Vienna Stories – Past & Present is dedicated to facilitating the preservation of local history by and for the Vienna community. We aim to capture a sense of the local past through its existence in the living present, using the words and personal experiences of Vienna and greater Vienna residents.
Topics of particular interest to Vienna Stories – Past & Present include: personal experiences with community organizations, institutions, events, services, businesses, and family; and in addition, opinions of Vienna’s growth and gradual restructuring, political climate, small-town atmosphere, and what it is like to grow up in Vienna.
Oral Histories
Since its founding in 1976, Historic Vienna, Inc. has worked to preserve Vienna’s History. Over the years, we have been able to take Oral Histories in a variety of forms. We are currently working on making oral histories in any form available for you to view through our website using the drop down menu on the Vienna Stories tab.
In 2013, Historic Vienna, Inc. embarked on a new initiative to collect oral histories from longtime area residents. Since then, the project has evolved into a rich archive of treasured memories that offer insight into what Vienna once was.
In 2014, we expanded our oral history archive. In addition to our oral history interviews, we also created a new collection of interviews captured at the annual ViVa Vienna celebration. In this series of videos, community members share their thoughts on ViVa Vienna’s significance to the town. You can see all these recordings on our YouTube channel.
On our Oral History blog, you can explore full transcripts of all videos, plus a unique timeline of Vienna’s rich history.
Read or listen to the Vienna oral histories we have collected.
Written Submissions
Sometimes stories are best told through a written submission. The topics of written submissions can be anything related to Vienna, its history, its businesses, its social life, its growth or personal experiences in and around Vienna.
Interested in getting involved?
Do you want to volunteer to help interview someone for our Oral History Project? Do you know someone who you think we should interview? Do you have a Written Submission to add to our Vienna Stories? Is there a Vienna Story that you would like to add? We welcome any ideas and suggestions for items to add to our Vienna Stories – Past and Present collection. Please email us at uivbenyuvfgbel@tznvy.pbz
Links to important project forms:
If you’re interested in getting involved, please download and read Historic Vienna’s release form and copyright permissions letter thoroughly.
Oral History Guide 01/20/21 – to learn about how to take an oral history
HVI Oral History Release Form 2020 – Required to include Oral Histories in the Vienna Stories – Past and Present collection.
HVI Oral History Covid Impressions Release Form – Required to include stories in the Covid Impressions collection. Stories may be written or oral.
Covid Impressions
The Oral History Committee of Historic Vienna, Inc. has a mission to gather and preserve Vienna’s history – both past and present. We have documented how Vienna residents and businesses have been affected by, coped with, and reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic. You can participate in this endeavor by submitting a short description, a photograph, a piece of art, or a poem depicting what you think is important to be remembered about this unprecedented time in history. This can be submitted anonymously if desired. Together the reflections we gather will capture a variety of our Vienna residents’ experiences. We will share them on our website and preserve them in our archives. To read or listen to the Covid-19 stories we have collected click below.