Inventory of the William R. Ferris Collection, 1910s-2003

Collection Number 20367


Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Collection Information
Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Online Catalog Headings
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
Items Separated
Contact Information:
Manuscripts Department
CB#3926, Wilson Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Phone: 919/962-1345
Fax: 919/962-3594
Email: mss@email.unc.edu
URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/
Processed by
Elizabeth Getz, Monique Prince, Laura Knodel, Blaine Waide, Kate Moriarty, Kathryn Knight, and Melissa Johnson
Date Processed
2003-2004
Encoded by
Elizabeth Getz, Monique Prince, Laura Knodel, Blaine Waide, Kate Moriarty, Kathryn Knight, Melissa Johnson, Nathalie Wheaton, and Jessica Tyree
Date Encoded
2003-2004
Back to Top

Descriptive Summary

Repository
Southern Folklife Collection
Creator
Ferris, William R.
Title
William R. Ferris Collection, 1910s-2003
Call Number
20367
Extent
About 118,000 items (about 300.0 linear feet)
Abstract
William R. Ferris (1942- ), born and raised in Vicksburg, Miss., is an author, folklorist, filmmaker, professor, photographer, administrator, and scholar chiefly working in the areas of African American and southern culture. Among his many published works is the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, which he co-edited with Charles Reagan Wilson. The collection consists of papers, photographs, slides, sound recordings, videotapes, films, and other materials documenting Ferris's life and work. Professional papers relate to his teaching career at Jackson State University, Yale University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to his activities at the Center for Southern Folklore, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Center for the Study of the American South, and as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Personal papers include student materials, family correspondence, and other papers from the 1940s to 2002. Papers, images, and recordings document life in Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta; folk, blues, gospel, fife and drum corps music, and other musical types; folk and music festivals; folk arts, culture, and humor; Highway 61; the Ku Klux Klan; prisons, especially Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary); auctioneers; and other topics. Films and videotapes include footage of Ferris's documentaries. Individuals important in the collection include writers, artists, musicians, political figures, and others.
Language
English.


Back to Top

Administrative Information

Restrictions to Access
This collection has restrictions to access. Please see details below or contact the Manuscripts Department for more information.
Usage Restrictions
Parts of Series 1.1., Series 1.2.1., Series 2.1., and personal photographs in Series 2.1. are closed to research. Photographic negatives in Series 2.2. are available with special staff assistance.
Use of audiovisual materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.
Provenance
Received from William R. Ferris between September 2002 and April 2003 (Acc. 99325, 99333, 99360, 99361, 99384, 99394, 99402, 99426, 99433, 99434, 99438, 99474, 99475) with subsequent additions.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the William R. Ferris Collection #20367, Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Back to Top

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Subjects
African American folk art.
African American musicians--Southern States.
African Americans--Southern States--Music.
African Americans--Southern States--Social life and customs.
Auctioneers--Southern States.
Blues (Music).
Center for Southern Folklore.
Chain gangs.
Delta (Miss : Region)--History.
Delta (Miss : Region)--Social life and customs.
Delta (Miss : Region)--Songs and music.
Documentary films--Production and direction.
Documentary films--Southern States.
Family--Southern States--Social life and customs.
Fife and drum corps music.
Folk art--Southern States.
Folk songs, English--Mississippi.
Folklore--Study and teaching.
Gospel music.
Handicraft--Southern States.
Jackson State University--Faculty--History--20th century.
Ku Klux Klan (1915- ).
Mississippi State Penitentiary.
Mississippi--History.
Mississippi--Social conditions.
Mississippi--Social life and customs.
Mississippi--Songs and music.
National Endowment for the Humanities.
Photographers--Southern States.
Prisons--Mississippi.
Quilting--Southern States.
Southern States--Encyclopedias.
Southern States--In literature.
Southern States--Photographs.
Southern States--Race relations.
Southern States--Religious life and customs.
Southern States--Social life and customs.
Southern States--Songs and music.
Textile crafts--Southern States.
University of Mississippi. Center for the Study of Southern Culture.
University of Mississippi--Faculty--History--20th century.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Center for the Study of the American South.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--Faculty.
Wit and humor.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Yale University--Faculty--History--20th century.
Names
Baraka, Imamu Amiri, 1934- .
Bobb, Victor.
Brooks, Cleanth, 1906- .
Chapman, Fannie Bell.
Clark, Edith.
Clark, Leon.
Clinton, Bill, 1946- .
Clinton, Hillary Rodham.
Dixon, Willie, 1915- .
Dollard, John, 1900- .
Dotson, Louis.
Evans, Walker, 1903-1975.
Faulkner, William, 1897-1962.
Ferris family.
Ferris, Marcie Cohen.
Ferris, William R.
Foote, Shelby.
Gaines, Ernest J., 1933- .
Ginsburg, Allen, 1926- .
Gordon, Amanda.
Hamblett, Theora.
Jones, Bessie, 1902- .
King, B. B.
Lomax, Alan, 1915- .
Lum, Ray, 1891-1976.
Miller, Arthur, 1915- .
Mohamed, Ethel Wright.
Reed, Ola Belle.
Rose Hill Baptist Church (Vicksburg, Miss.).
Seeger, Pete, 1919- .
Seeger, Charles, 1876-1979.
Smith, Harry.
Thomas, Son, 1926- .
Turner, Othar.
Walker, Alice, 1944- .
Warner, Pecolia.
Warren, Robert Penn, 1905- .
Welty, Eudora, 1909- .
Back to Top

