Oral history interview with Edward S. Johnson, October 28, 1985
Subtitle: Interview K-0012, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Sloan, Patricia E., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2004
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Reservoirs; Water-supply; Environmental impact analysis; Eminent domain; Water quality; Community organization; Orange Water and Sewer Authority (N.C.)
Other titles: Interview K-0012, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Edward S. Johnson, October 28, 1985; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: In this relatively brief but rich interview, Edward S. Johnson describes one group's efforts to prevent the construction of a reservoir on Cane Creek. Johnson describes the emergence of a coherent grassroots opposition to the project, directed by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), and describes how the opposition worked. This grassroots movement was still working to prevent the project at the time of the interview -- by proposing alternatives and attacking OWASA in court -- but Johnson is resigned that the project will go forward. Developers certainly thought so and were already building in hopes the reservoir will raise property values. This interview is useful for its explanation of grassroots opposition to disruptive projects and for its discussion of the need for absolute solidarity in a successful movement.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Aug. 30, 2007)

Interview participants: Edward S. Johnson, interviewee; Patricia E. Sloan, interviewer.

Duration: 00:40:00

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digitization project's database, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Apex Data Services, Inc. and Natalia Smith.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3; ca. 240.2MB)

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern Communities, Interview K-0012, Manuscripts Department, UNC-Chapel Hill. Original transcript on deposit at the Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. Transcribed by: Jean Houston. Original transcript: 15 p.

Funding from the University of North Carolina Library supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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