Date

11-13-2025

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

Mary Barclay

Keywords

Ozarks, gender, tourism, women, folklore, folklorist, Ozark identity, May Kennedy McCord, Mary Elizabeth Mahnkey, Lucile Morris Upton, heritage tourism, business leadership, entrepreneurial, music, hillbilly, nostalgia, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Celtic, Appalachia, Vance Randolph, Otto Ernest Rayburn, Christian, business development, Ozark heritage, Ozark women, Ozark music, folk festivals

Disciplines

History

Abstract

This study examines how women folklorists and writers in the Ozarks, between 1930 and 1970, shaped a romanticized regional identity, preserved its history, and, as cultural representatives, reframed the perception of the region, thus facilitating the advancement of heritage tourism. This development is further explored within the context of a national framework. Moreover, by focusing on three women, May Kennedy McCord, Mary Elizabeth Mahnkey, and Lucile Morris Upton, and using them as key analytical tools, a broader assessment of women’s contributions to Ozark cultural identity and their leadership in the development of heritage tourism is achieved. Drawing on archival material from numerous collections, including contemporary newspapers, regional publications, and radio broadcasts, this examination demonstrates that women in the Ozarks successfully leveraged their traditional gender role as cultural custodians to assert themselves as cultural ambassadors, economic agents, and innovators in the emerging heritage tourism industry. This analysis addresses a lack of scholarship about Ozark women and contributes to the burgeoning field of Ozark regional history.

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