Madison County Oral Histories (68 total)

These oral history interviews were conducted by interviewers associated with Madison Historical and touch on various topics in Madison County history. These topics vary by interviewee.

Thumbnail	Title	Description	Date	Date Added
	Charles Jackson Oral History Interview	In this oral history, Charles Jackson discusses his family's involvement with the Western Military Academy in Alton. He describes his experience of attending a military high school, as well as how the military academy prepped its cadets for careers in the service. He describes why the military academy was shut down, and later his career as an educator for Triad High School.	July 16, 2017	February 2, 2018
	Chuck Sanderson Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Chuck Sanderson describes his business and hobby of running multiple pinball-themed businesses in Madison County. He describes two businesses he's run and the community of pinball enthusiasts in the region during the early twenty-first century.	June 11, 2025	September 9, 2025
	Cindy McGrew Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Cindy McGrew discusses her role and experiences as the owner of the Glen Carbon Traveling Tails Inn, a doggy day care, which she co-founded in 2008. She also describes growing up in a small town, attending SIUE, and her previous careers as a teacher and school counselor.	October 8, 2018	February 12, 2019
	Danny Gray Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Danny Gray describes his experiences working for Granite City Steel from 1978 to the time of the interview. He describes how steel production has changed in his 38 years working for the company, including the rise of automation and, in his view, the weakening of unions. He also discusses growing up in the St. Louis region and living in Madison County.	October 19, 2016	February 9, 2017
	Dave Knoche Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Dave Knoche describes growing up in the Alton and Godfrey area in the 1980s and 90s as well as some of his education and experience in Montana and California. He also describes working for ADT Security, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Dow Screw Products in the Metro East. He then discusses joining his father's business, HGH Products, which manufactures steel and graphite parts for the glass bottle industry.	October 17, 2016	January 30, 2017
	David Miller Oral History Interview	In this interview, David Miller discusses his career in airport management and his time at the St. Louis Regional Airport in East Alton. He details how he gained experience with aircraft while serving in the military, the details of and difficulties in managing airports, and what makes St. Louis Regional Airport unique.	July 13, 2018	September 28, 2018
	Derek Mathis Oral History Interview	In this interview, Derek Mathis describes his youth in Venice, Illinois, including his experiences with racism in the era of desegregation. He also discusses changes to Venice and the town of Madison in his adulthood.	October 26, 2016	March 10, 2017
	Ed Hightower Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Ed Hightower describes growing up as an African American in the South. He details the adversity he faced throughout his career in education, often being the only African American administrator within the district. He highlights his achievements at the Edwardsville superintendent and discusses his involvement with the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities.	September 28, 2017	January 10, 2018
	Edward Hall Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Ed Hall describes his career as a butcher and former manager / owner at Edwardsville Quality Meats. He speaks to the changes of downtown Edwardsville, the butcher shop, and the 2017 shift in ownership of Quality Meats.	April 19, 2017	May 3, 2017
	Eleidys Guerra Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Venezuelan student Eleidys Guerra discusses moving to Madison County to study English, leaving behind a job and large family in Venezuela. She describes how she and her son have adapted to their new circumstances with no familiarity with English.	November 20, 2017	April 11, 2018