Madison County Oral Histories (63 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
	Roland Harris Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Roland Harris describes growing up in Alhambra and Highland in the 1930s. He then discusses his service during World War II. Next, Harris describes his funeral home business in Highland. The interview ends with a description of his work with the Highland Historical Society and the Highland News Leader newspaper.	October 15, 2016	December 7, 2016
	Bryan Mathis Oral History Interview	In this oral history interview, Bryan Mathis describes his childhood in Venice, Illinois, and his experiences as an African-American man growing up in the area during the era of desegregation. He describes the various forms of bigotry and racism he's faced in the communities of Venice, Madison, Granite City, and St. Louis, as well as his feeling about the communities of Venice and Granite City today. He also discusses his work as a paperboy in Venice, what it was like growing up in the Venice housing projects, getting cut from the Venice High School Basketball team the year they won the State Championship (1975), and going to SIUE and the Mississippi River Festival in the late 70s.	October 18, 2016	December 1, 2016
	Thom Swain Oral History Interview	In this oral history, Thom Swain discusses his ownership of the Fat Cats nightclub and music venue in Edwardsville during the 1980s. He also describes Madison County's music and entertainment scene since the 1980s. Finally, he describes his management of several bands in the area.	October 14, 2016	December 1, 2016