Frank M. Allara Library Special Collections and Archives (Univ. of Pikeville)
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Page 10, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.ple peeling.
While they peel they also are entertained by trying fortunes with apple
seeds. They count the seeds in an apple, then name a boy or girl for
every seed. The fortune teller then starts reading the seeds. As ever
seed is read the one whose fortune is being told tells who he named for
each seed. The fortune starts like this; one he loves; two they both
love and so on.
Another form of amusement is to peel an apple without breaking the peel-
ing and throwing it back over your left shoulder. If the peeling does
not break it will naturally form a letter of the alphabet, supposing-
ly the initial of the one that you are too mary.
RAISING COTTON
By Texie Howard
Back in olden days, people never got without cotton seed, for they were
always distributed among the neighbors.
Plant the seeds about the tenth of May. First soak them over night in
water, them mix them with wood ashes, to cause the cotton fuzz to lay
close to the seed, so that when drilling them, too many seeds won’t fall
in one place. The rows should be two and one half feet apart. cover
about one inch deep. In about three or four days they will come up. Let
grow ten days and start hoeing. The old people used to say the cotton
patch was the best place for raising cucumbers so the cucumber vines
will run up on the cotton plants, or bushes and keep the cucumbers from
being on the ground.
The cotton has a very beautiful bloom about the first of August. After
blooming the pod called bolls forms and is sealed up. When it gets its
growth, the cotton opens into four divisions and the cotton will con-
tinue to grow and dry on the stalk. Then about the first of October
start picking the large white fluffy cotton. Sun it until perfectly dry
then put it into a barrel or a box and wait until winter days come when you
don’t have anything to do, and sit by an open fire place with large logs
burning and separate the seeds from the cotton. This was done by hand
in this region.
After the seeds were separated, the cotton was carded into bats. some
was used for quilt padding and the rest spun into threads and then wov-
en into materials for towels, sheets and other necessary linen. Some of
it was dyed with a yellowish brown and used for aprons, and dresses. A
blue pot was set with indigo for the blue colors.
HOUSE RAISING
By Sylvia McKee
In the days of our grandfathers and even our fathers there was not a
great deal of money among the farmers. When a young couple got married
although they did’ not have the ready cash, they were able to have a
home of their own by the generous efforts of all their neighbors. The
young man would of course have to furnish the lumber and land upon which
to build his home but the constructing was taken care of by the men a-
round him. this procedure was called a house raising.
All the women come from near and far to help the young wife and her mo-
ther or perhaps her mother-in-law to prepare the food for the men who
were building the house.
There is not a great deal of excitement in country life and therefore
house raisings were looked to with much interest. It is a time of feast
ing, merry-making and wholesome good times, as well as the working part
of the program. The men pass jokes and tall tales among themselves as
they work cheerfully and steadily. One can see the building go up with
a swiftness that is surprising and soon there is a brand-new house for
the happy couple.
New romances often spring up because of the young men helping build the
house and there are alwas some young ladies among those preparing the
food.
The food is an important part of the program for it is there in quantity
and quality. roasted hams and meats galore, who could think of them
without a longing for the “good old days?” There were always the deli-
dious Irish and sweet potatoes fixed in different appetizing ways, fruit
of all kinds, cakes, pies, jams, jellies, pickles and all the other good
things that make up a good dinner.
When these days of excitement are over, the neighbors part in good fello-
wship, telling each other how much they have enjoyed themselves. The
Page 11, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.at the next house raising we see the same bridegroom working with such
spirit as the others did on his house.
COUNTRY FIRE SIDE IN WINTER
By Vesta Powell
Chimneys were usually built at one end of the house just heating one
room, but occasionally they were built up through the middle of it, so
as too heat wee Two rooms. They are built from rock which has been cut
into shape so as to fit one on another, and between each rock is a lay-
er of mud which helps to hold them together.
The fire place was a large open space in the wall. In the back of the
fire place was a big ornamented slab of cast iron which was to protect
the back of the fire place and was called the fire back. by the middle
of the seventeenth century fire backs of very elaborate type were being
made. There were fire backs representing the crucifiction of Christ,
the death of Jacoby, and many others.
Then there was the firedog. Two of these irons were always used, one
on each side of the fireplace. They have an upright standard to which
is attached a horizontal bar which raises the logs above the hearth
level. The base gives the support and appearance of the dog, and that
is how it gets it’s name.
COFFEE GRINDING
By Cretie Coleman
In the days of our grandmothers and mothers things were not so convei-
nent as we find them today, especially coffee grinding.
The doffee was brought green and had to be roasted before grinding;
This may seem strange to you all since today we buy coffee ready for
the pot.
