Oral History Interview Ann Kiper

Partial Transcript: Today is May 27th, 1984. My name is Teka Ward. I am interviewing Ann Kiper. We are at 1151 Dove Road, Louisville, Kentucky. Our topic is Lou Tate and the Little Loomhouse.

Segment Synopsis: Ward introduces the interview by giving the date, her name, her interviewee's name (Kiper), their location, and the topic.

Keywords: Ann Kiper; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Weaving

Partial Transcript: As we begin, tell me something about yourself first.

Segment Synopsis: Ann Kiper briefly describes her personal and professional background. She tells the story of how her grandmother first met Lou Tate at the Kentucky State Fair, which inspired a life-long friendship between Kiper's mother, Mabel, and Lou Tate. Lou Tate and Kiper's mother traveled across many of the counties in South-central Kentucky gathering information about weaving in the region. Kiper also describes Lou Tate's family briefly. She also talks about her mother's hand-woven wedding dress.

Keywords: 3rd Street; Allen County, Kentucky; Barren County, Kentucky; Basket weaving; Basketweaving; Berea College; Bowling Green, Kentucky; Cave City, Kentucky; Cumberland County, Kentucky; Exhibits; Gamaliel, Kentucky; Horseback Riding; Jeep; Kentucky State Fair; Kenwood Hill Road; Lemuel Russell Waitman Jr.; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Mabel Allene Palmore Waitman; Medical Technologist; Metcalfe County, Kentucky; Monroe County, Kentucky; R.A. Palmore; Southern Kentucky; The Little Loomhouse; Third Street; Warren County, Kentucky; Wedding dresses

Subjects: Agricultural exhibitions; Basket making; Baskets; Bridge (game); Card games; Coverlets; Exhibitions; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Quilts; Spinning; Travel with horses; Universities and colleges; Weaving; Wedding costume

Partial Transcript: The first conscious memory I have of Lou Tate and of the Loomhouses comes when I was about five years old...

Segment Synopsis: Kiper describes her first memory of visiting Lou Tate which entailed being photographed in a woven pinafore. The photograph was used for the cover of one of Lou Tate's weaving publications. She then goes on to describe a picture of her mother which was also featured in Lou Tate's publications that was taken in her grandmother's garden. Kiper says that Lou Tate would take many flowers from that garden back to Kenwood Hill and plant them at the Little Loomhouse. She also describes some of the scenery of the interior of the cabins from the perspective of herself as a child, and talks about the names she and her brother knew Lou Tate by. She moves right into another mention of Lou Tate's family, and then memories of Lou Tate visiting her family when she was young and living in Marrowbone, Kentucky, as well as meeting Lou Tate in other places for visits and lessons. Kiper talks about some of the stories Lou Tate told her about her boyfriends on these visits as well. Kiper also talks about Lou Tate's style of dressing before the tape cuts off and Teka Ward announces the end of side 1 of the tape.

Keywords: 2nd Street; 3rd Street; Aunt Lessie; Aunt Lessy; Boyfriends; Cumberland County, Kentucky; Esta; Frankfort, Kentucky; Glasgow, Kentucky; Kentucky Museum; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Marrowbone, Kentucky; Monroe County, Kentucky; Mr. Bousman; Palmores; Pinafores; Sally Moss; Second Street; Skipper; Sue Kendrick; The Kentucky Building; The Little Loomhouse; Third Street

Subjects: Flowers; Gardens; Jumpers (Dresses); Kentucky--History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Teaching; Weaving

Partial Transcript: This is side two of interview one with Ann Kiper.

Segment Synopsis: This is the beginning of side two of the interview. Kiper continues her explanation of Lou Tate's clothing style. She then begins to talk about how Lou Tate enjoyed shopping, and how she believed that the money that Lou Tate spent shopping was money that came from L&N stocks. Kiper tells a humorous story about shopping with Lou Tate at the Iroquois Manor shopping center, which leads her to acknowledge the sort of mother-daughter relationship the two of them had.

Keywords: Clothes; Iroquois Manor shopping center; L&N Railroad; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Louisville & Nashville Railroad; Mad money; Princess slip; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Clothing; Fashion; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Railroad companies; Shopping; Stocks; Weaving

Partial Transcript: I have to think about Lou Tate's involvement with young people as being a real strong influence to me.

Segment Synopsis: Kiper describes Lou Tate's primary interests in weaving as being related to the research of the traditions and the teaching of the art to children. She talks about how Lou Tate actually taught school in her earlier life, both in Harlan, Kentucky, and at the Hoovers' school in Virginia. Kiper goes into detail describing what she knows about Lou Tate's time teaching at the Hoovers' school, and about Lou Tate's relationship with Lou Henry Hoover. Kiper says that Lou Tate worked as a Design Draftsman during the war, and also considers her to be one of the first Occupational Therapists.

