Oral Histories
Step into the past with our captivating oral history recordings, which offer a nostalgic peek into island living through authentic and intimate stories. Browse a series of video interviews recorded in 2023 as part of the “Reluctant Paradise” exhibit, or audio interviews recorded in 2000 and 2001 as part of the Block Island Oral History project.
Reluctant Paradise
Recorded in 2023 as part of the “Reluctant Paradise” exhibit, these interviews feature Block Island residents reminiscing about life in the 1950s and 60s.
Oral History 2000–2001
With the help of the Block Island Historical Society, the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, and Folklorist Michael Bell, Project Coordinators Jane Musky and Nina Stack and Island Historian Martha Ball are pleased to present the 2000 Block Island Oral History Project.
Oral History is a very powerful medium of the historical record for this community.
Join us to listen to the stories of these oldest families on Block Island. Some of these families have inhabited this Island for 300 years.
It is our aim to document family and Island stories and also hear from the younger generation. What are their hopes for the future of Block Island?
These recordings are also available from the office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Thanks
We gratefully acknowledge the participation and assistance of the following people.
Interviewers
Kim Gaffett
Pam Gasner
Martha Ball
Margarite Donnelly
Families
Harriet Payne Phelan and Blake Phelan, Meagan Merrick Hobe
Lew, Kim, and Page Gaffett, Sandy Madison Gaffett
Katherine Champlin
Josephine Dugan, Champ and Orrinn Starr
Barbara Dodge Hall, Gary Hall, Danielle Rose
Rob Lewis
Everett, Verna, and Kirk Littlefield
John and Charon Littlefield
Lydia Rathbun Littlefield and Pam Littlefield Gasner
Don Littlefield
Edie Littlefield Blane
Claire, Norris, Lilly, and Harry Pike
Adrian Mitchell
Virginia and Tom Mitchell
Martha Ball
We hope you find these family stories and island history as vital and fascinating as we did.
Jane Musky Nina Stack