Audio

This episode discusses multiple songs and poems passed down from families in Vermont. Examples include a maple sugaring song and famous love songs. This episode also discusses the tradition of dowsing in Vermont. Dowsers speak on their ability and experience.

A Hand-Me-Down Harvest; Sweetest Joys, Indeed, 1984, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia), American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. 

This episode discusses the history of tall tales and how they are passed down from generation to generation. The speakers share multiple folk tales and songs that are popular and have been passed down in Vermont. It ends with a young child sharing a folk tale that she heard from her parents very recently.

A Hand-Me-Down Harvest; If Only One Cow Showed Up, 1984, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia), American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. 

This episode discusses the lifestyle in rural Vermont during the time the recordings were collected. First, they discuss folklore in medicine and the different plants and oils they used as cures. Next, they discussed farming techniques. Most of the techniques revolved around planting crops according to the lunar cycle. An anecdote is given about dandelion wine and mixing it with root beer. Finally, they talk about how families were much closer knit back then. Everyone worked together for a common goal. They recall all shucking corn together and having dances in the barn all night. The program ends with a man recalling sledding down a big hill in the winter with all of his neighbors.

Half Root Beer and Half Dandelion Wine,1984, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia), American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. 

This episode discusses folk tales traditional to Vermont and how they go on lasting for generations to follow. First, the story of Dream Lake is discussed. A song is sung about a similar legend. Next, a ghost story called The Tale of Emily’s Bridge is told. The speakers reflect on how this story is similar to ghost stories all around America and how strong oral tradition can be. Finally, the Lake Champlain sea monster is discussed. People who claim to have seen the monster tell their stories.

A Hand-Me-Down Harvest; Every Lake Has a Monster, 1984, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia), American Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC.