Interview with Minnie Long, October 20, 1988

Interview Summary

Minnie Long was born in 1910 near Whitesburg, Kentucky. Long describes growing up on a farm and remembers her mother's support of suffrage. She recalls the unionization of the mines in eastern Kentucky because one of her sisters lived in Harlan County. She describes when the Dreiser Committee came to eastern Kentucky. Another sister and brother-in-law lived in McRoberts, Kentucky where he was the butcher at the company store. She visited often and even moved in with them for her last two years of high school. Mrs. Long describes living in McRoberts. She remembers immigrants from foreign countries including Italians and Poles. She discusses recreational activities in McRoberts and helping her sister with the daily chores. She recalls the lives of the coal mine managers and their families. She states that many of the wives belonged to the women's club, played bridge, and traveled. Mrs. Long finished high school and even took a business course in Louisville after graduation. She worked for the Kentucky Relief Association in Letcher County, and she describes her work there. She later worked for a bank in Whitesburg and for the state health department in Louisville.

Interview Keyword

Appalachian social issues Class divisions Coal mining Consolidated Coal Company Dreiser Committee Gender roles Great Depression Letcher County (Ky.) United Mine Workers of America Women's role in coal camps McRoberts (Ky.) Labor unions Women's suffrage

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Long, Minnie, 1910- Long, Minnie, 1910- --Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.