Bio
Elliott West, born August 27, 1920 in Darien, Georgia, has lived on countless turpentine camps since he was six years old. His father was employed on a camp in Nahunta when West was very small, and much of West’s childhood was spent playing games with other children in the dusty roads of south Georgia’s and northern Florida’s turpentine quarters.
Having worked for over sixty years to bring turpentine from pine trees, West knows little else when it comes to work. He remained active in the woods until economic factors (“They can buy it cheaper across the water,” he says) removed turpentine from the area entirely just a few short years ago.
West lives alone today in Folkston, Georgia, and he continues to labor under the sun, nowadays landscaping for friends and neighbors.
Found in 7 Collections and/or Records:
File — Box 1: Series Series 1, Folder: 15
Collection number: Folder 15
Scope and Contents
Group or Organization Name:County of Residence:Occupation:Retired, works lawn care on occasionNotes:Mr. West was joined in the interview by Mr. Eddie Lee Scripp (now deceased), a former turpentiner.
The interview took place on the front porch of Mr. West's home for Faces in the Piney Woods project.This recording, unfortunately, loses whatever it is Keywords:Genres (Controlled Vocabulary):Turpentine, personal experience narrative,...
Dates:
July 15, 2003
File — Box 1: Series Series 1, Folder: 31
Collection number: Folder 31
Scope and Contents
Equipment Used:Timothy C. PrizerInformant Name:Timothy C. PrizerFieldworker:Front porch of Elliott West's home . in Folkston, GeorgiaEngineer:Original tape number 03.3Location:Original tape number 03.3Content Summary:This recording, unfortunately, loses whatever it is worth in content in its extremely poor sound quality. On Mr. West's front porch the sounds of passing cars, whistling trains, buzzing bugs, bleating goats, and everything else...
Dates:
July 15, 2003
File — Box 1: Series Series 1, Folder: 32
Collection number: Folder 32
Scope and Contents
Equipment Used:Timothy C. PrizerInformant Name:Timothy C. PrizerFieldworker:Front porch of Elliott West's home in Folkston, GeorgiaEngineer:Original tape number 03.4Location:Original tape number 03.4Content Summary:This recording, unfortunately, loses whatever it is worth in content in its extremely poor sound quality. On Mr. West's front porch the sounds of passing cars, whistling trains, buzzing bugs, bleating goats, and everything else...
Dates:
July 15, 2003
File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 1
Collection number: Folder 1
Scope and Contents
item_title: Alton Carter and Elliott West Interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title:equipment_used:informant_name:fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 02/01/98recording_location: Folkstoncontent_summary: "Interview with Alton Carter, boss, and Elliott West, his worker for many years, on West's front porch. The two reminisce about the turpentine...
Dates:
February 1, 1998
File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 2
Collection number: Folder 2
Scope and Contents
id: DAT-1002.02item_title: Carter and West in the Woodscall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: ;equipment_used: ;informant_name: Eddie B. Robinson, Alton Carter, Elliott Westfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 04/18/98recording_location: Ware Countycontent_summary: Recording of the three turpentine men, boss Carter and workers Robinson and...
Dates:
April 18, 1998
File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 084_carter-alton_west-elliot
Collection number: PRJ1014-084
Scope and Contents
Oral history interviews with Alton Carter and Elliot West, February 1, 1998 and April 18, 1998. Folkston (Ga.). Eddie B. Robinson also interviewed. Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio files digitized from DAT tapes. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.
DAT-1002.01: Alton Carter and Elliott West Interview, February 1, 1998....
Dates:
February 1, 1998; April 18, 1998
File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Bag: 069_west-elliot_scipp-eddie
Collection number: PRJ1014-069
Scope and Contents
Oral history interview with Elliot West and Eddie Lee Scipp, July 15, 2003. Folkston (Ga.). Fieldworker: Timothy C. Prizer. Audio file digitized from 3 cassette tapes. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections. Topics include turpentining and the turpentine industry and trade.
Dates:
July 15, 2003
