The Oral History Center at SSU was created by one of the original faculty members, Collum Davis. It was created in 1971 and lasted through 1991. Oral histories were collected from a variety of sources such professors and staff members of SSU as well as various peoples from the Sangamon River watershed. Included in these oral histories were coal miners, members of the Black communities, Immigrants, Jewish members, Politicians, farm families, WWII conscientious objectors, and prisoners of war. Many of them have been digitized and are available for reading and listening on the Illinois Digital Archives website.There is not a lot of information on this project as it was never funded.

The Oral History Center at SSU was created by one of the original faculty members, Collum Davis. It was created in 1971 and lasted through 1991. Oral histories were collected from a variety of sources such professors and staff members of SSU as well as various peoples from the Sangamon River watershed. Included in these oral histories were coal miners, members of the Black communities, Immigrants, Jewish members, Politicians, farm families, WWII conscientious objectors, and prisoners of war. Many of them have been digitized and are available for reading and listening on the Illinois Digital Archives website.There is not a lot of information on this project as it was never funded. https://uis.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/2136 Accessed September 17, 2026.