Cratis D. Williams (1911-1985), widely recognized for his work The Southern Mountaineer in Fact and Fiction, a landmark study in literary representations of the Appalachian region, left a prodigious legacy of scholarship on southern mountain people and is remembered as the "Father of Appalachian Studies." Unfortunately, for those who want to delve further into the primary sources which informed Williams' work, a 1966 fire destroyed many of Williams' personal and professional papers. The largest collection of surviving documents and artifacts related to Cratis Williams, the Cratis D. Williams Papers (AC.102), are held within the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection. The collection includes information valuable to understanding the career and personality behind the scholarship produced by Dr. Williams as a folklorist, a balladeer, and an educator.
In order to make the collection easier to navigate for researchers, the Cratis D. Williams Papers are currently closed for reprocessing. The collection should be available again within a few weeks. Check this site for updates on the collection as well as information on its contents and highlights.
Image from AC.102 Cratis Williams Papers: Cratis Williams, August 12, 1975;
Cratis Williams
