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MS69-05 Kentucky Folklore Society Papers

Address Information

Murray State University
200 Pogue Library
Murray, Kentucky 42071

Phone & Fax Numbers

(270) 809-6152
(270) 809-4295
FAX (270) 809-6153

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Kentucky Folklore Society Papers

Collection Title: Kentucky Folklore Society Papers

Series Number: MS69-05

Processed and Cataloged by: Dieter C. Ullrich

Date Listed: January 14, 2010

Date Span: 1925-1963

Size of Collection: 3.0 linear ft.

Number of Boxes: 3 legal sized document cases and 3 oversized boxes.

Type of Material: Correspondence, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks and ephemera.

Condition of Material: Fair with foxing and fading of older documents.

Arrangement: Chronological arrangement

Biographical / Historical Information: The Kentucky Folklore Society was founded in 1912 as a local branch of the American Folklore Society. From 1916 to 1950, its annual meeting was held in conjunction with the Kentucky Education Association in Louisville. Consisting largely of academics and school teachers, the Society emphasized research and teaching, both in public schools and at the college level. During the 1920s and '30s, the Society had two irregular publications, the Bulletin of the Kentucky Folk-Lore Society and the Kentucky Folk-Lore and Poetry Magazine. The Kentucky Folklore Record was first published in 1955 and gradually evolved into a more professional or academic journal with a scope that was not limited to Kentucky. Both the Kentucky Folklore Record and the Kentucky Folklore Society ceased to exist in approximately 1986.

Scope and Content: Collection consists of correspondence, scrapbooks, newspapers clippings and ephemera associated with the Kentucky Folklore Society from 1925 to 1963. The bulk of the collection covers the organization’s formative years from 1951 to 1963 when D. K. Wilgus served as editor to the Kentucky Folklore Record. The correspondence centers upon the organization and planning of the organization’s annual meetings and letters to and from scholars and authors. The collection includes a few drafts of presentations and articles, constitution, a brief history of the organization, financial records and subject oriented scrapbooks.

Subject Headings / Descriptors:

Kentucky Folklore Society

Folklore – Kentucky

Kentucky – Social life and customs

Wilgus, D. K.

Additional Sources: 

Kentucky Folklore Society Records, ca. 1912-1957. Kentucky State Archives. Collection contains minutes, financial reports, and some correspondence from the Kentucky Folklore Society.

D. K. Wilgus Folklore Collection, 1918-1989. Borea College. Special Collections and Archives. Collection contains collected works of regional folklorists and personal papers.

Kentucky Folklore Record. Series ran from 1955 to 1987

Kentucky Folklore Series. Series ran from 1955 to 1986

Bulletin of the Kentucky Folk-lore Society. Series ran from 1931 to 1938

Kentucky Folk-lore and Poetry Magazine. Series ran from 1926 to 1931

Research Notes: Open to the public for educational research. Restrictions may apply due to deteriorating conditions of the originals. Check for copyright restrictions.

Box List

Box 1

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence 1927-1942
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Speech on the hill people of Todd County, Kentucky by N.C. Edmistor 1930
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence April-October, 1951
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence November-December, 1951
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-September 1952
  6. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-November 1952
  7. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1953
  8. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-July 1953
  9. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence September-October, 1953
  10. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence November-December 1953
  11. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1954
  12. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-December 1954
  13. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January 1955
  14. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence February-March 1955
  15. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence April-June 1955
  16. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence July-August 1955
  17. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence September-October 1955
  18. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence November-December 1955

Box 2

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January 1956
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence February-March 1956
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence April-June 1956
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence July-September 1956
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-December 1956
  6. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-February 1957
  7. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence March-May 1957
  8. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence June-September 1957
  9. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-November 1957
  10. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence December 1957
  11. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-February 1958
  12. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence March-April 1958
  13. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-July 1958
  14. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence August-September 1958
  15. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-December 1958
  16. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1959
  17. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-September 1959
  18. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-December 1959

Box 3

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1960
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-August 1960
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence September-December 1960
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1961
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence May-September 1961
  6. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence October-December 1961
  7. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence January-April 1962
  8. Kentucky Folklore Society May-July 1962
  9. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence August-December 1962
  10. Kentucky Folklore Society Correspondence 1963
  11. Kentucky Folklore Society Copyright Certificates 1959-1960
  12. Kentucky Folklore Society Constitution
  13. Kentucky Folklore Society Financial Statements 1925-1962
  14. Kentucky Folklore Society History of Organization
  15. Kentucky Folklore Society Inventories 1956-1963
  16. Kentucky Folklore Society Program Announcements 1953-1957
  17. Kentucky Folklore Society Western (Kentucky) Folklore Club-Constitution Included 1956-1960
  18. Kentucky Folklore Society Miscellaneous- Folklore Material
  19. Kentucky Folklore Society Miscellaneous- Loose Papers 1951-1962

Box 4

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook

Box 5

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  6. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook

Box 6

  1. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  2. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  3. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  4. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook
  5. Kentucky Folklore Society Papers 1925-1963: Scrapbook