There may be some one who never saw a coffee mill hence I will tell
you about one, we now happen to have.
It has a little machine inside, there is a crank which turns this,
called “burrs”, as well as I remember, my mother told me the name of
it. If the mill grinds too coarse there is a little lever on the top
of the mill to regulate the fineness of the ground coffee.
LOG ROLLING
By Eugene Hale
This happens not to be political “Log Rolling” but is an ancient cus-
tom of getting timber out of the mountains, and taking it to the mill
to be sawed into valuable lumber.
Log rolling was considered hard work and to perform this task, mennhad
to be tough, and strong. It was also dangerous as well as strenuous
work. The logs had to be rolled and guided down the rough hillsides,
the way they could best be taken to the mill. The men used ox and
horses to pull the logs around the hill to to a selected spot where
the logs would slide. Often times horses would get killed or perhaps
a leg broken or sometimes men would meet the same accident.
The log rollers used what is termed as hand spikes to handle the logs.
Sometimes when the men were ordered by their boss to work late on Sat-
urday, the men would get angry and purposefully set their hand spike
a log that had been caught foul, and by giving a quick jerk the hand
spike would break into. Then they would continue to do this until all
the hand spikes were broken. This is the method the workers used when
they wanted to quit on Saturday afternoons.
A well-known minister whom I know personally, related me this story a-
bout log rolling. About thirty-five or forty years ago John Marshall
was rolling logs on the head of small fork of Left Beaver Creek. The
hand spike he used was a home-made one. He labored with this oak hand-
spike all day and at the close of the days work he jabbed the green
handspike down into a decayed stump.
The next year he passed near this spot and the handspike was growing.
Forty years later he went back and the handspike had grown into a huge
oag, almost four feet in diameter. He took a picture of the tree and
later held a meeting in its honor. The tree is still standing and is
known by all as the “John Marshall Handspike Tree.
Page 19, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.SHOOTING A GHOST
By Belva Sowards
During the civil war my grandfather was some kind of officer. Once he
had to go over in Virginia on some kind of business. He didn’t want to
go by himself, so he went up to get a man by the name of Elkins to go
with him. This man, Elkins, had the repetation of being a very brave
man, not affraid of anyone. They wanted to slip through the line so
they waited until it was dark before starting. They both lived where
Jenkins is now located. Before they could reach the mountain they had
a deep hollow to go through, about five miles long. They rode up this
hollow single-file, Elkins in front. The night was as dark as pitch. A-
bout a mile up the hollow a big oak tree grew out over the road. Just
before dark they spoke of this place. Just before they reached this
place the horses became almost unmanageable, but after several blows
with their guns over their heads nad necks they finally went on.
Just as they reached this big tree with Elkins still, as before in front
something leaped from the side of the tree, lit behind Elkins almost
mashing the horse to the ground. The horse groaned every step it made.
What can this mean?” asked Elkins. Grandfather was so scared he did
not speak. Elkins wheeled his horse in the road and went to jump off
but this unnatural, inhuman, ghostly looking thing behind him clasped
him by the shoulders with large hands and held him in this saddle. He
reached his hand over his shoulder to try to tell by feeling, what it
was. It felt like a frog, cold, damp, clammy. Then he turned in
his saddle and looked at it. It was in the shape of a big frog, with
eyes like coals of fire.
They went on like this for about a mile, although the horse seemed to be
nearly fatigued under the weight. The two men had ridden this distance
without speaking. Finally grandfather decided something mest be done.
He raised his gun and said to Elkins. “Just sit still, I’ll get rid of
that thing ever what it is.” Just as he was about to press the trigger
, the supernatural gave a scream that could have been heard for miles.
It jumped off in the road in front of them. When it his the ground the
whole of everything around it looked like a live coal of fire. When
they got started the horses wanted to run all the way.
Some months after this Elkins was traveling this same road and was cap-
tured right at the same place by the Rebels and was carried to this big
oak tree in the road and shot to death.
This story actually happened. It was told to me by my grandfather when
I was a child.
WITCHCRAFT
By Ola Stewart
About three years ago at the death of an old woman it was whispered a-
round that the witch had died. It was said that on her death bed she
saw her two children who had been dead for several years. Killed by her
knowledge of witch craft. While she was dying she groaned and screamed
to her living son. “John, John take them away! Don’t let them kill me!
O, John, take the devil off of me; he is goring his horn right into my
breast!” After about a day of this she died, and lots of tales were
told about her.
One was that if a person went to her to get something, she could bewitch
him. If a person had been bewitched, the only way to get well was to
sendfor the witch doctor. After you had been bewithed, if you didn’t
believe in witches it was just too bad for you. That night when you
went to bed you would see cats very small at first, they would get large
er and larger untill they filled the room.
