oral history

Tell weldon’s stories with oral history

Recognizing that many of Weldon’s current and former residents were passing on, and with them, the stories and traditions that shaped our community and its history, Weldon in Action began a quest to record those who grew up in Weldon during the 20th century. As we recorded the interviews, we realized we had a unique opportunity to bring Weldon’s history to life through the personal recollections being shared.

We were fortunate to identify and be awarded a grant from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to support the research and recording of the town’s history as part of the America 250 NC initiative. The grant funded the development of a video series on Weldon’s history, highlighting the geography, historic context, people, and events that shaped the community from colonial times to the present. Using the Roanoke River as a unifying theme, the eight chapters in the documentary come together to form The Current of Time - An Oral History of Weldon.

The enthusiasm for this project has been heartwarming. Thirty former and current residents of Weldon, spanning multiple generations, came from near and far to participate in the interviews. The grant enabled us to work with an award-winning documentarian and other talented professionals and volunteers to produce the video series, which incorporates narration and an array of video footage, photographs, postcards, and newspaper clippings to bring Weldon’s history to life.

Additionally, through the grant, a curriculum development specialist with CarolinaK-12, a program of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Public Humanities, joined our project team to develop teacher guides for appropriate grade levels. Using the guides, educators will be able to use the video series as a central element to help their students explore the role small towns have and continue to play in our state’s history, geography, sociology, and current affairs.

Our next steps include raising additional funds through grants and targeted donations to do more interviews for our archive, creating a dynamic website to house the videos and interviews, and sharing our stories on YouTube and other social media channels. We also hope to develop more videos on specific topics.