Staging Tradition: John Lair and Sarah Gertrude Knott

The show and theme park both emphasized the rustic Anglo-Saxon "hillbilly" heritage of American culture, even to the point of compelling performers to adopt stereotypical stage names, garb, and personae. Using an abundance of archival primary sources located at Berea College, Western Kentucky University, and the Library of Congress, Williams, with an admirable eye for detail, has made a fine contribution to these long-standing debates.