Summary
Description: Collection consists of audio, visual, and printed materials documenting the
Appalachian migration to Maryland (1930s1960s) and donated to the Maryland Folklife
Program by Jason David Pate in the 1980s. Ola Belle Reed (19162002) was a singer,
songwriter and musician from Lansing, North Carolina. During the Great Depression, she moved
with her family to Northeastern Maryland, where she lived until her death in 2002. Through the
years, Reed wrote a number of songs about her Appalachian past and her commitment to family
traditions, religious values, and social justice. In 1978, the University of Maryland awarded her
an honorary doctorate of letters for her contributions to the arts and culture of Maryland and the
United States. The collection includes Reed’s autoharp, personal affects and clothing, as well as
recorded sound, photographs, and material collected by Reed.