Biographical Note

William R. Ferris was born 5 February 1942 in Vicksburg, Miss. He attended public school in Vicksburg until high school, when he was accepted to Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. Ferris got his B.A. in English Literature at Davidson College in 1964, and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwestern University in 1965. He attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, for one year from 1965 to 1966, and returned to the U.S. to continue his graduate studies. In 1967, he received a Master's and, in 1969, a Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ferris's scholarship has focused on southern African American folklore and culture, through a variety of media: print, sound, film, and photography. From 1970 to 1972, he was an assistant professor in the Department of English at Jackson State University in Mississippi. From 1972 to 1979, he was an associate professor in the American and Afro-American Studies Programs at Yale University. During his tenure at Yale, Ferris co-founded the Center for Southern Folklore in Mississippi, and was its director from 1972 to 1984. Ferris returned to the South, and, from 1979 to 1997, he was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and a professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. While there, he established several annual conferences, including the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference.

In 1997, Ferris was appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities by President Clinton, a post he held through 2001. In 2002, he was a Visiting Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the Senior Associate Director of the Center for the Study of the American South, professor of history, and adjunct professor in the Curriculum in Folklore.

Ferris is the author of ten books, including You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All: Ray Lum's Tales of Horses, Mules and Men, and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. He has written fiction, poetry, and numerous articles on folklore and literature, as well as book, record, and film reviews. Ferris has recorded blues albums, produced 15 documentary films on southern folklore, and, for ten years, hosted the weekly Mississippi Public Radio blues show, Highway 61. Ferris's photography, documenting aspects of African American southern folklore, has been featured nationally, including in an exhibit by the Smithsonian Museum and an article by the New York Times.

Ferris has traveled and lectured extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Charles Frankel Prize in the Humanities, bestowed by President Clinton, and France's Chevalier and Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, and has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Ferris has four siblings. His brother, Grey, was a senator in the Mississippi State Legislature from 1992 to 2001. Ferris is married to Marcie Cohen Ferris and has a daughter named Virginia.

Back to Top

Collection Overview

The William R. Ferris Collection consists of papers, photographs, slides, sound recordings, videotapes, films, and other materials documenting the life and work of William Ferris. Professional papers relate to his teaching career at Jackson State University, Yale University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to his activities at the Center for Southern Folklore, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Center for the Study of the American South, and as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Personal papers include student materials, family correspondence, and other papers from the 1940s to 2002. Papers, images, and recordings document life in Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta; folk music, the blues, gospel music, fife and drum corps music, and other musical types; folk festivals and music festivals; folk arts; folk culture; folk humor; Highway 61; the Ku Klux Klan; prisons, especially Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary); auctioneers; and other topics.

Individuals important in the collection include writers, artists, musicians, political figures, and others. They include: Imamu Amiri Baraka, Victor Bobb, Cleanth Brooks, Fannie Bell Chapman, Edith Clark, Leon "Peck" Clark, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Willie Dixon, John Dollard, Louis Dotson, Walker Evans, William Faulkner, Marcie Cohen Ferris, Shelby Foote, Ernest J. Gaines, Allen Ginsberg, Amanda Gordon, Theora Hamblett, Bessie Jones, B. B. King, Alan Lomax, Ray Lum (auctioneer), Arthur Miller, Ethel Wright Mohamed (embroiderer), Ola Belle Reed, Pete Seeger, Charles Seeger, Harry Smith, James "Son" Thomas, Othar Turner, Alice Walker, Pecolia Warner, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and members of the Rose Hill Baptist Church in Vicksburg, Miss.

