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WCU - Oral Histories of Western North Carolina

Interview with Betty Carlson and Karen Carlson Hall

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Interview with Betty Carlson and Karen Carlson Hall

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Item 2 - Interview with Betty Carlson and Karen Carlson Hall

Interview with Betty Carlson and Karen Carlson Hall

MHC_Lower_Carlson_CarlsonHall_1998-10-17_b
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Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • Betty Carlson and her daughter Karen Carlson Hall are interviewed as part of the "Native Plants Project"--a research project of the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. In this interview they discuss their interest in native plants and wildflowers. The interview takes place in Bryson City in the house that belonged to Betty's parents and Betty talks about how, while growing up, she would go out exploring for wildflowers--ginseng and orchids. In fact, her parents had bought this property for the abundance of springs and flowers located on it. She talks about how her maternal grandfather was a self taught naturalist and other men in her family were interested in the sciences. She did not think her family used plants for medicinal purposes considering they were scientifically oriented and Betty's perception was in line with this as well. Along with Karen they have been growing plants on their property--naturalizing some orchids and pitcher plants primarily for aesthetic and not medicinal purposes. Karen and Betty regularly visit portions of their large property spanning 46 acres to study the local plants that grow there seasonally. Karen talks about how she enjoys checking on the plants that grow on their property like yellowroot, various mosses, swamp plants, and pitcher plants. She also states she was interested in the medicinal uses of the plants and would like to see more of them tested scientifically for medicinal uses. As an ethnobotanist, Karen states she was interested in understanding the unique human perspective on the uses of plants as established in folklore and also to trace if there were any scientific basis for such use. The interview concludes with a discussion of the effects of medicine on health. While Betty considers medicine has played a crucial role in promoting longevity, its standards have nonetheless emphasized a rigidity that lack a human touch. Karen too feels modern medicine and, even doctors, lack the human aspect that existed in old country doctors.
Object
?

Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).

  • Betty Carlson and her daughter Karen Carlson Hall are interviewed as part of the "Native Plants Project"--a research project of the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. In this interview they discuss their interest in native plants and wildflowers. The interview takes place in Bryson City in the house that belonged to Betty's parents and Betty talks about how, while growing up, she would go out exploring for wildflowers--ginseng and orchids. In fact, her parents had bought this property for the abundance of springs and flowers located on it. She talks about how her maternal grandfather was a self taught naturalist and other men in her family were interested in the sciences. She did not think her family used plants for medicinal purposes considering they were scientifically oriented and Betty's perception was in line with this as well. Along with Karen they have been growing plants on their property--naturalizing some orchids and pitcher plants primarily for aesthetic and not medicinal purposes. Karen and Betty regularly visit portions of their large property spanning 46 acres to study the local plants that grow there seasonally. Karen talks about how she enjoys checking on the plants that grow on their property like yellowroot, various mosses, swamp plants, and pitcher plants. She also states she was interested in the medicinal uses of the plants and would like to see more of them tested scientifically for medicinal uses. As an ethnobotanist, Karen states she was interested in understanding the unique human perspective on the uses of plants as established in folklore and also to trace if there were any scientific basis for such use. The interview concludes with a discussion of the effects of medicine on health. While Betty considers medicine has played a crucial role in promoting longevity, its standards have nonetheless emphasized a rigidity that lack a human touch. Karen too feels modern medicine and, even doctors, lack the human aspect that existed in old country doctors.

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Oral Histories of Western North Carolina

These interviews document the communities and culture of Western North Carolina. Topics include the building of the Fontana Dam, the history of WCU, stories from local veterans, integration of the...

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