University of North Carolina at Asheville
D. Hiden Ramsey Library
Special Collections/University Archives

Oral History Register
for

Hugh Creasman, 1911?-


Three Boys in Corn Field
Ewart M. Ball Photographic Collection, balln2174
D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNC Asheville, 28804

Title

 Hugh Creasman Oral History

Creator

 Hugh Creasman
Alt. Creator Interviewer: Dr. Louis D. Silveri

Subject

 LCSH:

Subject

Keyword: Farming ; Depression ; Civilian Conservation Corps ; Integration ; Southern politics ; Religion ; Air and water pollution ; Moonshine ; Music ; Copper Hill, TN ; Appalachian Forest Experiment Station

Description

 Creasman describes growing up on his father's farm and his deep appreciation for the independence and self-sufficiency of that way of life.  He speaks about the character  of mountain people, their honesty, independence and the way they took care of neighbors who were sick or injured.

He tells about making moonshine in Bent Creek, selling enough to "professional people" in Asheville in a few months to pay off his debts and finance his college education. 

He describes his work in Coweeta, a section of Macon County and in the Copper Basin area of Tennessee. He describes the destruction of vegetation and erosion caused by the copper mines around Copper Hill, Tennessee.

Transcript of interview only: no tape.

Publisher

D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC, 28804

Contributor

 Hugh Creasman

Date

Electronic Record Issued: 2001-07-15

Type

Text

Format

 42 double-spaced pages

Identifier

 http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/SHRC/creasman.html

Source

Louis D. Silveri Oral History Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804

Language

English

Relation

 SHRC Ronald Lloyd Baker Oral History ; SHRC Gwynn Jones Oral History ; SHRC Richard Jarrett Oral History

Coverage

 c1900's ; Western North Carolina
Rights No restrictions ;  Any display, publication, or public use must credit the D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville. Copyright retained by the authors of certain items in the collection, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Acquisition

Donor number: 23 ;  Date of acquisition: August, 1977

Processed By

 Southern Highlands Research Center staff , 1978 ; Special Collections staff, 2001

Interview Date

 1976-08-16

Biography

Mr. Creasman grew up in the Bent Creek Area, starting school around 1917 at Bent Creek Church School and finishing high School at Venable School. His parents were self-sufficient farmers, raising produce, hogs and cattle. Government programs during the Depression introduced mountain people to the "almighty dollar" and inspired them to want more than the bare essentials necessary for their basic needs.

Creasman ran a gas station with his brother when gas sold for 11cents per gallon. In 1934 he began working for the government, running tests for the Appalachian Forest Experiment Station, to determine the effect of different ground covers on water absorption. His salary of $1620 per year was increased to $2000 when he transferred to the Geological Survey in 1939. After World War II, he worked for the Geological Survey, studying the aftermath of floods in many parts of the country.

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