The films include footage of Ferris's documentaries: Mississippi Delta Blues; Ray Lum: Mule Trader; Fanny Bell Chapman: Gospel Singer; and Delta Blues Singer: James "Son" Thomas.

Back to Top

Organization of Collection

1. Papers
1.1. Professional Papers
1.1.1. Jackson State University
1.1.2. Yale University
1.1.3. Center for Southern Folklore
1.1.4. University of Mississippi/ Center for the Study of Southern Culture
1.1.5. National Endowment for the Humanities
1.1.6. Woodrow Wilson International Center
1.1.7. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1.1.8. Inventories and Indexes
1.1.9. Ray Lum
1.1.10. Student Papers
1.1.11. Other Papers
1.2. Personal Papers
1.2.1. Personal Papers
1.2.2. High School
1.2.3. Davidson College
1.2.4. Graduate Work
2. Photographic Materials
2.1. Photographic Prints
2.2. Photographic Negatives
2.3. Slides
3. Moving Image Materials
3.1. Videotapes
3.1.1. Dated Videotapes
3.1.2. Undated Videotapes
3.1.3. Miscellaneous Videotapes
3.1.3.1. Dated Miscellaneous Videotapes
3.1.3.2. Undated Miscellaneous Videotapes
3.2. Motion Picture Film
3.2.1. Early Fieldwork Footage
3.2.2. Mississippi Delta Blues
3.2.3. Black Delta Religion
3.2.4. Delta Blues Singer: James "Son" Thomas
3.2.5. Gravel Springs Fife and Drum
3.2.6. Green Valley Grandparents
3.2.7. Ray Lum: Mule Trader
3.2.8. Fanny Bell Chapman: Gospel Singer
3.2.9. Give My Poor Heart Ease: Mississippi Delta Bluesmen
3.2.10. Two Black Churches
3.2.11. I Ain't Lyin': Folktales from Mississippi
3.2.12. Made in Mississippi
3.2.13. Miscellaneous Unedited Footage from the Yale Media Design Studio Project
3.2.14. Four Women Artists
3.2.15. Hush, Hoggies, Hush
3.2.16. Bottle Up and Go
3.2.17. Leon "Peck" Clark: Basketmaker
3.2.18. Painting in the South
3.2.19. Miscellaneous Unedited Footage, ca. 1965-1975
3.2.20. Miscellaneous Final Prints and Unedited Footage, undated
4. Sound Recordings
4.1. Audiocassettes
4.1.1. Field Recordings
4.1.2. Interviews and Lectures
4.1.3. Miscellaneous
4.2. Open Reel Tapes
4.2.1. Field Recordings
4.2.2. Interviews with William Ferris
4.2.3. Miscellaneous
4.3. Compact Discs
5. Transcripts
Back to Top

Items Separated

Items separated include pictures, oversize pictures, oversize papers, audiocassettes, videotapes, compact discs, audio compact discs, and audio discs.

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Papers, 1942-2004.

