Research Assignment #1: The Harry Caudill Papers

Steven Klein
History 112: The Making of Modern Kentucky
September 22, 2014

The late Harry M. Caudill felt a strong connection with the Cumberland Plateau and the
Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky. Through many years of research and traveling throughout the
eastern part of The Bluegrass State, he sought out to gather evidence of just how urgent a change was
needed in the Eastern Kentucky region. He collected his findings and wrote about them in his book
Night Comes to the Cumberlands, which was published in 1963. His book gives grave detail about how
difficult life was for the mountaineers, miners, and moonshine producing Kentuckians during the late
1800's to the 1960's. Caudill left historical papers, containing many letters to Caudill and from Caudill,
in the Margaret I. King Library at the University of Kentucky. These papers help us perceive how
citizens of Kentucky, and national citizens, reflected on Caudill's biography of the Appalachian region
at the time.
Almost all of Eastern Kentucky throughout history has been documented as a rural, poor, and
under-developed portion of society. It was tough to live in this area during the early to mid-1900's.
Even currently, Eastern Kentucky is one of the poorest regions in the United States. Caudill goes into
great detail throughout his book giving many examples of how depressed of an area Appalachia was at
the time. Kentucky as a whole has lagged behind the rest of the nation in almost every field.1 In a
book review written by the Washington Post, they state All of the problems of all of the nation's
depressed areas are concentrated in the beautiful hills of Eastern Kentucky.2 I agree with the
Washington Post's sentence in its review of the book. Eastern Kentucky was and currently is a
depressed region. I did not know a lot of the problems that occurred there during this time were so
unalterable. This document demonstrates the amount of challenges that were present at the time. These
include a lack of jobs, a public school system, a proper health system, and much, much more. The
document further validates how despondent of an era it was to live in Appalachia at the time.
1 Harry M. Caudill, Night Comes to the Cumberlands: A Biography of a Depressed Area (Ashland, KY: Jesse Stuart
Foundation, 2001), 52.
2 Book Reviews from The Courier Journal, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996, 91M2, Special
Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

After Caudill published his biography, the book took an appeal to political leaders in the United
States' capitol. Many political leaders within the government sent letters to Caudill stating that they
were glad Caudill addressed in his book how difficult life was in Eastern Kentucky. Bert T. Combs,
who was elected the fiftieth governor of Kentucky in 1959, stated in a review of Caudill's book, Your
book should go a long way toward helping to rehabilitate our mountain people.3 Another letter written
by Gordon Ebersole who worked for the United States Department of the Interior says in a letter to
Caudill, I have conveyed orally my impressions to Chuck Stoddard, Interior's representative on
F.D.R.'s committee on Appalachia.4 I think that both of these letters reveal how much of an impact
Caudill's biography had across the whole country. I believe his goal was to raise as much awareness as
possible about the difficult times occurring in Appalachia and he definitely succeeded. Caudill also
became very popular within the federal government. In the Special Collections Library, there is a
picture of Caudill with him, Arthur Dixon, and President Lyndon B. Johnson dated December 14,
1964.5 Caudill is presenting to Johnson a Kentucky long rifle, a popular gun in Eastern Kentucky at the
time. I believe this picture demonstrates how important, political figures thought highly of Caudill.
Caudill was a great resource in figuring out the problems of Eastern Kentucky. Caudill could help them
fix many of the problems so that the region would not be in such despair.
There was an immense social impact that Caudills biography had on the people of Eastern
Kentucky, and throughout America. I believe that the book was well written for people to discuss at the
time. I think Caudill did a terrific job in portraying how he felt about the hard times occurring in
Eastern Kentucky. Because of this, Caudill received many letters from the citizens of Eastern Kentucky,
demonstrating how they felt about Caudills book. While I was in special collections, I did not come
across a letter sent to Caudill that was negative in any manner. The book helped motivate the citizens of
3
Book Reviews from The Courier Journal, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996, 91M2, Special
Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
4
Letter from Gordon Ebersole to Harry Caudill, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996, 91M2, Special
Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
5
Picture of Arthur Dixon, Harry Caudill, and President Johnson, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996,
91M2, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

the Appalachian region to work harder and to try and create a strong movement of changing the
environment that they live in. One letter to Caudill, written by John Walton, who grew up in Eastern
Kentucky, states I am reading, with pleasure and pathos, your great book, Night Comes to the
Cumberlands.6 This letter validates how I believe a lot of the citizens of the Appalachian region at the
time responded to the book. I contemplate that the mountaineers were pleased that someone was raising
a social awareness of the troubled life that they were all living at the time.
The writing of Night Comes to the Cumberlands had a large cultural impact in the Appalachian
region of Kentucky. The Cumberland Plateau has always been a poverty stricken area. There was not
much help being given to the area, outside of the Federal Governments welfare checks being written to
a large portion of the mountaineers. But after Caudills book was published, an influx of help was
contributed to the eastern part of Kentucky. There were many donations given, like clothes and food.
There were also many letters written to Caudill from people across the United States writing to
acknowledge Caudill about addressing the problems being faced in Eastern Kentucky, and how they
would love to help. Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois indicated in his letter that he would be of resource
to Caudill in helping. I read your book with complete fascination. It is one of the best books ever
written about the American people and I am ready to support your southern mountain authority.7 I
believe that this letter illustrates just how much of a cultural impact the book had on the American
people. They all came together to help out in a time of need. I also think that the people of the
Appalachian region has developed their own culture over time. There are many stereotypes in todays
society that reflect on the poverty and lack of education consisting in Eastern Kentucky. I believe that
this is because of the many generations in Eastern Kentucky having a lack of interest in education. So
currently, there are not as many educated citizens as the average region in America. I think that this is a
benefiting factor in the fact that this region of Kentucky is one of the poorest in the country.
6
Letter from John Walton to Harry Caudill, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996, 91M2, Special
Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
7
Letter from Senator Paul Douglas to Harry Caudill, Anne and Harry M. Caudill Collection, 1854-1996, 91M2,
Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

After reviewing many documents at the M.I. King Special Collections Library, I believe that
Harry Caudills book had an important political, social, and cultural effect on the Appalachian region of
Kentucky. The documents at Special Collections also made it easier to identify the era the people of the
eastern region of Kentucky lived in. I consider that overall, there was a lot of positive feedback given to
Caudill, and that the book had a positive impact on the people of Eastern Kentucky.