Interview with Agnes Quinn [audio]

Hagley ID:
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  • Celebrating Christmas; General store and post office; Prohibition; Shopping in Wilmington; Making clothes for her children; Using the trolley
    Partial Transcript: "I think I told you when I was a child they were the same as they are now..."
    Synopsis: Very poor recording. Difficult to understand. Quinn talks about Christmas traditions. She talks about the local general store and the type of goods sold there. She talks about Prohibition. Quinn describes going into Wilmington to buy textiles and dresses. She says that there was a dressmaker on the Brandywine. She talks about making coats for her children. She describes the local trolley route. Quinn describes having her wedding dress made. Quinn talks about her grandmother.
    Keywords: Celebrations; Christening gowns; Christmas; Dresses; Embrodiery; General stores; Gifts; Prohibition; Seamstresses; Shopping; Street-railroads; Textiles
  • Parent's origins; Quinn's grandmother; Shopping in Wilmington; Decorating for Christmas; Christmas gifts; Owning a general store
    Partial Transcript: "My mother was born in that house right up there... and my dad was born in Rockland."
    Synopsis: Quinn talks about her parents Delaware origins. She talks about her grandmother. She says that she was disabled. She talks about her family's quilts. She talks about shopping in Wilmington. Quinn describes decorating for Christmas as a child. She talks about Christmas gifts and says that her brother once got a doll because he had shown interest in her dolls. She talks about making and buying doll clothes. Quinn talks about owning a store in 1929. The recording becomes difficult to understand.
    Keywords: Christmas; Decorations; Doll clothes; Dolls; Gifts; Quilts; Rockland, Del.; Shopping; Siblings; Toys; Wilmington, Del.
  • Looking at photographs; Social activities at the Hagley Community House (Breck's Mill); Parent's jobs; Looking at photographs 2; Rugs and floor coverings; Clothes and christening gowns
    Partial Transcript: "Now this is the house my mother was born in... and this was the saloon, then..."
    Synopsis: Quinn looks at archival photographs of the Hagley area. She identifies images of local buildings and talks about how they have changed over time. Quinn talks about social activities at the Hagley Community House (Brecks Mill.) Quinn talks about her parent's jobs. An unidentified man's voice joins the conversation. Like Quinn, he is attempting to identify buildings and locations in photographs. She describes the location of Squirrel Run and continues to look at photographs. She talks about rugs and floor coverings. She talks about her christening gown and says all of her children wore it too.
    Keywords: Christening gowns; Clothes; Hagley Community House (Breck's Mill); Hodgson Bros. woolen mill; Photographs; Rugs; Squirrel Run (Del.: Village)
Details
Title

Interview with Agnes Quinn [audio]

Date Created

1968-05-28

Scope and Content

Quinn describes prohibition in Wilmington, shopping and making textiles, her relationship with her grandmother, the layout of the neighborhood, social activities at Breck's Mill, floods along the Brandywine, and running her tavern. She also describes Christmas traditions along the Brandywine, including attending church at dawn at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine, the decoration of the tree, sledding, and gifts received.

Interviewee

Quinn, Agnes

Biographical Note

Agnes Quinn grew up in the villages at Hagley.

Note

On side B there is a recording of the Bicentennial at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia as well as observances of the events around the community in which the narrator sings "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and interviews people about thier feelings on the Bicentennial
Very, very poor quality recording, the first minute is inaudible; tape flips at 45:30

Subject(s)

Reminiscing
Textile industry
Domestic life
Manners and customs
Prohibition

Find all items with name(s)

Quinn, Agnes

Genre

oral histories

Brand Information

TDK SA90 (135m) High Bias

Language

English

Type of resource

sound recording-nonmusical

Extent

1 sound cassette (90 min.) : analog. TRT 0:47:12.

Physical Details

0:47:12

Repository

Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library

Original Collection

Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation interviews on the history of the DuPont Company Powder Yard (Accession 1970.370)

Original Identifier

1970.370.173

Finding Aid

http://findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/1970_370.xml

Item Location

Box 5, Cassette 173

Preferred Citation

[Description and dates], 1970370_102413_quinn, Box 5, Cassette 173, Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation interviews on the history of the DuPont Company Powder Yard (Accession 1970.370), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, DE 19807

Access Condition

Access to this item is provided for educational and research purposes only. The user assumes responsibility for obtaining permission from the copyright holder to publish or distribute this material. If you would like more information, please contact askhagley@hagley.org

Hagley ID

1970370_102413_quinn

PID

islandora:2277554

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