This oral history interview with Elisabeth Walton Potter was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in Salem, Oregon, on January 25, 1980, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds’ name was Linda S. Brody. A transcript of the interview is available.

In this interview, Potter discusses her education in art and architecture history at the University of Oregon and Penn State, and talks about some of her professors. She speaks about the origins of her interest in historic preservation, describes her training in public history, and talks about organizations related to historic preservation. She also talks about educational opportunities in public history in Oregon. She discusses her thesis on the topic of Methodist missionary architecture; talks about working as Oregon’s first park historian; and speaks at length about her work with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the National Register of Historic Places. She describes the process of nominating places for the register and talks about the many sites that she added during her tenure as coordinator of the National Register for the State Historic Preservation Office. She speaks about local preservation ordinances in Oregon and other states. She closes the interview by talking about the future of the register.