A boy came down from his room one morning. His mother asked him what
was wrong and he told her he had been bewitched; turned into a horse and
was ridden to the white house to get salt. This was the first of his
many trips to the white house for salt. One of this old womans grand-
children came to her one day and said, “Granny I want to be a witch;
I want to go through keyholes and turn people into animals.” The grande
ma said, “Alright, I will make you a witch.” She put one hand on the
childs head and one hand on her feet, “Do you give all that is between
my two hands to the devil.” The little child had been taught to bear
the devil, so instead of saying “yes,” the answer was “no.”
One morning a man on going out into the cow pasture to look at his fine
cattle, found seven lying dead the work of the witch. There were places
in the side of each cow wher the witch had thorown a witch ball at the
cows
Page 29, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.my father told it to me.
many, may yeard ago while the earth was still warm, impressions were
made on Mother Eargh which the years have failed to erase. Legend has
it that the Indians were in this country almost form the beginning of
time. Their chief occopation was hunting.
One day a young brave took his bow and quiver of arrows and went bear-
hunting. Pretty soon he spotted a bear. Creeping up cautiously and
silently as only an Indian can, he crawled within a few feet of the an-
imal. Raising the bow slowly he sent the winged shaft straight toward
the bear. The bear moved just as the man shot and teh arrow entered
his shoulder seriously wounding him. The bear, maddened with pain leap-
ed toward the clump of bushes behind which the brave had concealed him-
self. With no time to shoot again, the Indian fled. Being fleet of
foot he had no fear of not being able to outrun the bear whose heavy
bulk and wound would hinder him. So on through the forest he fled.
For many miles the strange race continued. The brave fleeing for his
life and the bearurged on by teh agonizing pain in his shoulder moved
his unwieldy body over the ground at an incrediable speed. Through un-
derbrush, over hills, down valleys and across ridges the brave fled and
ever in his footsteps the bear followed. Finally teh brave began to
feel teh terrible strain. He felt that he had almost reached the point
of exhaustion, but still he kept going. There was nothing else to do
for he had lost his bow and arrows early in the race. Another halfmile
and the brave realized that he could not escape death from the savage
claws of teh enraged bear.
Looking back he saw the bear lumbering along scarcely on hundred yards
behind him. Gathering teh last of his strength her ran on. Each breath
was shorter and the bear was gaining. Closer and closer came teh bear
till he was only a scant ten feet away. Ther brave could hear his lab-
ored breathing, could almost feel his hot breath.
However at this moment he reached the rim of the deep gorge. It was
a sheer drop down for over a hundred feet. As he paused on the edge
the bear gathered himself for a last charge. Uttering on pierceing
shriek the brave flung his outstrecthed arms high above his head and
leaped out and down into space. The bear was carried over the cliff by
the intencity of his spring.
As the large rock was soft the seconds hesitation of the brave and the
bear was long enough to leave their footprints on it as muste testimony
of the end of the race.
And now people proudly point out this rock as one of the interesting
places in that county. the footprints are dim but if you look closely
you leek will see them pinting over the edge of the cliff.
THE LEGEND OF DUTY'S KNOB
By Jetta Lee Huffman
Several years before the Civil War a young man by the name of Henry M.
Russel met Melissa Robinson, a native of Pike County and fell in love
with her.
When war was declared between the States, Russel, being a southerner,
enlisted in the Confederate army.
a few months after his enlistment Russel was assogmed to picket duty
on what is now known as Duty's Know. One rainy night while on duty he
was shot to death. Before he died he left a note for Melissa and the
signet ring which he wore.
The note was a love poem, written to Melissa, which later was set to
music. Here are a few lines of the poem.
"No more will I stand on Ivy's rugged bough,
Take this ring from my finger
Send it to the girl that I love
Tell her that I am shot seven times and dying.
And so from this legend, Duty's knob got it's name.
"Prior to doing duty on Duty's knob, Russel was stationed at Ivy
Page 36, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.was pronounced by the brides’ father: which was rather a brave act of the old man,
giving his only child into the keeping of a young man.
The bride was attired in a beautiful dress of white satin and looked very lovely.
Immediately after congratulations, the crowd had to eat, but just imagine a home on a
farm which supplies most everything good to eat and one of the best cooks in the
country to cook it.
The next morning several of this crowed accompanied the newlyweds to the home of the
groom where a reception dinner was given by his sister.
Instead of riding in automobiles of course we rode in buggies. After the recept-
ion dinner, we all left for home wishing the couple a long and happy life.”
