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Oral History Reveals Courtship Strategies of Gloucester Youth in the 1940s and 50s

‘“The cool guys in Gloucester, the cool girls in Mathews”: Oral History Reveals Courtship Strategies of Gloucester Youth in the 1940s and 50s’ from the Fairfield Foundation.

In August, The Fairfield Foundation wrapped up interviews for an oral history project directed by University of Florida graduate student and SPOHP Graduate Coordinator Jessica Taylor, aimed at recording oral histories about the Edge Hill Service Station and Gloucester’s Main Street community. What struck Jessica as a common thread through many of the interviews was the interplay between the spread of automobiles within the community and beyond and the social experiences of Gloucester’s youth. In the following guest blog, Jessica shares with us some amusing and heartwarming moments from the interviews, as well as her thoughts about the influence of cars on the intricacies of courtship in Gloucester County.

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