Hammons Family, Diller Collection
Title
Hammons Family, Diller Collection
Date
1968 - 1980
Description
In October, 1972, local musician Dwight Diller borrowed a 35mm camera from Carl Fleishhauer and spent one entire week photographing the Hammons Family. This collection will archive the 600 b&w photos taken during that week. Dwight Diller was a renowned musician and teacher, well-known for his contributions and preservation of WV Old Time music and the Hammons family legacy. He passed away on February 13, 2023.
The Hammons Family
Edden Hammons, 1876-1995
Pete Hammons, 1861-1955
Maggie Hammons Parker, 1899-1987
Sherman Hammons, 1903-1988
Burl Hammons, 1907-1993
Lee Hammons, 1883-1980
Currence Hammons, 1898-1984
Mintie Hammons, 1898-1987
Dona Hammons Gum, 1900-1987
The Hammons family came to West Virginia from Kentucky before the Civil War, eventually settling in Webster, Pocahontas, and Randolph counties. Many family members were known as some of the finest musicians in the mountains, playing and singing an ancient repertoire and holding on to nearly lost performance styles. The list above names several of the best-known musicians in the family.
Edden Hammons was considered to be the best fiddler of the lot and appeared in a World War II-era newsreel, fiddling for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at The Greenbrier hotel. In 1947, WVU professor Louis Chappell recorded 50 of his fiddle tunes. Wider recognition came in the 1970s when neighbor and local musician Dwight Diller became acquainted with the Hammonses and began a long and thorough examination of the family, its history, and their music.
Dwight was soon joined by Alan Jabbour and Carl Fleischhauer from the Library of Congress and a steady stream of other, mostly young and urban, musicians and folk music lovers. Recordings were made, interviews were transcribed and published, and people from many backgrounds became fascinated by this rustic family and their rural mountain heritage. Recordings of the family’s music has been released by WVU Press, the Library of Congress, Rounder Records, Dwight Diller, and the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College. (Information from the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame)
The Hammons Family
Edden Hammons, 1876-1995
Pete Hammons, 1861-1955
Maggie Hammons Parker, 1899-1987
Sherman Hammons, 1903-1988
Burl Hammons, 1907-1993
Lee Hammons, 1883-1980
Currence Hammons, 1898-1984
Mintie Hammons, 1898-1987
Dona Hammons Gum, 1900-1987
The Hammons family came to West Virginia from Kentucky before the Civil War, eventually settling in Webster, Pocahontas, and Randolph counties. Many family members were known as some of the finest musicians in the mountains, playing and singing an ancient repertoire and holding on to nearly lost performance styles. The list above names several of the best-known musicians in the family.
Edden Hammons was considered to be the best fiddler of the lot and appeared in a World War II-era newsreel, fiddling for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at The Greenbrier hotel. In 1947, WVU professor Louis Chappell recorded 50 of his fiddle tunes. Wider recognition came in the 1970s when neighbor and local musician Dwight Diller became acquainted with the Hammonses and began a long and thorough examination of the family, its history, and their music.
Dwight was soon joined by Alan Jabbour and Carl Fleischhauer from the Library of Congress and a steady stream of other, mostly young and urban, musicians and folk music lovers. Recordings were made, interviews were transcribed and published, and people from many backgrounds became fascinated by this rustic family and their rural mountain heritage. Recordings of the family’s music has been released by WVU Press, the Library of Congress, Rounder Records, Dwight Diller, and the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College. (Information from the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame)
Place
Woodrow, Williams River, and Marlinton, W.Va.
Creator
Dwight Diller
Source
Dwight Diller
Collection Items
Burl Hammons Carrying a Water Bucket and Jugs at Stillwell
Burl Hammons carrying a water bucket and two water jugs at Stillwell
Burl Hammons Carrying a Water Bucket and Jugs at Stillwell
Burl Hammons carrying a water bucket and two water jugs at Stillwell
Burl Hammons Holding a Banjo at Stillwell
Burl Hammons holding a banjo on his lap in the Hammons home at Stillwell
Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker at Stillwell
Profile Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker wearing a headscarf in the Hammons home at Stillwell, near Marlinton, W.Va.
Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker at Stillwell near Marlinton, W.Va.
Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker wearing a headscarf in the Hammons home at Stillwell, near Marlinton, W.Va.
Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker at Stillwell near Marlinton, W.Va.
Portrait of Maggie Hammons Parker wearing a headscarf in the Hammons home at Stillwell, near Marlinton, W.Va.
Maggie Hammons Parker Smiling and Clutching her Jacket
Maggie Hammons Parker Smiling and Clutching her Jacket in the Hammons home at Stillwell
Portrait of Ruie Hammons with Eyes Closed
Portrait of Ruie Hammons with Eyes Closed in the Hammons home at Stillwell