Keywords: Antebellum history; Applied mathematics; Design draftsman; First Lady Hoover; Fort Knox; Ft. Knox; Harlan, Kentucky; Herbert Hoover; Little looms; Lou Henry Hoover; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Mrs. Hoover; Occupational therapists; Pink lemonade; President Hoover; Rapidan Mountain; Rapidan Valley; Settlement schools; The Little Loomhouse; Virginia

Subjects: Children; Cottage industries; Coverlets; First ladies; Kentucky--History; Lemonade; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Mathematics; Occupational therapy; Presidents; Presidents' wives; Research; Schools; Social settlements; Teaching; Virginia--History; Weaving

Partial Transcript: I'm sure there are other people that remember those days during the 40s and lived them as Lou Tate did and remember people, places, and times...

Segment Synopsis: Kiper describes the 60s as being a time when Lou Tate became a little more bitter to some of those around her in the weaving community and also in her own community on Kenwood Hill due to the development of the land around her. She also tells a story of Lou Tate attending her very small wedding. Ann Kiper recalls the time that Lou Tate told her she was an alcoholic toward the end of her life, which helped her understand some of the personality changes she saw in Lou Tate later on in her life. She talks about the parties that Lou Tate would throw as well, but talks about them in relation to Lou Tate's drinking and a falling out that they had experienced.

Keywords: Blackouts; Gamaliel, Kentucky; Kenwood Hill; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Party; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Alcoholics; Alcoholism; Coverlets; Erosion; Housing developers; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Outhouses; Parties; Weaving; Weddings

Partial Transcript: She had kept on having a few classes in the evenings and odd times for students.

Segment Synopsis: Kiper talks about some of the teaching and classes the Lou Tate did later in her life. She also tells the story of when Lou Tate had her heart attack. In the middle of this story the tape ends, but she continues her story at the beginning of the next tape. Teka Ward introduces the new tape. Kiper says that after her heart attack, Lou Tate became remorseful about the way that she had treated some people in her life, and saw her recovery as a sort of rebirth. Her personality changed again after that. After her heart attack, Lou Tate moved in with Ann Kiper's family during her recovery. She read the Alcoholics Anonymous book during that time.

Keywords: "On Death and Dying"; AA; Alcoholics Anonymous; Carl Sagan; Elisabeth Kübler-Ross; EMS; Heart attacks; Kindergarten loom; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Alcoholics; Alcoholism; Kentucky--History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Myocardial infarction; Teaching; Typhoid fever; Weaving

Partial Transcript: After Lou Tate got back on her feet after the heart attack, why, she didn't want me around so much...

Segment Synopsis: Kiper describes some oral history interviews that Lou Tate participated in after her recovery from her heart attack that were conducted by a university in Texas which she believed was trying to obtain her collections when she died. She then talks some about what she believed were Lou Tate's views about the importance of her collections and the Little Loomhouse.

Keywords: Happy Birthday song; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Oral histories; Texas; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Oral history; Private collections; Weaving

Partial Transcript: Lou Tate finally got real ill and she had to be taken back to the doctor and then to the hospital...

Segment Synopsis: Kiper describes when Lou Tate became very ill and it was determined that she had cancer. She ended up living in a nursing home for a time after that, and Kiper describes the way that Lou Tate became very invested in teaching weaving to the residents there. Kiper says that it was during this time that Lou Tate became very interested in the work of Carl Sagan, and began relating his research to weaving.

Keywords: "The Dragons of Eden"; Carl Sagan; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Cancer; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Nursing homes; Teaching; Weaving

Partial Transcript: She eventually was able to come back to the cabins and there were rough times.

Segment Synopsis: Kiper says that when Lou Tate returned to the cabins from the nursing home, she began to push her out of her life, but they would get together from time to time, and when they did, Lou Tate was very supportive. Kiper becomes emotional talking about this time and about Lou Tate's final hospital admission. Kiper recalls Lou Tate's visits to Florida and Cape Breton, Canada during her final years. Kiper also shares about Lou Tate's death.

Keywords: Canada; Cape Breton, Canada; Florence Mackley; Florida; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Native American Indians; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Clothing; Foster home care; Indians of North America; Jackets; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Weaving; Wills

Partial Transcript: I don't know of anyone that has influenced what I do or don't do more than Lou Tate.

Segment Synopsis: Kiper talks about Lou Tate's influence on the person she has become. She talks about the Lou Tate Foundation and the goals of Lou Tate. Kiper ends by talking about Lou Tate as a mother figure, and about Lou Tate's funeral, visitation, and memorial service. They scattered her ashes after her death.

Keywords: Ashes; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Lou Tate Foundation; Louisa Tate Bousman; Moms; Seminoles; The Little Loomhouse; Visitations

Subjects: Coverlets; Cremation; Death and burial; Funeral rites and ceremonies; Kentucky--History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Memorial service; Memorial service programs; Mothers; Seminole Indians; Weaving