About 86,100 items.
Professional and personal papers relating to the life and career of William Ferris, dating from 1942 through 2004.
Professional papers concern Ferris's research and teaching at Jackson State University, Yale University, the Center for Southern Folklore, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also included are papers relating to Ferris's work as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997-2001; his tenure as a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, February-July 2002; his writings and research on Ray Lum; research indexes and inventories on folklore topics; and other papers.
Personal papers document Ferris's personal life and education and include correspondence from family and acquaintences, 1942-2003, along with subject files; childhood and grade school papers; high school materials from Carr Central High School and Brooks School; college materials from Davidson College; and graduate materials from Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and a Rotary Fellowship at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
Back to Top
1.1. Professional Papers, 1970-2004.
About 73,500 items.
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, reports, memorandums, itineraries, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to William Ferris's professional career. Included are papers regarding Ferris's work at Jackson State University (1970-1972), Yale University (1972-1979), the Center for Southern Folklore (1974-1983), the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi (1977-1998), the National Endowment for the Humanities (1997-2001), the Woodrow Wilson International Center (2001-2002), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2001-2004). Also included are Ferris's writings and research on Ray Lum, research indexes and inventories on folklore topics, and other papers.
Back to Top
1.1.1. Jackson State University, 1970-1972.
About 300 items.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2653-2654).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to Ferris's tenure at Jackson State University, where he was an assistant professor of English, 1970-1972. Also included are materials relating to folklore topics and to the publications Mississippi Black Folkfore and Gigline.
Folder 1-3
1970-1972
Folder 4
Blues and Freud
Folder 5
Blues Writings
Folder 6
Folk Aesthetic Bibliography
Folder 7
Folklore and Black History
Folder 8
Folklore and Literature in Mississippi
Folder 9
Gay Black Folklore
Folder 10
Gigline
Folder 11
James Joyce's Stephen Hero
Folder 12-13
Mississippi Black Folklore, 1970-1972
Folder 14-16
Publications
Folder 17
Railroad Chants
Folder 18
Rockefeller Foundation
Folder 19-21
Rose Hill
Folder 22
James "Son" Thomas Film
Folder 2653-2654
Restricted Materials
Back to Top
1.1.2. Yale University, 1972-1979.
About 9,600 items.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles, have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2655-2668).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to Ferris's teaching and research at Yale University. In 1972, Ferris became an assistant professor in the American and Afro-American Studies Program at Yale. He was promoted to associate professor in 1976, a position he held until moving to the University of Mississippi in 1979. While at Yale, Ferris also directed the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, Tenn., which he helped establish in 1972.
Materials in this series document Ferris's professional activities, including research projects and teaching duties. Also included are files that Ferris maintained on folklore topics and folklore and academic professionals that he associated with. Chronological files include correspondence, reports, and research materials. Notable subjects inlclude Ferris's publications Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts and Blues From the Delta; James "Son" Thomas; Rose Hill; the National Endowment for the Humanities; publications; Ferris's 1978 European lecture tour; Yale; and Mississippi folklife. Interspersed throughout the subseries are materials relating to Ferris's work with the Center for Southern Folklore.
For additional materials related to Ferris's work at Yale and the Center for Southern Folklore, see Series 1.1.3. Center for Southern Folklore and Series 1.2.1. Personal Papers.
Folder 23-24
