Skip to Main Content

OH035 Winnie Askew Oral History

Winnie Askew Oral History

Collection Title: West Kentucky History and Culture - Land Between the Lakes Series

Series Number: OH035

Interviewee: Askew, Winnie 1919-

Interviewer: Margaret Hopkins

Date interviewed: September 24, 1976

Processed by: Sheree Wise

Date processed: February 23, 2010

Description: 1 sound disc and 1 cassette tape - identical recordings (1 hour, 1 minute)

Abstract: Winnie Askew explores the routines and attitudes that marked the daily life of a homemaker during the 1940s on the Land Between the Lakes region of Kentucky. She recalls chores such as doing laundry, washing dishes, ironing and processing vegetables and fruit for storage. She also details gardening practices and the insects and pests with which confronted gardeners. Of particular interest are her recollections of how pillows were made, how materials were dyed and several other home crafts. She also discusses home remedies and provides incites into some of the social structures associated with women living and working on the Land Between the Lakes.

Biographical/Historical note: Winnie Herndon Askew was born in September 1919 in Trigg County, Kentucky. She was a daughter of a share cropper. She lived in various locations on the Land Between the Lakes, including Model, Tennessee and the area adjoining Bethlehem Church, Tennessee. She and her husband, Thomas Askew, farmed the area of land where the present buffalo range is located at the national park.

General information: No user access to original recordings. Use audio user copies, digital derivatives, transcripts, and/or tape indexes. This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission for reproduction must be requested from Murray State University.

Subject Headings/Descriptors:

Trigg County (Ky.)

Model (Tenn.)

Bethlehem Church (Tenn.)

Land Between the Lakes (Ky. and Tenn.) – History.

Housewives – Kentucky – History.

Women – Kentucky – Social conditions.

Research Notes: Poor audio quality.