The story of John Henry, told mostly through ballads and work songs, traveled from coast to coast as the railroads drove west during the 19th Century. And in time, it has become timeless, spanning a century of generations with versions ranging from prisoners recorded at Mississippi’s Parchman Farm in the late 1940s to present-day folk heroes. —Carlene Hempel —John Henry: The Man – Facts, Fiction and Themes (ibiblio)
I’ve got a John Henry project I’ve been sitting on for several years… I’m planning to dig it out soon. This site has a good biography (which actually cites the online abstract of a talk I gave at the MLA years ago, though that was 3 websites ago.)
Update. 29 Jun: A few other nuggets: NPR (good bibliography), Garst (recent research claims Alabama, not West Virginia, as source of the legend).
Representing the Humanities at Accepted Students Day.
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Thanks for your recommendation, Kristen!
This Page is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I think teachers should use it to help their students learn. You really should recomend this page for teachers to help their students!!!
Kristen Loraine Walker
10 years old
Farley Elm. School
Paducah, KY 42003