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Argyle Boom Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MF003

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

  • Creation: 1973-1975

Creator

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).

Conditions Governing Use

Rights assessment remains the responsibility of the researcher. No known restrictions on material.

Historical Note

The Argyle Boom Collection consists mostly of interviews conducted by students in classes taught by Edward D. “Sandy” Ives at the University of Maine in 1973 and 1975. Argyle Boom 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. These interviews, along with associated photographs, maps, and diagrams, were the basis for "Argyle Boom," Northeast Folklore, XVII (1976). Under Ives’ direction, the students consulted existing manuscript sources, sought out potential informants who had worked on the boom, conducted interviews, and wrote essays on various aspects of boom construction and operation and the daily lives of the workers. Ives then edited and rewrote these essays for publication. For more information see "Argyle Boom."

Extent

31 items

Language of Materials

English

Existence and Location of Originals

Located at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress: AFC 2012/047 https://lccn.loc.gov/2013655211.

Materials Specific Details

Audio files are the primary source material. Transcriptions are the transcriber's best effort to convert audio to text, but should be considered secondary to the audio.

Title
Guide to the Argyle Boom Collection
Status
Digital Objects Available
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English.

Repository Details

Part of the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History Repository

Contact:
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207.581.1686