Name/Title
Interview with Joe "P-Nut" Johnson [DVD]Entry/Object ID
2017.002.021Description
Interview of William J. Johnson, known in the community as P-Nut, is a poet and artist who was born and reared in Charleston. P-Nut was born in 1955 at 9 Alexander Street, which is today located underneath the Gaillard Center. (In 1964, the City of Charleston razed the neighborhood just north of Ansonborough, bounded by Calhoun, Alexander, and Anson, and extended Anson Street from Anson to East Bay Street, in order to build a municipal auditorium. Only a few houses were saved through relocation and streets such as Wall Street and Alexander were shortened). P-Nut describes the close-knit African American community that was subsequently destroyed and the effects of gentrification on his family. His family moved to an apartment at 313 East Bay Street and then to Beaufain Street, eventually settling in the Ansonborough Homes, a low-income housing project located on present-day Gadsdenboro Park. There, P-Nut and his mother rode out Hurricane Hugo in 1989 which had a traumatic effect on him. P-Nut describes various neighborhoods, particularly the Westside neighborhood where he has lived for the past two decades. He also talks about his career as a house painter, and about his real passion for poetry and art (painting).
Recorded as part of HCF's "Changing Neighborhoods" series, made possible in part by grants from the SC Humanities Commission and the Employees Community Fund of The Boeing Company.
Date of interview: 10/18/2017. Interviewed by C.J. Lotz for Historic Charleston Foundation at Mr. Johnson's home, 50 Simons Street. Leigh Moring (HCF), videographer.
Recorded as part of HCF's "Changing Neighborhoods" series, made possible in part by grants from the SC Humanities Commission and the Employees Community Fund of The Boeing Company.
1 DVD: 50:34
Digital files (MP3/audio and MP4/video) on MyPassport-OralHistory (external hard drive)Collection
HCF Oral History CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2017.002Source or Donor
New Library Catalog Records (2017)Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
Ansonborough, West Side, North Central, Johnson, William J.--Interviews, Neighborhoods--South Carolina--Charleston, African Americans--South Carolina--Charleston--Social life and customs, Gentrification--South Carolina--Charleston--Social life and customsPublication Details
Author
Johnson, William J.Series
Historic Charleston Foundation Oral History ProjectDate Published
2017Notes
Copy No.: 1Location
Location
Container
DVD (Videos) Box 1Shelf
AV MaterialsRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023General Notes
Note
Notes: Consent Form and transcript on Media link.
MP3 (audio) and MP4 (video) files on MyPassport hard drive.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 9, 2017Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023