Audrey R. Duckert Quabbin Valley Oral History Collection Finding Aid : Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries

Read collection overview

The linguist Audrey R. Duckert was a pioneer in the study of American regional English. Born in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, Duckert studied dialect at the University of Wisconsin, and after completing her doctorate at Radcliffe College in 1959, she joined the faculty at UMass Amherst. During her forty year career at UMass, Duckert became a founding member of the Dictionary of American Regional English (1965) and she was the first UMass woman admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. In addition to her linguistic work, she developed an avid interest in local history and was involved with several local historical societies, including the Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem.

The Duckert oral history collection consists of a series of 53 audiocassette recordings containing interviews with persons displaced when the Swift River Valley was flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir in 1939. The histories include rich recollections of life in the towns of Greenwich, Enfield, Dana, and Prescott, with village life, education, family, and the changes that accompanied the inundation of the region. The original audiocassettes are in the possession of the Swift River Valley Historical Society.

See similar SCUA collections:

Background on Audrey R. Duckert

An image of: Audrey R. Duckert — Audrey R. Duckert

The linguist Audrey R. Duckert was a pioneer in the study of American regional English. Born in the small town of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, Duckert took up the study of dialect at the University of Wisconsin during the 1940s, and after completing a doctorate in linguistics at Radcliffe College in 1959, she joined the faculty at UMass Amherst. During her forty year career at UMass, Duckert became a founding member of the Dictionary of American Regional English (1965) and she was the first UMass woman admitted to Phi Beta Kappa.

In addition to her linguistic work, Duckert harbored an avid interest in local history, working closely with several local historical societies on projects that united her interests in dialect and daily life. Her most fruitful work may have been with the Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem where for two decades, she participated in an oral historical program, interviewing persons who had displaced from the Swift River Valley during the 1930s when the Quabbin Reservoir was constructed to provide drinking water for Boston. On September 6, 2007, Duckert died in Hadley, Mass., at the age of 80.

Scope of collection

The Duckert oral history collection consists of 53 audiocassettes containing interviews with persons displaced when the Swift River Valley was flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir. The histories include rich recollections of life in the towns of Greenwich, Enfield, Dana, and Prescott, with village life, education, family, and the changes that accompanied the evacuation and inundation of the valley. In addition to the formal interviews, the collection also includes recordings of public presentations and genealogical programs relating to the Quabbin region offered by the Swift River Valley Historical Society, tours of Quabbin sites led by former residents, and radio broadcasts.

Series descriptions

Dana, Mass.

1969-1980

13 tapes

Situated in Worcester County at the northern end of the Quabbin region, due east of Greenwich, New Salem, and Prescott, the villages of Dana Center and North Dana had barely 700 residents at the turn of the twentieth century. In addition to agriculture, Dana had a biox manufactory and was a center for production of palm-leaf hats.

Enfield, Mass.

1974-1979

5 tapes

Located in the southernmost portion of the Quabbin Valley, Enfield was the largest and most important of the four Quabbin towns. With over 1,000 residents at the turn of the twentieth century, its industrial base in woolen and grist mills made it the wealthiest of the four towns, and along with Greenwich, it was home to the only printers to operate in the Valley, Solomon and John Howe.

Greenwich, Mass.

1966-1979

8 tapes

The first of the Quabbin towns to be incorporated, Greenwich was settled in 1739 along the banks of the East and Middle branches of the Swift River. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the lakes and hills of Greenwich became a popular spot for vacationing tourists.

New Salem, Mass.

1974-1975

5 tapes

Although the town of New Salem was not dissolved by construction of the Quabbin Reservoir, one of its villages, Millington, was inundated. With a population of just over 800 at the turn of the century -- and half that by the time of completion of the Reservoir -- New Salem grew considerably in size when it annexed the northern portion of Prescott that remained above water after the flooding.

Prescott, Mass.

1967-1979

12 tapes

The smallest and westernmost of the four Quabbin towns, Prescott was incorporated in 1822, having been divided out from portions of the adjacent towns of New Salem and Pelham. In 1900, its population was barely over 300 residents, about 50% lower than at its peak, with most residents engaged in agriculture, lumbering, or domestic manufactures.

Quabbin Region, Mass.

1968-1979

8 tapes

Lectures, programs, and interviews pertaining to the Quabbin region generally.

Inventory

Dana, Mass.

1969-1980

13 tapes

Baxter, Charles and Barbara Baxter oral history with Audrey R. Duckert (Orange, Mass.)

1974 June 7