BUCK ROCKS
By Charles Conn
One day during the latter part of the Nineteenth Century, an old man near my home
in Floyd County lost one of his sheep. This sheep was the largest in his flock and
he was very proud to own such an animal. The farmer called his famous sheep, “Buck.”
After Buck had been gone for several days and id not return, the farmer started
hunting for him. He did not find the sheep, and one week later he was found on top’of some very high rocks, from which he could not find his way down. The rocks had
path that led up to the top. The sheep had gone up this path and then could not
find his way down. The sheep was returned safely to his owner. Since that day those
racks have been called the “Buck Rocks.”
THE MOCKING BIRD
By Lucien Stratton
In the year 1880, the mocking bird was first heard on the Big Sandy River. This
whistle was on the steamboat Ingamor, whcih made two trips a week from Ashland to
Pikeville.
The captain of this boat for years was T. B. Maram, known by every person from the
starting point to the end of the route. the strange sounds from this whistle fright-
ened the people who lived along the river. It was said that a man who lived on
Cow Pen, who heard this whistle, thought it was a panther in the hills and he and
the neighbors with their dogs and guns hunted for three days and nights without sleep
This whistle remained on the boat for many years, then finally disappeared. Sev-
eral years ago it turned up in Pikeville, as the property of D. C. Boles, who re-
paired and placed it in use. At this time Mr. Boles was operating a sawmill at the
end of Second Street in the building now occupied by the Moore Lumber Company.
The Mocking Bird has been used not only as a steamboat whistle but also as a fire
alarm and curfew for the town of Pikeville.
MOUSIE POST OFFICE
By Margarette Conley
Mousie Post office is located in Knott County on a creek called Jones Fork, approx-
imately eighteen miles from Hindman, the county seat. For sometime there was no
post office on Jones Fork. The mail was distributed by a mail carrier riding horse
back daily from Lackey to Hindman. About twenty years ago the people of this place
became interested in a post office, because their mail was occasionally misplaced.
After they made preparation for the post office they could not decide on a name.
Their was a community school located at Hindman, and the older people always believed
that the school should settle such matters. After all, it was left up to the faculty
of the school to select a name for this post office. Finally the faculty decided to
name it in honor of the person who received the highest grade in their four years of
highschool work. Mousie Martin, a very beautiful blonde headed girl received the ho[nor]
DANIEL BOONE ROCK
By Minnie Lee Cornette
Near my home there is a very small rock that one would hardly notice unless his
attention was called to it. This rock is near the road and everyone who has heard
of it usually stops to see it. On this rock in large letters is carved the name of
the great Daniel Boone, also the date when the name was carved. The legend is that
Daniel Boone carved his name and the date on this rock to mark the way of his travels
in order that some special friends of his who were following him could find the way
without much trouble. Of course there are many conflicting opinions and legends
about this rock, but the one that I have mentioned seems the most plausible
Page 42, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.Mr. Jones and Mr. Williamson sat at the old stove and talked for hours.
At last Mr. Williamson grew tired and wanted to go to be, however Mr.
Jones couldn’t seem to understand Mr. Williamson when he said, “I think
I’ll go to bed.”
Mr. Jones replied with sleepiness, “I think I’ll remain.” They talked
on for some time and Mr. Williamson told him again that he thought he
would go to bed, and in turn Mr. Jones said he thought he would remain.
Mr. Williamson became very restless and said, “I think I’ll retire.”
“That’s the good word I’ve been trying to think of all this time.”
EAGLE ROCK
By Virgil Warrix
About the year of nineteen hundred and nine, Mr. Will Reynolds was ex-
ploring the heights of one of the cragged mountains of Floyd County,
Kentucky, when he saw in a short distance ahead and projecting far
above him a huge rock that erosion had left after thousands of years of
its continuous process.
His adventurous spirit led him on up the mountain peak and arduous was
the task to mount the top of the rock. After he had gained the acme of
the projecting boulder, in an excavation in the side of the rock there
was an eagle’s nest containing several young eagles. The mother eagle
came back after a search for food and made several attempts to scare
the intruder away. When this failed she engaged in battle with him and
the result was that she was taken captive by Mr. Reynolds.
His quick-working brain led to a mischievous plan. He took the poor
eagle to his house and tied a white sheet around her neck and turned
her loose. As she sailed through the air above she looked like an an-
gel floating through the air and the people were walking beneath it,
speechless. Ever since, this place has been known as Eagle Rock.
