dorsey) 610 9

Roberts, Kay

Tape 612 5

Transcription 612 6

Ruth, Young William

Transcriptions (marked tape 5B) 612 7

Tendall, Willie Mae (tape filed under Murpheys) 612 1

Wade, Nelsyn

Tape 612 8

Transcription 612 9

Whitton

Tapes (4) 612 10

Transcription 612 11

Unidentified transcription 613 1

"San Augustine lecture - with Sam Malone, Lavonne

Tendall, Willie Mae Tendall" (2 tapes) 613 2

"San Augustine" Numbered tapes

#s 1-2 613 3

#s 3-4 613 4

#s 5-6 613 5

#7 613 6

"Cruising San Augustine" (2 tapes) 613 7

Subseries C : Oral history tapes with no transcript, unidentified location

Hay, Arlan 613 8

Martin, Maxie 614 1

Murphy, Richard (2) 614 2

Piper, Sue and John 614 3

Ray 614 4

Revival 614 5

Roberts, Tom 614 6

Skillern 614 7

White Rock Tie and Lumber 614 8

 

 

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 2 : Videotapes

Russell Lee interview (b/w, poor quality, Produced by

Paul Hightower, ca. 30 minutes, ca. 1975),

followed by unidentified color footage 615 1

"Russell Lee #2 - Pie Town" (color) 615 2

0-175 Hotel briefings

176- 898 Catherine McKee Roberts

899-1081 Hotel in Pie Town

1082-1180 Parade, Norris Ranch

"Russell Lee #3 Pie Town" (color) 615 3

0-377 Norris Ranch cot.

378-616 McKee Ranch

617-1348 Molly at the dump

1349-1801 Hogg Ranch

"Russell Lee #4 - Pie Town" (color) 615 4

0-528 Hogg Ranch

528 -1130 Woody's house (fire)

1131-1683 McGee Ranch branding

1726-1756 Pie Town canine

1773 Goat folks

"San Augustine #1" (color) 616 1

0-721 Murphy (County Clerk)

721-890 Francine C. and Eric W. on television

891-1100 Kids on street

1101-1126 Victorian house, churches

1126 - James Brittain

"San Augustine #2" (color) 616 2

0-342 James Brittain

343-894 Barber shop

894-1164 Saw mill

1164-1719 Ray Kraft

1719-1807 Verba Lee

"San Augustine #5" (color) 616 3

"San Augustine #6" (color) 616 4

Includes Young William Ruth

"Francine" (a copy of commercial videotape on New 617 1

Zealand painter Colin McMahon)

"El Camino Real : The Royal Road to San Augustine" by 617 2

Forrest Oglesbee, Eagle Scout Project, 1989

"Reed Chapel Baptist Church [service], San Augustine" 617 3

"Rev. Fred Dade & China Chapel at the Sabine Valley

Association at the Taylor Tabernacle, October,

1990" (color) 617 4

"Daguerre : The Birth of Photography" documentary 618 1

 

 

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 3 : Catalog (1991-1992)

Pie Town general notes 618 2

Pie Town Intro notes 618 3-5

Pie Town Summary (typescript photocopy) 618 6-7

San Augustine Intro notes 618 8-9

San Augustine Summary 618 10

General Summary Notes by Karen and Sondra 618 11

Proofs 618 12

Final copy 618 13

Series 4 : Exhibit Panels (2 boxes) 619-620

Series 5: Photographs

Subseries A: Kathleen Dolan 621 1

Pie Town

Barbara Johnson's House, 1991

Walker Larronde Kearney, 1991

Wedding Reception, 1991

Near Pie Town, 1991

Coonridge Farm, 1991

Mr. Clark, 1991

Lester Jackson, 1991

Rosemary Hutton, 1991

House on Datil Highway, 1991

Jim Hogg, 1991

Rosemary Hutton's House, 1991

Jim Hogg's residence

At the July Fourth Parade, (Quemado, NM), 1991

[Woman with wolf people at grocery store]

[Kearney girl]

Rex Norris and Granvil Norris, 1991

Autumn Laurel Larronde Kearney, 1991

Bernadine Williams, 1991

Beatrice Crawford's Gate, 1991

Wedding Reception Dance, 1991

San Augustine 621 2

Cecil Murphy, 1991

John Oglesbee, 1991

Joe Ladner, 1991

[Reporter]

[Leroy]

Arlen Hays, 1991

Barber Shop, 1991

Texaco Statioin, 1991

Sheriff Charles Bryan, 1991

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 5: Photographs, cont.

