Ernest Kennedy, interviewed by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives
Scope and Contents
The Argyle Boom Collection consists of approximately seventy-five hours of tape recorded interviews (now digitized). The interviews deal with Argyle Boom, which was one of several locations at which logs that had been cut upriver and floated or “driven” down the Penobscot River were sorted before being sent on to the lumber mills in Old Town, Orono, Veazie, Bangor, and Brewer, Maine, from approximately 1900 to 1930. The material includes interviews with people who had worked on the boom and essays on various aspects of boom construction and operation and the daily lives of the workers.
Dates
- 1973-1975
Creator
- From the Collection: Ives, Edward D. (Interviewer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
For digitized items free from access restrictions, we are working to upload this material (pdfs, mp3s, jpgs) for public access, but it is an ongoing project. If you don’t find what you are looking for here, contact Special Collections (um.library.spc@maine.edu).
Extent
From the Collection: 31 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Ernest Kennedy (b. 1889) interviewed by Edward D. “Sandy” Ives, summer, 1977, at Kennedy’s home in Argyle, Maine. Kennedy, 88, talks about his life working in the woods, on river drives, and on the Argyle Boom. Kennedy was the principle informant for “Argyle Boom,” Northeast Folklore, XVII (1976) which explained the workings of the sorting boom on the Penobscot River where the logs from the river drives were sorted for delivery to the various saw mills. In this series of interviews he expands on the information he gave for that project and explains various models he made of the boom and other structures and equipment. He also discusses photos of logging camps and river drives. Also included are newspaper clippings and a 32 page summary of the Bible by Kennedy. (See NA 0579, 0786, 0792, 1032, 1056, 1143 for other Kennedy interviews.) Interview was part of a project that led to the issue of Northeast Folklore, XVII: "Argyle Boom."
- Booms (Log transportation) -- Maine -- Penobscot River Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Log driving -- Maine -- Penobscot River Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lumbermen -- Maine -- Social life and customs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Repository Details
Part of the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History Repository
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207.581.1686
