Newell Gymnasium group oral history interview, 1993 January 16
Description
A group of former Newell High School students, including Ernest B. Austin, Lloyd Cochran, Russell G. Faulk, Francis Freeman, Vera Kimbrell, and several unnamed speakers, discuss the role basketball played in Newell, an unincorporated farming community in Mecklenburg County, during the 1930 and 1940s. They talk about playing other Mecklenburg County school teams, how girls' basketball was different from boys' basketball, and how basketball games were social events for the small community. They also explain that the nature of the game--its relatively low cost, lack of major equipment, and the fact that it could be played indoors at night--made it an accessible after school activity for poor farm children during the Great Depression. The group also recounts the role the basketball gymnasium played in Newell, explaining that its construction had been a major community project and that it went on to serve as a community center.