Correspondence: A
Folder 25-28
Correspondence: B
Folder 29-31
Correspondence: C
Folder 32-34
Correspondence: D
Folder 35
Correspondence: E
Folder 36-38
Correspondence: F
Folder 39-41
Correspondence: G
Folder 42
Correspondence: H
Folder 43-44
Correspondence: L
Folder 45-47
Correspondence: M
Folder 48
Correspondence: Mc
Folder 49
Correspondence: N
Folder 50
Correspondence: O
Folder 51
Correspondence: P
Folder 52
Correspondence: Q
Folder 53-54
Correspondence: R
Folder 55-57
Correspondence: S
Folder 58-59
Correspondence: T
Folder 60
Correspondence: U
Folder 61
Correspondence: V
Folder 62-64
Correspondence: W
Folder 65
Correspondence: Y
Folder 66
Correspondence: Z
Folder 67
1972-1974
Folder 68
1975-1977
Folder 69
1978
Folder 70-71
1979
Folder 72
ACLS Grant
Folder 73
ASNLH
Folder 74
Achebe and Tutola
Folder 75
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Folder 76
African-American Folk Art
Folder 77-86
Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts
Folder 87-88
Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts: Correspondence
Folder 89
Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts: Permissions
Folder 90-101
Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts: Unedited Manuscripts
Folder 102
Afro-American Folklore, 88b
Folder 103
Afro-American Studies, 20a
Folder 104-105
Afro-American Studies Program
Folder 106
American Folklife Center
Folder 107
American Folklore, 55a
Folder 108
American Folklore, 230a
Folder 109
American Folklore Newsletter
Folder 110
American Musiological Society
Folder 111
American Studies
Folder 112
American Studies Association Convention
Folder 113
American Studies Program
Folder 114
American Studies, 20a
Folder 115
Anglo-Irish Literature
Folder 116
Appalachian Regional Commission
Folder 117
Applied Folklore
Folder 118
Army Folklore
Folder 119
Arts in Mississippi
Folder 120
Aspen Institute, 1974-1976 (Pictures: P-20367/1)
Folder 121
Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies
Folder 122
Ballad in Gaelic Literature
Folder 123
Bethke, Bob
Folder 124
Bifurcation and Cultural Anthropology
Folder 125
Black American Folklore and Music
Folder 126
Black Folklore: American Studies, 88b
Folder 127
Black, Patti
Folder 128
Blues
Folder 129
Blues Bibliography
Folder 130
Blues Comments
Folder 131-132
Blues Footnotes
Folder 133
Blues from the Delta
Folder 134-135
Blues from the Delta: Corrected
Folder 136
Blues from the Delta: Da Capo Edition
Folder 137-138
Blues from the Delta: Draft
Folder 139-140
Blues from the Delta: Earlier Version
Folder 141-142
Blues from the Delta: Edited
Folder 143
Blues from the Delta: Foundry Proofs
Folder 144
Blues from the Delta: Galley Proofs
Folder 145
Blues from the Delta: Illustrations
Folder 146
Blues from the Delta: Paperback
Folder 147-148
Blues from the Delta: Publishing
Folder 149
Blues from the Delta: Reviews
Folder 150
Blues from the Delta: Photocopied Draft
Folder 151
Blues Notes
Folder 152
Blues Roots and Development
Folder 153
Bobbs-Merrill Company
Folder 154
Book Orders
Folder 155
Boomerang
Folder 156
Boston University
Folder 157
Boswell, George
Folder 158
Boyd, Joe Dan
Folder 159
Brandstein, David
Folder 160
Brigard, Emilie de
Folder 161
Brown University
Folder 162
Bulger, Peggy
Folder 163
Butler, Melvin
Folder 164
Byington, Robert
Folder 165
Calendars, 1974-1975
Folder 166
Calhoun College Seminars
Folder 167
Clark, Peck
Folder 168-170
Class Lectures
Folder 171-174
Clippings
Folder 175
Cochrane, Bob
Folder 176
Connecticut Commission on the Arts
Folder 177
Cooperstown
Folder 178
Cotton, Gordon: Clippings
Folder 179
Cumberland College
Folder 180
Davis, Gerry
Folder 181
Delta State University
Folder 182
Dictionary of American Biography
Folder 183
Dollard, John
Folder 184
Dorson, Richard
Folder 185
Dotson, Louis
Folder 186
Educational Film Center
Folder 187
Eff, Elaine
Folder 188
Ethnic Heritage Proposal
Folder 189
Ethnomusicology
Folder 190-192
Ethnomusicology Film Review Editor
Folder 193-196
European Lecture Tour, 1978
Folder 197
European Lecture Tour: Austria
Folder 198
European Lecture Tour: Denmark
Folder 199
European Lecture Tour: Finland (Pictures: P-20367/1)
Folder 200
European Lecture Tour: France
Folder 201
European Lecture Tour: Germany
Folder 202-203
European Lecture Tour: Journal
Folder 204
European Lecture Tour: Notebook
Folder 205
European Lecture Tour: Sweden
Folder 206
European Lecture Tour: Telegrams
Folder 207-208
