Oral History Interview with Darhyl Boone, December 5, 2000. Interview K-0246. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
In this interview, Mars Hill town manager Darhyl Boone fondly remembers his childhood in Madison County, which was poor in finances but rich in community values. Boone worries that values—such as charity, hard work, and face-to-face contact—are being eroded by immigration and development and that the construction of the I-26 corridor will accelerate this change. Boone's concern with rural values is obvious, and he tries throughout the interview to describe the values that make Madison County unique. Both he and interviewer Rob Amberg agree that the area has a special quality, bred by its semi-remote location. And both also agree the area is at risk as subdivisions start to pop up and the interstate corridor threatens to bring in waves of new people. Boone shares many memories about growing up in Madison County. A sample of these recollections is included here, most notably those concerning US 23 before its paving and rerouting, but researchers interested in more details on a rural childhood should look through the interview in its entirety.
Excerpts
A memory of childhood in Madison County
US 23 brings truckers to his grandmother's café
US 23 used to be quieter
Change brings the decline of rural values
Boone's grandmother represented rural values
New roads bring in new residents and change communities
New building can bring economic benefits
Responding to an influx of immigrants
Telephone lines damage the visiting tradition
Many residents were pleased with the construction of US 23
Growth brings the degeneration of rural values
Madison County values are at risk, but not gone yet
Growth is the area's biggest challenge
Madison County's remoteness put at risk by the I-26 corridor
The decline of the tobacco industry puts the county at risk
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Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Subjects
Madison County (N.C.)
Boone, Darhyl
Mars Hill (N.C.)
City managers--North Carolina
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