Oral History Program Records
Scope and Contents
The Oral History Program Collection contains recordings and transcripts of oral history interviews conducted from 1994 to the present. Some interviews provide information about the operations of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s residences and the heiress as a businesswoman, hostess, and socialite. Other interviews provide information about the operations of Hillwood as a museum over the years.
Kathi Ann Brown of Milestones Historical Consultants was contacted to develop an overall plan for the program, conduct interviews, develop forms, and coordinate transcription services and editing services. Interviews conducted by Kathi Ann Brown and Stephanie Brown were recorded using a TCM-5000EV Cassette-Corder. All interviews conducted by Estella Chung are born-digital using an Olympus Ds recorder. Interviews conducted by Jason Speck are made using a voice recorder mobile app capturing files in WAV format.
Dates
- Creation: 1994 - present
Language of Materials
Materials are entirely in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Some files may be restricted to staff only.
According to the Archives and Special Collections Policy, all institutional records are closed to public researchers for 25 years from the date of creation, unless they meet the following criteria for permanent restriction:
- Records which are restricted due to applicable federal or state privacy laws
- Legal communications
- Legal work product
- Other materials at the discretion of the HEMG Director and/or Head, Archives and Special Collections.
Digital counterparts of restricted material will only be accessible by to those with permission to access.
Conditions Governing Access - Digital Surrogates
This collection is partially digitized. Archives and Special Collections reserves the right to provide access only to the digital surrogate in order to safeguard against any preservation concerns or risks.
Biographical / Historical
The Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens Oral History Program was initiated by Hillwood Archivist Nancy Harris, who sought initial funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities. Over the years the program has become a fundamental part of the Archives and Special Collections activities. The program’s initial objective was to supplement the archives’ record with the oral histories of those who can provide first-hand accounts of the estate during Post’s residence, Marjorie Merriweather Post's character and lifestyle. Focus in more recent years has transitioned to the development and transformation of the estate as a fully fledged museum with interviews from long time docents, volunteers, and employees.
Partial Extent
2.25 Linear Feet
Partial Extent
11.4 Gigabytes
Arrangement
The Oral History Collection consists of 3 series: Series I. Administrative Files, 1994-Present Series II. Interviews, 1994-Present Series III. Public Programs, 2010-2011
Preservica Internal URL
https://us.preservica.com/explorer/explorer.html#prop:4&a19100b5-996c-4c0b-b2a9-8a1e058c02f6
Preservica Public URL
https://hillwood.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|a19100b5-996c-4c0b-b2a9-8a1e058c02f6/
Processing Information
This collection was processed and described by Vitalina A. Nova. It has been revised by Abby Stambach and Hope Zoss in 2019. The collection was further processed by Jason Speck and Kendall Aughenbaugh in 2024 and 2025.
- Title
- Oral History Program Collection
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Vitalina A. Nova. Revised by Abby Stambach and Hope Zoss.
- Date
- 2014 December 12
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- TypeCollection
Repository Details
Part of the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Archives and Special Collections Repository
4155 Linnean Ave NW
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Archives and Special Collections
Washington DC 20008 USA
202-243-3912
kaughenbaugh@hillwoodmuseum.org