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Wiregrass Black History Project – Charles R. Hayes Interview, February 26, 2025

Record Group 298

Date Span:  February 26, 2025

Description:  Interview 26:41 min. (3.65 GB) ; Transcript = 10 pages.

Biographical Sketch:  Charles R. Hayes, born in 1944, is a life-long resident of Dothan, AL, with an extensive knowledge of the Baptist Bottom neighborhood. He graduated from Carver High School, attended Tuskegee Institute then later received his bachelor's degree in social science from Troy University Dothan Campus, served as a sergeant in the US Army, and retired from a forty-year career in the US Postal Service.

Organizational Sketch:  The Wiregrass Black History Project is a collaboration between the Wiregrass Black History Channel on YouTube (by David "Mit" Kirkland) and the Wiregrass Archives. Funded in 2024- 25 by Troy University and the Society of American Archivists Foundation through its Catalyst Grant, the Project's goal is to produce nine video recordings of African American elders in the Wiregrass.

The Wiregrass Black History Channel will host edited versions of the interviews. The Wiregrass Archives will make the raw interviews available on its YouTube channel and create metadata records and finding aids that link to the project and to individual video interviews.

Scope / Content Note:  Video interview with transcript of Mr. Charles Hayes giving a tour of the Baptist Bottom neighborhood of Dothan, AL. He points out where roadways, alleys, housing, and businesses used to be in Baptist Bottom before the structures fell into disrepair and the neighborhood deteriorated to the point of dilapidation.  

Provenance:  Interview conducted by Mit Kirkland.  Provided to the Wiregrass Archives as part of the grant-funded Wiregrass Black History Project.

Processing Notes:  Transcriptions made by MS Word AI, then edited by Dr. Martin T. Olliff.  Revisions planned to update and correct transcriptions.

Cite as:  Charles R. Hayes Interview, The Wiregrass Black History Project, RG 298, Wiregrass Archives, Troy University Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL.

Acquisition Method:  Gift 

Donor Name:  Wiregrass Black History Project

Proc Date:  7/4/2025                                    Processor:  MTO

Access / Use:  Open

 

CALENDAR:

298-25-0704-Intv-004     Charles R. Hayes Interview, February 26, 2025 (Baptist Bottom tour)

Click here for the Wiregrass Black History Channel (YouTube) edited video, "A Walk in Baptist Bottom, Dothan, Al, 2025."

Click here for transcript of unedited video produced below.

Contact Us

Wiregrass Archives
Troy University Dothan Campus
Everett 128
502 University Dr.
Dothan, AL  36303

Phone: 334-983-6556 x21327
Email: wiregrassarchives@troy.edu

 

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