Where History Comes Home Oral Histories
As the Historical Association of Catawba County, we most often use this platform to inform the general public about history that is most pertinent to Catawba County and its residents. However, today, this article wants to educate on the importance of the general public contributing to history instead of passively living in it. Oral Histories are referred to as the first kind of history. Before there was the written word, the one thing that connected human beings all over the world was the act of passing stories, folklore, and history down through the generations. With no other form of record keeping, this tradition was sacred. Now, we have more record keeping tools than those early ancestors could have ever imagined. However, life moves so fast in our modern time. Not everyone takes a moment to document the mundane or the everyday. There are individuals making history on a daily basis and they’re so consumed living in it that we could possibly never have a record of their contributions. So, what can you do, Catawba County?
The Historical Association wants your Oral Histories. There are several times throughout the year that we may implore the public to drop by the Old 1924 Courthouse/Catawba County History Museum to come and bring us your stories and your photos from times past. During the holidays of 2022, we hoped that we would have some Catawba County residents bring in their favorite holiday memories and share photos and stories with us that we could archive in our digital systems. We did not have many contributions, but the ones we did get were priceless. You may think your stories and experiences are irrelevant to history. They are not. We want to know what growing up in Catawba County was like in the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s 50’s…etc. We want an Oral History archive of our brave Catawba County Veterans and their memories that they want to share of their time in the service.We want to hear your stories about how your mom’s and dads were integral in the booming furniture economy Hickory used to have. We want to know about how you participated in community theater or contributed to this community in any form and fashion. We want your descendants that live 100 years from now to know the rich and vibrant histories of our everyday residents in this wonderful place we call home. So, if you see that the Historical Association has called for residents to bring in their memories for us to record, think back to those ancestors that would have given anything to save their memories and stories the way we have the ability to do today.
Come see us and share with us. In the meantime, just come visit our Historical Association locations and learn a little bit about some important people that help shape the histories of Catawba County. Actively participating in history is how we can make sure Catawba County remains the place Where History Comes Home.