Frank M. Allara Library Special Collections and Archives (Univ. of Pikeville)
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Page 4, 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.FORWORD
To those who live in the mountains this little booklet will represent
quaint customs and old traditions kept alive by the people of the hills.
To those who live outside of the mountains it will represent “the life
and spirit of a people in whose veins runs the purest strain of Anglo-
Saxon blood to be found anywhere in America.” It is a collection of
tales, facts and legends gathered and written, by the Freshmen stud-
ents of Pikeville College. The purpose of the writing is to present in
a readable form, essentially without emendations, the stories, which
deal with early life in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains in
Pike County, Kentucky.
The collecting was undertaken first as a class project in Oral Compo-
sition, believing that students talk most easily on subjects with which
they are familiar. During this phase of the work a lack of proper ap-
preciation for the difficulties and triumphs of the pioneers, who wres-
ted a living from these hills and through it all maintained an unshke-
able faith in God and a love for the simple joys in life, was noted.
To change this conception and, at the same time, to make use of the
Principles learned in Coposition, the writing of the stories was begun.
The most arduous tasks in and about the home--house-raising, log-roll-
ings, bean-stringtings, apple-peelings, molasses-making, quiltings, were
all turned into festivals. For such occasions as these, together with
their weddin’s, meetin’s, and funerals afforded their only social life.
The stories are grouped according to themes under home, religion, amuse-
ments, facts, and legends.
The mountaineer’s love for the hills and his home, as well as the hold
they have upon him, is revealed in the selections constituting the
first chapter. From the shearing of the sheep, through the spinning of
the yarn and the weaving of the cloth, to the final stitching of the
jeans and the linsey-woolsey, it was the mother and the daughters who
kept the home and the big log fire in the kitchen going. The men and
grown boys cut the timber, did the log-rolling, worked the splash-dam,
made the rafts, always bring home logs a-plenty for the huge fire-
place nearly filling one end of the kitchen.
The depths of feeling which the sometimes impassive mountaineer reveals
may be seen best in the stories comprising the second chapter. They
record scenes of the oldest daughter’s wedding, the June meetin’, fol-
lowed by the baptizin’, then simple communion service, which together
with the footwashings take the place of our communion service, and the
funerals, oftentimes preached for the deceased a year or so later,
after the husband had found him a second “helpmeet.”
The selection in Chapter III show the people enjoying their social
pleasures; play-parties, frolics, square or barn dances, candy pullings,
and singing schools.
Legends comprise the fourth division of the collection. This is the
only section which does no add in a material way to a better under-
standing of early life in Eastern Kentucky. It simply records a few
of the tales used to while away long winter evening around the fire
while corn was roasted, nuts and apples eaten--all without interrupting
the women’s knitting of the winter-supply of socks, stockings, mittens,
and mufflers and the mens’ mending of the farm implements, harness, and
family’s brogans.
The facts in the last section, tell of the sinking of the Favorite, and
the passing of the last steamboats on the Big Sandy and show the re-
action of the people to such conveniences as automobile and train-
service. The old Williamson Boarding House, the weddings of prominent
couples, whose grand children now attend the Pikeville Schools and
the memorable occasion on which Mr. James A. Garfield spoke from the
Bowles home in Pikeville are inseparably linked with the history of the
growth of Pikeville.
The collecting was done by the two sections of English Eleven under
the supervision of the instructor--Miss Louise Landrum and Miss Bess
Alice Owens.
We are glad to express again our appreciation to Mr. C. D. Stamper of
Beattyville for a part of the paper used and to Mr. T. W. Oliver,
Superintendent of the Pikeville, Schools, and to Mr. E. M. Bruce, head
of th
Page 16, 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.home to be met by all his family and friends and everybody enjoyed a
whole day of visiting. And what dinners! The main wedding cake was a
big pound cake and smaller cakes and pies galore, also , ham, chicken,-
turkey with all the fixin’s and trimin’s taste so good.
I’ve heard my grandfather tease grandmother about her wedding trip up
Sandy. They stopped somewhere for dinner and the hostess asked if
she would have long or short sweetenin’ in her coffee. She didn’t what
to say until she was told molasses was “long sweetenin’” and
sugar was “short sweetenin.”
This story about an infare was told to me by my mother.
“There is a large old fashioned farm house out on Highway no. 82 (Pike-
ville-Williamson Highway) where I have spent several happy hours with
a family of dear friends who are now separated. Some have died and some
have homes of their own but none have that old-fashioned family.
Besides father and mother there were ten children and on my visits it
was always a wonder to me how four girls and six boys could be so quiet.
