The Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s Oral History Curator, Linsey Lee, has been a tireless advocate for giving voice to hundreds of Vineyarders in some 1,600 interviews over the last 35 years, building a rich tapestry of the Island’s history. Lee’s ability to tell compelling stories permeates the extensive interviews that populate her “Vineyard Voices” books and enliven the Museum’s archives, oral history YouTube channel, and exhibitions.
To honor Lee’s upcoming retirement, I sat down for a wonderful, far-reaching conversation. Her admiration and respect for those she has interviewed come through repeatedly. “I feel like I’ve been given gifts by all the people I’ve talked to who have shared their lives and perspectives with me.”
The breadth of oral history topics is impressive, with just a few being women’s and civil rights, racism, the environment, the importance of community, changes in farming and fishing, World War II, boat building, memories of the Vineyard Deaf community, and the list goes on. “In these oral histories, there are universal American stories, but they are told through a lens of people on the Vineyard,” Lee explains.
We spoke, too, about the nature of memory as it relates to oral history. “Each interview has nuggets of truth, fiction, and poignant stories.” Memory, Lee says, is a fascinating thing. “We remember what is important to us. You get stories. Are they true or not true? Who knows. But that is an aspect of oral history that I love. There are a finite number of things that happened on the Vineyard, but the versions of what happened are infinite. Everybody remembers different things. Memory can waiver or stay strong. That’s how the world runs. It doesn’t run from acts that are written down but people’s subjective opinions about things.”
Lee began collecting oral histories after moving here in the 1970s. “I had this romance with the Vineyard, coming here in the summer, thinking, ‘Someday I’ll move here. I’ll write books and draw pictures.’ I was a firm believer that if you have a dream, realize it.”
Initially living in a tipi on the Tisbury Great Pond and later in a house with no running water, Lee had many jobs to make ends meet. There was working at the Scottish Bakehouse, working at a bookstore, cleaning houses, and shucking scallops at Poole’s Fish Market in Menemsha, where she heard the seasoned fishermen swap stories. “These subjective, often quixotic, sometimes contradictory stories brought the Vineyard alive to me in ways that nothing I had ever read had. So, I started collecting them. I fell in love with the people and the stories.”
Lee began the Oral History Center with the Museum in 1993. At first, she focused on collecting stories from the old-timers. “Because of the relative isolation at that time, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, there were still people around to remember the Vineyard lifestyle that essentially hadn’t changed.” As time passed, Lee included people of different ages and those from elsewhere. “I am always amazed at people’s generosity of spirit when talking to me, and also the strengths they have in living lives that weren’t easy peasy.”
Lee typically conducts multiple interviews with her subject. “People have to get comfortable so they’re open to telling their stories. For me, I have to get used to the kind of stories this person tells. Do they tell visual stories or factual concrete ones? It’s a learning experience for both sides.”
Editing the resulting transcripts is the next step to getting each interview into a manageable size. For instance, if it’s for a book, Lee will have to whittle down some 100 to 300 pages of manuscript to about 3 to 5 pages. “I love editing, but it’s a challenge. You have to leave out incredible things.” She remarks, though, that her strongest concern for each oral history is “to edit one that the person feels proud of.”
Reflecting on Lee’s retirement, MV Museum executive director Heather Seger says, “There’s so much gratitude the Museum has for the work Linsey has done over the last 35 years. While the Museum has been focused on untold stories since around 2017, Linsey has been so thoughtful and focused on telling the stories of Islanders who are a real part of our community and represent all different parts of life. We’ve done a lot of work with Linsey to ensure her legacy lives on here.”
To say Lee’s about to retire is a bit of a stretch. She will continue to collect oral histories and will be working on another “Vineyard Voices” and a film.
What keeps Lee going is her belief that oral histories benefit both sides. “For someone of any age to be listened to, to be shown that the stories are of interest, that’s a real plus. It’s something we all need. For me, being on the receiving end of that as the interviewer, you hear these wonderful stories or aspects of life on the Vineyard or somewhere else and the challenges and joys they faced. I learn so much from people to live my life better.”
To see samples of Linsey Lee’s oral histories, visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3M5Jlnwq-3X7nxLbFWc_xw
