Interview with Jerry Clark Metcalfe, July 31, 1991

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Jerry Metcalfe, on July 31st, 1991, and the interviewer is Elizabeth Albert.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe discusses land in Kentucky that affects agricultural possibilities. He discusses the economics of farming and its competition with coal mining.

Keywords: Agricultural land; Coal mines; Dairy land; Farming; Forests; Harlan County (Ky.); Land; Lumber; Specialty crops; Subsistence farming

Subjects: Agriculture--Economic aspects; Agriculture--Kentucky; Family farms

Partial Transcript: So, before coal, there was lots of little subsistence type farms that were self-sufficient and, uh, I won't say they were particularly profitable, but they were, uh, uh, on a fair scale with, with other farms in Kentucky. Uh, uh, they, they raised their families.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about the tradition of subsistence farming. He discusses what he wants for the future of the land that his family owns and how he plans to divide it among his children. He talks about his and his wife's family histories.

Keywords: Apples; Civil War; Collateral; Dividing land; Family; Gardens; Heritage; Inheritance; Land; Money; Profits; Property

Subjects: Agriculture--Economic aspects; Agriculture--Kentucky; Families.; Family farms; Farms, small; Genealogy; Subsistence farming

Partial Transcript: So the farm thing, uh, I suppose this was--this is the first--or it's credited as being the first commercial farm in Harlan County.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about his father starting an orchard to use the hillside land. He talks about what they do to make the land as productive as possible. He discusses the effect of weather and environment on apple production.

Keywords: Apples; Crops; Farm machinery; Growing; Productivity; Weather

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Farms, small; Fruit trees; Orchards

Partial Transcript: So, I've talked a lot ask--(laughs)--you'd better ask me a question I guess.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about his family history. He talks about his grandfather's farm and about his parents and his childhood. He talks about his wife's family history, as well. He talks about his siblings and their careers.

Keywords: Brothers; Civil war; Cows; Fathers; Grandfathers; Moving; North Carolina; Parents; Selling; Siblings; Stock Law

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Childhood; Families.; Genealogy; Livestock--Appalachian region

Partial Transcript: You said your parents lived in a coal camp for a while.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about growing up in a coal camp and a union strike closing down the coal mine. He talks about why he feels the union was detrimental to the coal community. He talks about his fears for the future of Harlan County.

Keywords: Coal mining camps; Community; Harlan County (Ky.); Union strikes

Subjects: Coal miners--Labor unions; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining

Partial Transcript: Tell me about, um--it sounds like you, you liked--you had a happy childhood, when you were growing up.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about his father buying their farm land. He talks about the garden and livestock they raised when he was young.

Keywords: Childhood; Corn cribs; Dairy cows; Fathers; Land; Lettuce; Mice; Mothers; Onions; Parents; Produce; Rats; Selling; Stock law

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Family farms; Gardening--Appalachian Region; Livestock--Appalachian region

Partial Transcript: Can you describe the house to me that, that you were born and grew up in?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about the house where he grew up in the coal mining camp and the changes that they made to the house. He talks about the teacher that boarded with them.

Keywords: Central heat; Children; Coal camps; Cribs; Fireplaces; Heating; Rooms; Schools; Silk stocking row; Stoves; Teachers

Subjects: Childhood; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Housing

Partial Transcript: So, y, you talked a little bit about all the, the chores and that you, that you and your brothers did.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about the chores he had when he was young. He talks about going to college and the jobs he got after college. He also talks about meeting his wife.

Keywords: Chores; Churning butter; College; Kindling; Milking; Money; Schools; Work

Subjects: Childhood; Education, Higher; Families.

Partial Transcript: Hmm. How many kids do you have?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about his children, their education, and their jobs. [Interrupted by tape ending]. He talks about what he would have done differently in raising his children.

Keywords: Children; College; Daughters; Schools; Sons; Working

Subjects: Education, Higher; Families.; Parenting

Partial Transcript: Tell me about raising your kids, and--well, first of all, you said that you wish you'd done it differently in the sense of staying home with them more when they were younger.

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about the things he would have done differently in raising his children, starting his farm, and buying land.

Keywords: Changes; Debt; Decisions; Family; Farm land; Foreclosures; Future; Houses; Money; Moving

Subjects: Families.; Family farms; Housing

Partial Transcript: Now, y, you've been talking about this dream and your plan for the farm. Can you--just starting from the beginning, when did you first realize that, that you wanted to get involved in this?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about why he decided to stay in Harlan and farm. He talks about his children's feelings on staying in the area.

Keywords: Coal; Decisions; Farming; Heritage; Money; Plans; Schools

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Harlan (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So is it apples because your dad picked apples?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about how difficult it is to survive on farming. He discusses his thoughts on growing tobacco when being morally against it, as well as his feelings on how the government should regulate growing tobacco and making liquor.

Keywords: Alcohol; Apples; Farmers; Free market; Government regulation; Hybrid seeds; Liquor; Morality; Tobacco; Trees; Whiskey; Working

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Family farms; Orchards

Partial Transcript: Did--how many trees did your--did your dad plant it as an orchard or was it just for your own use, family's?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about an incident with using the sprayer in the orchard when he was young. He talks about what Harlan County coal was used for, and the down times that the coal mine had.

Keywords: Apple trees; Apples; Coal mines; Money; Sprayers; Stories; Working

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Orchards

Partial Transcript: Why did your dad decide to go into the apple business? Do you know?

Segment Synopsis: Metcalfe talks about his father starting out with the orchard. He talks about the different varieties of apples that they grow.

Keywords: Apples; Business; Commercial; Crop insurance; Crops; Fruit; Gold Delicious; Mistakes; Money; Pesticides; Red Delicious; Roman Beauties; Spraying; Trees; Varieties

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Family farms; Orchards