Subseries A: Kathleen Dolan, cont.

San Augustine, cont.

 

Preacher's Son, 1991 621 2

Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Dorsey, 1991

Mike Jackson's House, 1991

Leroy Lane, 1991

Downtown Saturday, 1991

Verba Lee, 1991

Texaco Station, 1991

Verba Lee's Family, 1991

Verba Lee, 1991

Unidentified Location 621 3

[Man repairing electric appliance]

Subseries B: Kerri Madden

Pie Town 621 4

Beatrice Crawford, 1991

Interviewing Kathryn Roberts, 1991

John Piper, 1991

Kathleen Dolan, 1991

Nita Larronde and Autumn Laurel Kearney, 1991

Water Wagons, 1991

San Augustine 621 5

Tom Roberts, 1991

True Vine Church, 1991

True Vine Church, 1991

Unidentified Locations 621 6

[Welding]

[Man under flag]

Subseries C : Darryl Meyer

Pie Town 621 7

Pie Town Post Office, 1991

Pie Town Post Office, 1991

Barbara Anne Johnson, 1991

Tom Brannon, 1991

Charles H. Hutzen, 1991

San Augustine 621 8

Liberty, 1991

First Methodist Church, 1991

First Methodist Church, 1991

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 5: Photographs, cont.

Subseries C : Darryl Meyer, cont.

San Augustine, cont.

After the Church Service, 1991 621 8

Unidentified Location 621 9

[Hay bales]

[Man sitting by window]

 

Mark Edward Smith

Pie Town 621 10

Catarino Amaya, 1991

Roy and Maudie Bell McKee, 1991

Old Homesteader's Dugout, 1991

Old Homesteader's Dugout, 1991

Bob Magee Ranch, 1991

Sombra del Gallo, 1991

The Barney House Under Construction, 1991

[Barney's House Construction]

Paul Thomas' Old Cabin, 1991

Lester Jackson's House, 1991

Wes Hudson, Dan Lee, Melvin Hudson, 1991

Wes Hudson, Dan Lee, Melvin Hudson, 1991

Wes Hudson and Phil McKinley, 1991

Old Pie Town Road, 1991

Russell Smyth Interviewing Mike Hill, 1991

Melvin "Cotton" Hudson, 1991

Old Water Tower, 1991

Sam McKee and Petie, 1991

Vivian, Jeremiah, Catherine, and Jessie Bergkvist with Crystal and

Sissy Williams, 1991

Roy McKee's Garden, 1991

Mike Hill, 1991

Amber Lee Hudson, 1991

Wes Hudson and Phil McKinley, 1991

 

San Augustine 621 11

Nelsyn's Furniture Store, 1991

Nelsyn's Furniture Store, 1991

Ace Hardware, 1991

Ace Hardware, 1991

Kay Roberts and Georgia May Roberts, 1991

Kay Roberts and Georgia May Roberts, 1991

7:50, 1991

Nichols Family Reunion, 1991

Mayor Curt Goetz, 1991

Cattle Auction, 1991

Inventory, cont.

Box File

Series 5: Photographs, cont.

Subseries D : Mark Edward Smith, cont.

San Augustine, cont.

Future Home of the Museum, 1991 621 11

San Augustine Public Library, 1991

Downtown Saturday, 1991

White Rock Logging Scale, 1991

Sallie Whitton, 1991

First Methodist Church, 1991

San Augustine Livestock Marcket, 1991

Josie Nichols, 1991

Bogard Farms, 1991

Bill Whitton, 1991

Renfro Furniture Store, 1991

Kay Roberts, 1991

White Rock Tie and Lumber, 1991

Garner Family Reunion, 1991

San Marcos

Tom Anderson and Homero Garcia Interviewing 621 12

Vista McCroskey,1991