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Records the reminiscences of Joseph Fray, who was a member of the Chamber of Commerce in Madison County, Virginia, in the 1920s, and witness to the events that led to the founding of Camp Hoover, Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. Describes the work of local, state and federal officials in the planning and construction of Camp Hoover, also known as Rapidan Camp, which was a rustic retreat where President and Mrs. Hoover could escape the heat and congestion of Washington, DC. Fray reflects on the impact Camp Hoover had on Madison County, both as a works project and through the numerous benefits, such as roads, schools, and even air mail delivery, that came in the wake of its construction. Discusses the impetus Camp Hoover had on the founding of Skyline Drive and ultimately, Shenandoah National Park. Includes references to the lives of the mountain people and their sources of income, such as tan bark peeling and basket weaving, and local entrepreneur, George Pollock, owner of Skyland resort. A woman identified in the transcript as Mrs. Fray also contributes to the interview.

Records the reminiscences of Joseph J. Baldwin, who grew up near the Big Meadows area of what would become Shenandoah National Park. Describes home and family life, daily chores, schooling, holidays and community events. Among the topics discussed are the growing, harvesting and preserving of food, dairy cows, traditional herbal medicines and fur trapping. Includes references to weddings, wakes and funerals, moonshiners, the chestnut tree blight and severe local droughts in the1930s.

Records the reminiscences of Josie Knight, who lived near Pine Grove in Page County, Virginia. Describes daily life in the mountains, the means of growing and preserving food and other aspects of the local economy. Also mentioned is Deaconess Mary Hutton, an Episcopal missionary who served the mountain people during the 1930s.

Records an interview with Lena Meadows, (née Taylor), who lived near Jollet Hollow, in Page County, Virginia, prior to the advent of Shenandoah National Park. Describes daily life in the mountains, including local agriculture, livestock and food preservation, as well as important cash crops, such as apples, chestnuts, and moonshine. Recalls popular community activities, including storytelling, quilting parties and apple butter boilings.

Records an interview with LeRoy Nicholson, who lived in Weakely Hollow, near Old Rag Mountain, in Madison County, Virginia, until 1929. Describes daily life in the mountains, the means of growing and preserving food and other aspects of the local economy. Discusses popular pastimes, herbal remedies, holidays, courtship, and the moonshine trade. Also discusses his memories of local entrepreneur, George Freeman Pollock, owner of Skyland resort, and his service with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the construction of Skyline Drive.

Records the reminiscences of Lola Dean, who moved to the Pine Grove area, bordering Shenandoah National Park, in 1950. The interview deals chiefly with her memories and impressions of the mountain people who lived in the area at that time. Includes references to the gardens and livestock raised by the local people, their methods of food preservation, popular holiday traditions and the problems resulting from long-term intermarriage within small communities. Several references to the works of Episcopal missionary, Deaconess Mary Sandys Hutton, occur throughout the interview.

Records an interview with Louis Grannis, who operated a sawmill on Mt. Marshall, near Browntown, Virginia in the early 1920s. The mill produced railroad ties of various sizes, as well as telephone poles, until the commonwealth banned such activities in the proposed park area in 1924. Grannis discusses the economics and logistics of operating a mill in such an isolated location. A woman identified in the transcript as Mrs. Grannis also contributes to the interview.

Records the reminiscences of Lucille V. Coffman, (née Blose), and her husband, who is not named in the interview, but is believed to be Benjamin P. Coffman, both of whom grew up near the southern edge of Shenandoah National Park. Describes home and family life, daily chores, schooling, holidays and community events. Among the topics discussed are the growing, harvesting and preserving of food, raising livestock, wild game hunting and fishing. Includes references to the herbal remedies, moonshiners, the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 and the chestnut tree blight of the early part of the 20th century. Refers to the origins of the Blose family in Virginia and interactions between the mountain people and locals living in the Shenandoah Valley.

Records an interview with Luther and Myra Wood, (née Sandidge), who lived in Afton, Virginia. Describes daily life in the mountains, touching on the work of growing and preserving food, herbal remedies, courtship and holidays.

Records the reminiscences of Lyle E. Beahm, who was born in the Jewell Hollow area of Page County, Virginia, on a farm that would eventually become part of Shenandoah National Park. Describes his early home and family life, school days at the Shenk Hollow School, farm chores,and folk remedies. Discusses family gatherings, such as apple butter boilings, hog butchering and funerals. Briefly mentions the Civilian Conservation Corps, racial segregation and intra-family marriages. An unnamed woman, identified only as Mrs. in the transcript, and believed to be Eva Sours, contributes to the interview as well.