Greenbelt Oral History and Cultural Landscape Project
The Greenbelt Museum has a StoryCorps page! We are always interesting in adding oral histories that staff can collect. If you'd like to interview a family member or friend, we encourage you to add the recording to the Greenbelt Community page!
“Place is space made culturally meaningful.”
Setha M. Low, 1994, anthropologist
​
“Well, what comes to mind for me [when thinking about Greenbelt] is the coherence of the community, the wholeness of the community and the self-contained quality of the original Greenbelt—the beauty of the planning going into the city to facilitate people getting together, communicating, organizing.”
Susan Gervasi, 2013, Greenbelt resident
​
“We wanted a meaningful place, so that’s why we came [to Greenbelt]… I feel like there’s a—I don’t want to call it division—but it’s definitely a segregation of how people think and embrace Greenbelt. The people in the old, what you call old Greenbelt… consider themselves to be really—so to speak—the people holding up the heritage of Greenbelt. Whereas I think that other people around, also, you know, partake in that heritage.”
Patrick Hyousse, 2013, Greenbelt resident
About the Project
Diane Ronchi
​
Years spent in Greenbelt: 67
​
Diane Ronchi speaks about her memories of growing up Greenbelt, the milk delivery truck, and transportation on snowy days.
​
Listen here Diane Ronchi Oral History Clip
Ana Gasper
​
Years spent in Greenbelt: 6
​
Ana Gasper discusses moving to Greenbelt from Costa Rica and talks about the Greenbelt Lake as a community space.
​
Listen here: Ana Gasper Oral History Clip
This project started in June 2013 as collaboration between University of Maryland graduate student Ennis Barbery and the Greenbelt Museum and expands the Greenbelt Museum’s existing collection of oral histories begun in 1987. Barbery announced the project in the Greenbelt News Review and began meeting with residents. In total, she interviewed 14 residents, asking them about their life histories and memories of Greenbelt. She also asked them about how they use the landscape of Greenbelt in the present; some residents drew maps to show the places in Greenbelt that are important to them.
​
The Greenbelt Museum is actively seeking to document the experiences of residents. If you are interested in sharing your stories of Greenbelt please contact the museum by phone (301-507-6582) or email info@greenbeltmuseum.org.