JENKINS LAKE
By Jessie Burke
Jenkins Lake is located in the South End of Jenkins, at the foot of
Cumberland Mountain. It was at first dammed by the Jenkins Coal Co.
and pumped full of water from Jenkins mine No. 4. It was noted never
to go dry or to lose its usual depth, until two years ago it was sev-
eral feet lower than ever before. For some time the lake was the on-
ly source of the city’s water supply. The coal company which dammed
it gave the name Jenkins Lake to it. It is a very beautiful bit of
scenery. it is about one and a half miles long and three-fourths of
of a mile wide. It is noted for a good swimming lake and for a canoe-
ing place. There are many fish in the lake. The whole lake can be
viewed from the top of Cumberland Mountain.
Captured
By Ruth Wright
Long ago when the Indians roamed the country and murdered whites, a
band of them captured the entire Sutherland family, husband, wife, and
baby, at Haysi, Virginia about a mile up McClure river from where it
empties into Russell Fork. They built a big fire at the edge of a
laurel patch and were busy preparing some meat of wild animals for
supper while their prisoners meditated over their small chance of es-
cape.
Just for sport the savages killed the husband before the eyes of his
wife, leaving her and her baby boy in more distress than ever.
Mrs. Sutherland had given up every hope of escape when suddenly a shot
fired from the darkness. One Indian fell forward into the blazing
fire. The others forgot their prisoners and fled.
Mrs. Sutherland snatched her baby and ran out into the darkness with
but little hope of escape. She couldn’t go far, so she hid until day-
light knowing well the Indians would not come back. They never knew
who the rescuer was or what became of him. It is supposed that the
savages found and killed him. This was told by her son who now lives
in Haysi, Virginia
Pikeville Collegiate Institute
No full textThis is half of a post card of the Pikeville Collegiate Institute that was sent to Miss Mary Hazlett
Derriana Hall
No full textThis is Derriana Hall from Sycamore Street. Part of the Mary Spilman Collection
Summer Institute for Teachers at Pikeville High School
No full textPhoto originally belonged to William M. Justice. On back of image: "Taught by Mary I. Spilman and others in 1920 and 1921. Miss Spilman 4th one kneeling from right." A note taped to the back says, "1st row: No. 3 - James Amos Slone (Hatler's father) -- No. 12 - Mae Ratliff Leslie? -- No. 15 - Mary Spilman -- No. 16 - Rob Vest -- No. 17 - Alice Record; 2nd row: 4. Elihu K. Ison -- 5. Finis Justice -- 14. x Anna Deskins Jones -- Summer Institute for teachers at P.H.S. Most attended normal teacher classes at Pikeville College.
Page 17, Folk Tales of the Cumberlans
No full textA book of collected essays on life in the Appalachian mountains, created by the English Eleven students of Pikeville College, circa 1927.pulled the soft sticky candy as far as his arms could stretch. Then as
he brought his hands together again the girl caught the candy as it
dropped in the middle. She pulled it and threw it back to the boy.
This continued until the candy was too hard to pull. Much time was spent
in pulling the candy. In fact it was given up only when the couples
grew too tired to pull it any longer. The couples which pulled the long-
est of course, had the lightest taffy. When everyone had finished pull-
ing the candy was twisted into long rope-like strands which were laid
on the table and cut into pieces about an inch long.
When everyone had had his fill of candy, nuts, apples, and pop corn
the crowd cleaned up the kitchen. After dancing a set or two the party
broke up. With a chorus of goodbys and telling each how much they
enjoyed the candy pulling the guests coupled off and strolled slowly
homeward, sometime singing a snatch of “Barbara Allen” or some other tune
of which they were particularly fond.
THE CAKE CUTTING
By Bertha Childers
One of the entertainments enjoyed by our grandfathers and grandmothers
was the cake cuttings. They, like so many of the others social events
were to raise money for schools or churches but very often they were
held just to have a bit of entertainment.
Cake cuttings are nearly always announced a week ahead of time and in
this way the news is carried all over the “the creek.”
There are usually two cakes one is called the guess cake, since it con-
tains something that is not known by any one, ex cept the person who
made it.
Each time one guesses he or she has to pay five or ten cents. If the
young lady guesses what’s in the cake, she gets to cut it; if the man
makes the lucky guess, he has his lady fair to cut the cake.
The other cake is to be cut by the most popular or by the prettiest
girl. She is chosen by the people present. Voting on two girls, the
one receiving the most votes cuts the cake, and honor at such an affair.
After the cake is served, the remainder of the night is spent in play-
ing games, such as “boston,” “Post office,” “snap,” “skip around the
ocean on a hot summer day” and “wink”. Both old and young take part in
these games but the young men seem to enjoy them very much, especially
when they have the chance to “buss” their best girl.
About dawn the people wander home talking about the wonderful time they had at the cake cuttings