European Lecture Tour: Turkey
Folder 209-210
Evans, David
Folder 211
Evans, Walker
Folder 212
Film Information
Folder 213
Film Review of The Village
Folder 214
Flaherty Seminar
Folder 215
Folk Art
Folder 216
Folk Artists' Letters
Folder 217
Folk Song and Culture
Folder 218-220
Folklore Films
Folder 221
Folklore Graduate Programs
Folder 222
Folklore in American Literature, 92-3b
Folder 223
Folklore and Racism
Folder 224
Ford Foundation
Folder 225
Gaines, Ernest (Pictures: P-20367/2)
Folder 226
Gilliam, J. R. (Pictures: P-20367/2)
Folder 227
Glassie, Henry
Folder 228
Goldstein, Ken
Folder 229
Gordon, Amanda (Pictures: P-20367/3)
Folder 230
Gray, Pam
Folder 231
Griggs College Films
Folder 232
Griswold Fund
Folder 233
Guggenheim
Folder 234
G. K. Hall
Folder 235-237
H.E.W. Proposal
Folder 238
Hi-Fi
Folder 239
Humanities Institute
Folder 240
International Communications Agency
Folder 241
Journal of American Folklore
Folder 242-245
Kerschbaumer: Miles Davis
Folder 246
B. B. King Honorary Degree
Folder 247
Knoxville College
Folder 248
Legacy Books
Folder 249
Legman, Gershon
Folder 250
Library Acquisitions
Folder 251-252
Library of Congress
Folder 253-254
Lilly Foundation
Folder 255
Lomax, Alan
Folder 256
Long, Worth
Folder 257
Manpower Planning Council
Folder 258
Marshall, Rusty
Folder 259
Mazique, Jewell
Folder 260
Mid-South Folklore
Folder 261
Mintz, Sidney
Folder 262
Miscellaneous
Folder 263
Mississippi Archives Concerts (Pictures: P-20367/2)
Folder 264
Mississippi Arts Commission
Folder 265
Mississippi Arts Festival
Folder 266
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Folder 267-268
Mississippi Folk Architecture (Pictures: P-20367/2)
Folder 269-270
Mississippi Folk Voices Record
Folder 271
Mississippi Folklife Clippings
Folder 272
Mississippi Folklife Festival, 1974 (Pictures: P-20367/4)
Folder 273
Mississippi Folklore Society
Folder 274
Mississippi History Project
Folder 275
Mitchell, Billy (Audio Disc: D-20367/1)
Folder 276
Mohamed, Ethel
Folder 277
Moore Fund
Folder 278
Morse Fellowship, 1973
Folder 279
National Recreation and Park Association
Folder 280
Myth and Psychological School
Folder 281
National Science Foundation
Folder 282-287
National Endowment for the Humanities
Folder 288
National Endowment for the Humanities: Fellowship, 1977-1979
Folder 289
National Endowment for the Humanities: Humanities Continuing Education
Folder 290
National Endowment for the Humanities: One Year Fellowship
Folder 291
National Endowment for the Humanities: Research Program
Folder 292
National Endowment for the Humanities: Summer Stipend
Folder 293
National Endowment for the Humanities: Summer Term
Folder 294
Olson, Martha
Folder 295
Palmer, Bob
Folder 296
Papers Found Inside Ferris Gift Books
Folder 297
Powell, Gene
Folder 298
Price, Richard and Sally
Folder 299-306
Publications
Folder 307
Quills, Fifes, and Flutes
Folder 308
Railroad Folklore
Folder 309-310
Records
Folder 311
Reed, Olla Belle (Pictures: P-20367/2)
Folder 312
Rockefeller Foundation
Folder 313
Rose Hill
Folder 314-316
Rose Hill Church
Folder 317
Rounder Records
Folder 318
Sewanee
Folder 319
Sinking Creek
Folder 320-321
Smithsonian Exhibit
Folder 322
Southern Anthropological Society
Folder 323
Southern, Eileen
Folder 324
Southern Voices
Folder 325
Stern, Thomas: Recordings
Folder 326
Study of American Folklife
Folder 327
Talks on Folklore
Folder 328-329
Teaching and Learning Committee
Folder 330
Tedlock, Dennis
Folder 331-333
Thomas, James "Son" (Pictures: P-20367/5)
Folder 334-335
Thomas, James: Article
Folder 336
Thompson, Robert
Folder 337
Titles
Folder 338-339
Tullos, Allen
Folder 340
UNESCO.
Folder 341
University Press of Mississippi
Folder 342
University of Tennessee
Folder 343
Vlach, John
Folder 344-345
Voodoo
Folder 346
Ware, John
Folder 347
Wahlman, Maude
Folder 348
Wenner-Gren Foundation
Folder 349
Western Carolina University
Folder 350
Wilmer, Valerie
Folder 351-352
Wood, Peter
Folder 353
Woodrow Wilson International Center
Folder 354-356
Yale (Pictures: P-20367/5)
Folder 357
Yale Alumni Journal
Folder 2655-2668
Restricted Materials
Back to Top
1.1.3. Center for Southern Folklore, 1974-1983.
About 3,000 items.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folder 2669).
