Oral history interview with John Ledford, January 3, 2001
Subtitle: interview K-0251, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Amberg, Rob, 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: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Sheriffs; Police administration; Police-community relations; Social change; Economic conditions; Social life and customs
Other titles: Interview K-0251, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with John Ledford, January 3, 2001; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: John Ledford, the sheriff of Madison County, NC, describes his job and the changing role of county sheriff in a growing area. His job requires an understanding of the personal dynamics of the county, and many of its residents expect personal service. But Madison County is growing, and its growth is changing Ledford's job. In this interview, he describes the growing conflict between new arrivals and longtime residents; the political aspects of his position; the effects of a new highway corridor that brings business, but also crime, to the area; and the increasing complexity of a job that was once local and personal. In doing so, Ledford reveals his drive to keep pace with change and his regret that Madison County cannot remain the wooded paradise of his youth. This interview offers a thoughtful look at the challenges small communities face, caught up in an increasingly connected nation.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on November 20, 2008).

Interview participants: John Ledford, interviewee; Brenda, interviewee; Rob Amberg, interviewer.

Duration: 01:33:49.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 172 kilobytes, 171 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0251, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by L. Altizer. Original transcript: 52 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.