Historical Alliance launches oral history project to preserve ‘Mid-Century Memories’

This year Lake County residents will have a chance to share and preserve their stories with local historians.

The Lake County Historical Alliance is commemorating America’s 250th through an oral history project, “Mid-Century Memories.”

Participating local museums and historical societies are collecting interviews about life in their towns during the 1940s through the 1980s. The recordings will be uploaded and available on the StoryCorps Archive and preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The Historical Alliance initiated the project to create an online archive of local stories gathered from those that lived through the mid-20th century. Questions may elicit memories of what residents did for fun, what businesses were frequented, or descriptions of work and school. Together, these recordings will contribute to the greater historical record by documenting and preserving our local communities.

Listen to completed interviews at archive.storycorps.org/communities/lake-county-history/.

Contact your local historical society or history museum to learn more and schedule an interview appointment.

The Lake County Historical Alliance was established in 1993 to foster relationships and collaborations among local museums and to mentor one another in best practices.