Correspondence, reports, promotional materials, clippings, legal papers, publications, and other materials regarding the operations of the Center for Southern Folklore. In 1972, Ferris co-founded the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, Tenn., to document and make available the region's folklore through a variety of media, including written publications and film. He served as the director from 1972 to 1984.
Materials in this series concern daily operations, budgets, organizational policy, and publication and film projects sponsored by the Center. The chronological files contain correspondence, reports, budget materials, clippings, grant projects, legal papers, and promotional materials. Notable subject files include Local Color: A Sense of Place in Folk Art; Fife and Drum; film listings and promotional materials; Ray Lum; mule and auction research; Pathe Cinema; the Tennessee Arts Commission; the National Endowment for the Arts; and publications.
For additional materials related to Ferris's work at the Center for Southern Folklore, see Series 1.1.2. Yale University and Series 1.2.1. Personal Papers.
Folder 358
1974
Folder 359
1975
Folder 360-361
1976
Folder 362
1977
Folder 363-364
1978
Folder 365-366
1979
Folder 367-372
1980
Folder 373
1981
Folder 374-375
1982
Folder 376-377
1983
Folder 378
Undated
Folder 379
American Revolution Bicentennial Commission
Folder 380
Articles on the Center for Southern Folklore
Folder 381
Black Delta Film Text
Folder 382
Board Report, 1980
Folder 383
Boom Era
Folder 384
Budgets
Folder 385-390
Center for Southern Folklore
Folder 391
Challenge Grant Letters
Folder 392
Chapman Film
Folder 393
Clippings
Folder 394
Correspondence
Folder 395
Ferris Transcripts
Folder 396-397
Fife and Drum
Folder 398-399
Films and Publications
Folder 400
Film Showings/Awards
Folder 401-402
Finances
Folder 403
Folktale
Folder 404
Forms
Folder 405
Images of the South
Folder 406
Life of Fannie Bell Chapman
Folder 407-412
Local Color: Drafts
Folder 413
Local Color: Proofs
Folder 414-421
Local Color: 1978
Folder 422-424
Local Color: Without Photos
Folder 425
Local Color: Louis Dotson
Folder 426
Log of Footage
Folder 427
Ray Lum Record
Folder 428
Memphis Landmarks
Folder 429-436
Mule and Auction Research
Folder 437-438
National Endowment for the Arts
Folder 439
National Endowment for the Arts: Arts Film
Folder 440
National Endowment for the Arts: Challenge Grant
Folder 441
National Endowment for the Arts: Film Index Grant
Folder 442
National Endowment for the Humanities: Challenge Grant
Folder 443
National Endowment for the Humanities: Film Catalog
Folder 444
National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Folder 445
Non-profit Letters
Folder 446-447
Pathe Cinema (Pictures: P-20367/5)
Folder 448-449
Peiser, Judy
Folder 450
Proposals
Folder 451-453
Publications
Folder 454
Radio Programs
Folder 455
Releases
Folder 456
Religion
Folder 457-458
Rockefeller Foundation
Folder 459
Slide Program
Folder 460
Southern Folklore Reports
Folder 461
Super 8 Films
Folder 462-463
Tennessee Arts Commission
Folder 2669
Restricted Materials
Back to Top
1.1.4. University of Mississippi/Center for the Study of Southern Culture, 1977-1998.
About 9,500 items.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2670-2683).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research and teaching materials, photographs, clippings, promotional materials, and other papers relating to William Ferris's work at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Ferris was the founding head of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and a professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi, 1979-1997.
Materials in this series document Ferris's professional activities and interests, including research projects and publications, operations of the Center for the Study of Southen Culture, teaching duites, and various topics relating to southern folklife and culture. Materials related to the operations of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture concern publications, folklore festivals, grants and research projects, study programs and cirriculum, the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conferences, and the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Chronological files contain correspondence, reports, promotional materials, publications, administrative materials, information on events and projects sponsored by the Center, and materials concerning the Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, southern folklife, and cultural