Project Update: After five years of working in the County, the Voices of Chatham oral history project has sadly come to an end. This site is archived, meaning that, beyond minor updates, this site will remain static for the foreseeable future.
Voices of Chatham
An Oral History of a Changing Chatham
Welcome to the Voices of Chatham, an oral history project documenting the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of Chatham County, NC. Learn more about the people, places, dialects, and traditions that make Chatham special by exploring residents' stories collected between 2019 and 2024. This project represents a collaboration between the Language & Life Project and the Chatham County Historical Association. Learn more about this initiative HERE
Hear the Stories
On this website, you'll find audio clips from the over 100 interviews we conducted in Chatham County from 2019 to 2024.
These audio clips are organized thematically. You can explore participants' stories by clicking on a theme you're interested in below or by navigating to The Recordings tab above and clicking on the By Theme subpage
You can also search our collection by clicking on The Recordings tab and navigating to the By Search subpage. Just type in the name of an interviewee, press the search button, and start exploring!
Click any theme to start exploring
While this project has come to an end (see Get Involved), we are still in the process of collaborating with the Chatham County Historical Association to archive the many stories people have shared with us. If you can any questions, please do not hesitate to email us.
"An abundance of... really great-tasting rabbits"
"Yes, At one time, Chatham County was famous for an abundance of really big rabbits, and really great tasting rabbits, according to most people. And the story my dad said was, all the kids around here, in the 30s and 40s, that’s how they could make some money. And I’ve actually still got some of my dad’s original rabbit boxes at home, that he built out of wood, scrap wood, and you know the rabbits gonna get trapped. And at one time, he said you could actually hang your rabbits on the mailbox and the mailman would pick 'em up for you, carry them to town, and drop them off in town to the guy who bought rabbits."
- Mark Ellington
Explore the County
Chatham County is located in the heart of the North Carolina Piedmont and just south of The Research
Triangle. Learn more about the people and places that make Chatham Chatham!
Click on the map to take a virtual tour!
What's with all of the rabbits?
Click on the icon to find out
Thank You!
We want to thank Chatham County residents for all the generosity and encouragement we have received over the past five years of this project. You have invited us into your homes and have entrusted us with your precious and infinitely fascinating stories, and for that we are forever indebted. We are so tremendously grateful for all the friends we have made along the way who have enthusiastically supported our work in the county. The county is undoubtably a beautiful place to live; but if there is one thing we have learned over these past few years, it is the people that truly make Chatham special.
Though we could have spent multiple lifetimes collecting the amazing stories in this county, our work with the Voices of Chatham project has sadly come to an end. As such, we will no longer be conducting oral history interviews at this time. This should not stop you, however, from documenting you or your or your family's stories. Mobile devices have made conducting oral histories easier than ever before, and we would encourage folks to review the many free resources, like the Smithsonian's How to Do Oral History guide, that can help get folks started with projects of their own.
Moving forward, we are committed to making sure that the over 100 interviews we have collected are accessible for county residents, and are working closely with the Chatham County Historical Association to ensure that these stories are preserved for future generations. We are also in the final stages of editing a documentary that showcases the many stories we recorded and hope to debut the film at various local screenings and via PBS North Carolina.
We want to thank you all again for all of the love and support we have received from the community over the years. You can find out more information about the future of the project by clicking below:
Brody McCurdy
Brody received his M.A. in Linguistics from NC State's English Department in 2022. He served as the coordinator for the Voices of Chatham project between 2022 and 2024. He is currently pursuing his PhD candidate in the CRDM program at NC State. He loves studying the dialects of North Carolina and recording the culture, stories, and traditions of the state.
Lydia Elrod
Lydia graduated with a M.A. in English Rhetoric and Composition from NC State’s English Department in 2022. She works as a documentarian for the Language and Life Project and is currently attending law school at Campbell University. She is a writer, researcher, and filmmaker who is passionate about storytelling.
Walt Wolfram
Walt Wolfram is William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor at NC State, where he also directs the Language and Life Project. He has pioneered research on social and ethnic dialects since the 1960s and published 23 books, 8 edited collections, and more than 300 articles.