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Records the reminiscences of Ada "Addie" Anderson, (née Smith), with contributions from Vallie Cave, Beulah Sirbaugh and Nell Woodward. Due to the conversational nature of the interview, only Mrs. Anderson's and the interviewer's remarks are identified in the transcript, with comments from the other participants dispersed throughout. Describes home and family life, daily chores, schooling, holidays and community events. Among the topics discussed are the growing, harvesting and preserving of food, soap making, raising livestock and wild game hunting. Includes numerous references to and anecdotes about family members, friends and neighbors known to all four women.

Records the reminiscences of Annie Fox, who lived in Fox Hollow, near Front Royal, Virginia, briefly after her marriage in the 1930s. Describes daily life in the mountains, including local agriculture, livestock production and food preservation, courting rituals and folk music.

Records an interview with Austin C. Judd, whose father, W. Lee Judd, owned a general store near Luray, Virginia, from the turn of the 20th century until the advent of Shenandoah National Park in the mid 1930s. Discusses the retail business at that time and his impressions of the mountain people who would patronize the family store. Most of the store's interaction with the mountain people was based on a barter system, where chestnuts, ginseng and farm produce were exchanged for store credit. Also describes his time with the Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC), during the 1930s. Includes references to local entrepreneur, George Freeman Pollock, owner of nearby Skyland resort, and George Corbin, who built Corbin Cabin, near what is now the Appalachian Trail. Mr. Judd's wife, who is identified only as Mrs. Judd in the transcript, but who is believed to be Gladys Judd, contributes throughout the interview.

Records an interview with Clark Jones and his wife, Flora Coonie Jones, (née Keyser), who lived in Flint Hill, Virginia, just beyond the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park. They describe home and family life in the mountains, holidays, food production and preservation, and the various cash crops and other sources of income available to the mountain people.

Records an interview with Dorothy Housh, whose late husband, Chester C. Housh, was a community manager in the Farm Security Administration that oversaw the forced relocation of hundreds of mountain families from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1930s. By the time the Houshes arrived in Elkton, Virginia, in 1936, most of the families had moved away or had relocated to one of the resettlement tracts provided for them in Flint Hill, Ida Valley, Little Washington or Wolftown. Describes the experiences of the mountain people as they adapted to their new lives and the administrative problems that occasionally arose in the resettlement tracts. Dennis Carter, a naturalist at Shenandoah National Park, contributes to the interview.

Records an interview with Edith Samuels, (née Alger), who lived in Joliet Hollow, within the future boundaries of Shenandoah National Park. Describes daily life in the mountains, touching on the work of growing and preserving food, herbal remedies, courtship, birthing and funeral rituals, as well as holiday celebrations.

Records an interview with E.P. Shifflett and his wife, Maude, (née Morris), who lived in Bacon Hollow, within the future boundaries of Shenandoah National Park. Describes daily life in the mountains, touching on the work of growing and preserving food, herbal remedies, courtship, and funeral rituals, as well as holiday celebrations. The Shifflets also recall several individuals who were killed in Bacon Hollow, usually as a result of feuds between rival moonshiners. An addendum to the interview transcript, provided by Dorothy Smith, documents several homicides and trials of Bacon Hollow residents from the early part of the century.

Records an interview with Erma Jones and her sister-in-law, Lucy Taylor, who lived in Kite Hollow, in Page County, Virginia in the 1920s and 1930s. Describes home and family life in the mountains, holidays, food production and preservation, and the various cash crops and other sources of income available to the mountain people.

Records an interview with Etta Snow, (née Breeden), and her son Charles R. Snow, who lived in the mountains between Skyline Drive and McMullen, Va., in Greene County, at the eastern edge of Shenandoah National Park.

Records the reminiscences of Fisher Finks and his wife, Myrtle Hurt Finks, who lived near the Big Meadows area of Shenandoah National Park until the mid 1920s. Opens with Mr. Finks reading from family documents that establish the presence of the Finks family in Virginia dating back to 1736. Describes daily life in the mountains, including local agriculture, livestock production and food preservation, as well as the important tan bark industry. Discusses popular community events, such as weddings and funerals, corn husking, apple butter boilings and courting. Recalls the traditional remedies used for common ailments and injuries, as well as a brief discussion on deadly diphtheria outbreaks and the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. Includes discussions of race relations in the region, the prevalence of moonshine and its possible connection to numerous local murders. Also recalls local entrepreneur, George Pollock, owner of Skyland resort and the construction of Camp Hoover, the presidential retreat created by Herbert Hoover.