activities. Subject files include clippings related to Ferris, southern culture, Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, and other topics; screenplays donated by Kent Moorehead; travel to Europe, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobogo, and Guyana; Rose Hill; planners and notebooks; press releases; and materials about conferences, festivals, and symposia. Notable subjects include William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Robert Penn Warren, James "Son" Thomas, Benny Andrews, James Meredith, the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, the Elvis Presley Conferences, and Ferris's 1997 nomination to head the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Folder 464-466
1977-1979
Folder 467-468
1980
Folder 469-470
1981
Folder 471-472
1982
Folder 473-474
1983
Folder 475-476
1984
Folder 477-478
1985
Folder 479-481
1986
Folder 482-484
1987
Folder 485-486
1988
Folder 487-490
1989
Folder 491-500
1990
Folder 501-502
1991
Folder 503-504
1992
Folder 505-506
1993
Folder 507
1994
Folder 508-513
1995
Folder 514-515
1996
Folder 516-528
1997
Folder 529
August 1997: Email
Folder 530
1998
Folder 531-532
Undated
Folder 533
American Association of University Professors
Folder 534
Address Book
Folder 535
Afro-American Studies
Folder 536
American South Symposium: Russia, 1991
Folder 537-539
Andrews, Benny
Folder 540-546
Andrews, Benny: Clippings
Folder 547
Arkansas Regional Studies Pilot Project
Folder 548
Armed Forces Seen Too
Folder 549-550
Autographed Publications
Folder 551
B. O. Logo
Folder 552
Baylor University
Folder 553
Biographical Sketches
Folder 554
Book Reviews
Folder 555
Brown Bag Lunches
Folder 556
Bulgaria Trip, 1987
Folder 557
Burkes, Billy
Folder 558
Center for the Study of Southern Culture: Operations
Folder 559
Center for the Study of Southern Culture: Portfolio, 1986
Folder 560
Center for the Study of Southern Culture: Postcards
Folder 561
Center for the Study of Southern Culture: Promotions, 1982
Folder 562
Chancellor's Symposium
Folder 563-576
Clippings
Folder 577
Clippings: Artist Calendars
Folder 578-585
Clippings: Center for the Study of Southern Culture
Folder 586
Clippings: Covering the South Symposium
Folder 587-588
Clippings: Encyclopedia of Southern Culture
Folder 589-591
Clippings: Faulkner
Folder 592
Clippings: Faulkner Conference
Folder 593-596
Clippings: Mississippi
Folder 597
Clippings: Music
Folder 598-599
Clippings: Russian
Folder 600-601
Clippings: Southern Lifestyles
Folder 602-605
Clippings: University of Mississippi
Folder 606
Clippings: University of Mississippi Speakers
Folder 607
Clippings: Eudora Welty
Folder 608
Clippings: Charles Wilson
Folder 609
Clippings: Writers
Folder 609a
Computer Files
Folder 610
Contacts and Notes
Folder 611-612
Cowgirls: A Group Portrait
Folder 613
Crosby Arboretum
Folder 614-616
Cultural Attributes in Water Resource Projects
Folder 616a
D.C. Celebration of the South
Folder 617
Dancing Rabbit
Folder 618
Dent, Tom
Folder 619-620
Documenting Ourselves
Folder 621
Encyclopedia of Southern Culture
Folder 622
Faulkner
Folder 623-625
Ferris: Clippings and Reviews
Folder 626
Ferris Interview, 1996
Folder 627-632
Haiti Trip, 1987
Folder 633-636
Hart, Sue
Folder 637-641
The Heart of Dixie: Screenplay
Folder 642
Interludes/After Friday
Folder 643
Jackson, Kenneth
Folder 644-645
James, A. Everette
Folder 646
The King of Memphis: Draft
Folder 647
Letters Home
Folder 648
Lindsey and Company
Folder 649
McMillin, Lamar
Folder 650
The Malvern Stories
Folder 651
Meredith Observance
Folder 652
Meredith Proposals
Folder 653-654
Messages
Folder 655
Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write?
Folder 656-657
Miscellaneous
Folder 658
Mississippi Writers' Day: Dorothy Abbott (Pictures: P-20367/7)
Folder 659-668
Morehead, Kent: Capital News Script
Folder 669-671
Morehead, Kent: Screenplays
Folder 672
Morehead, Kent: Beverly Hills Buntz
Folder 673-674
Morehead, Kent: Hill Street Blues
Folder 675
Morehead, Kent: Flesh and Blood
Folder 676-677
Morehead, Kent: The Hero of Johnson City
Folder 678-679
Morehead, Kent: Jesse
Folder 680
Morehead, Kent: Nada Khazmo
Folder 681
Morehead, Kent: Plan Ten from Outer Space
Folder 682
Morehead, Kent: The Third World
Folder 683-684
Morehead, Kent: Zion's Den
Folder 685-686
Mother of Pearl
Folder 687
National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant Brochure
Folder 688