One morning, the oldest son, rode up to my school house door and call-
ed me out and gave me a note and said, “I want you to come down to our
house for dinner Thursday, I am going to be married.” I thanked him
and told him I would be there. Of course I have the school a holiday.
Who wouldn’t, with a chance to go to an infare dinner for a very good
friend? The larger pupils were all invited anyway.
Thursday morning dawned bright and clear, a beautiful day. I went with
several other girls and we walked about three miles. A crowd was al-
ready there, others came, and a short while before noon came the bride
and groom. They were soon called to the dining room where the table was
loaded with all kinds of good things to eat. When one “table-full” had
finished eating, the table was reset and another crowd was called.
After all had eaten dinner, everybody old and young had a good time talk-
ing, laughing and joking. The parlor, living room and porch was alive
with happy people.
One incident happened which was very amusing. Four or six young men
were siting or leaning on the bannister of the porch. All at once the
old wood gave way and down went the bannisters. One tall young gentle-
man was almost turned a complete somersault before he hit the ground, but,
he was not seriously hurt -- only badly embarrassed. (Who that young
man was is a riddle for you to guess.) in the late afternoon we left for
home wishing them all a happy, long life.
CANDY PULLING
By Lily Stamper
Taffy making was one of the chief delights of the young people three de-
cades ago. Great was the excitement and preparation when some one whis-
pered to the girls at “meetin” that she was going to have a “candy-pull-
ing” the next Saturday night.
Saturday night came, and with it a gay crowd of boys and girls whose mer-
ry laughter made the rafter of the old kitchen fairly ring. The old-
fashioned parties were generally held in the kitchen because it was the
most spacious room in the house.
Usually there was one girl in the neighborhood who could make candy bet-
ter than anyone else. After talking a while with the crowd some whom
she had not seen since the last meeting-day, she started the candy amid
the laughter and justs of her friends she mixed huge quantities of sugar,
molasses, vinegar, water and salt which she put in pans on the “cook-
stove” to boil.
While the candy was cooking the rest cracked nuts, popped corn, and pol-
ished the smooth ruddy surface of home-grown apples. Candy was the
feature of the night’s fun but these things added much to the general
enjoyment.
When the candy began to boil, others were pressed into service to stir
it vigorously with large iron spoons. After many frenzied stirrings and
a few burnt fingers the candy was done. The pans were lifted off the
stove and carried out to the old well to cook. When the candy was cold
enough to pull, everyone, boys and girls were to pull the candy in cou-
ples. Each boy scooped up a large double handful of the glowing amber
mass and went in search of his best girl.
Amid much noise and laughter the couples settled down to business for
each couple tried to pull its taffy lighter than the others. Each bo
Page 23, 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.BASKET DINNERS
Clarica Turner
The basket dinners are held every year in the country. These dinners
are on the same day, year after year. They are held on a grave yard
in memory of some person who has been buried there.
Uncle John was buried in a grave yard on a small hill. It was a very
beautiful place, with the flowers and the tall pine trees. Uncle John
had been liked by all the country around. When it was announced that
there was to be a basket dinner held here in his memory all the people
planned to come.
It was on a beautiful Sunday and people began to arrive about nine O-
clock in the morning. They came on horses, wagons, and in buggies. All
the women brought big baskets full of food. There were several prea-
chers there and they all said a few words, but it took them about an
hour each. By the time the last preacher finished his talk it was well
in the afternoon.
The children were very restless asking their mothers when they were
going to eat, and telling them that they were hungry.
The mothers spread cloths on the ground, then put food of all sorts on
the cloths. The people went to the table and took a piece of all they
wanted, then went to sit in the shade of some tree to eat and talk. If
they ate all they had and wanted more they went back and got it because
there was always plenty. After they had eaten they began to drift back
to their homes. Some of the young men seeing their girls home.
A CIVIL WAR STORY
By Clarica Turner
One of the stories which my grandma tells about the Civil War centers
around a raid on her father’s farm. She was only a child at that time
but she remembers vividly what happened.
We know that some of the raids were not made by the soldiers of the army
but by the bands of men who were organized to plunder and destroy. One
of these bands of men rode to the farm one morning. They were shooting,
singing, and cursing each other. They got off their horses and caught
all the chickens, ducks, turkeys either by shooing them or running
them down. They took feed from the barn for their horses. They enter-
ed the house, and going throught the rooms, took all they needed and
wanted.
Grandma said that she and her mother had his some of their canned food
and meat in the loft of the house and they did not get these
Pikeville College Library
No full textThis was taken when the library was in the Administration Building