Hugh Creasman Oral History

University of North Carolina at Asheville D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections/University Archives Oral History Register for Hugh Creasman 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:	Water -- Pollution Water quality management -- United States -- North Carolina Fire ecology -- Appalachian Mountains Forest fires -- Appalachian Mountains -- History Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) -- History Agriculture -- North Carolina -- History
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.
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	TRANSCRIPT: 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 ; Southern Highlands Research Center Oral History Collection http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/SHRC/default_shrc.htm
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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