Frank M. Allara Library Special Collections and Archives (Univ. of Pikeville)
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Francis Farm
No full textThe Francis Farm, located at Johns Creek, was a working farm used by the college. It was later mined for coal and then sold
Francis Farm
No full textThe Francis Farm, located at Johns Creek, was a working farm used by the college. It was later mined for coal and then sold
Page 45, 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.Students who merit extra mention for their faithful work in the typing
are Alpha Mae Joseph, Opal Sowards, Clarice Turner, Sylvia McKoo, Virginia Gorkins, Lily Stamper, Stella Bumgardner, Eugene Hale, Edgar Newsom, Walter Price, Victor Ramsey, Glenn Scalf, Roy Scott, Lucien S Stratton, and Roy Vanover.
Stencils were cut by Eugene Halo, Glenn Scalf, Roy Scott and Opal Sowards. Illustrations were done by H. L. Cantrell.
Bess Alice Owen
Page 25, 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.AN OLD COUNTRY DANCE
By Alpha Mae Joseph
About two years ago, I attended an old-fashioned dance, one of the fa-
vorites of the country people. It is sometimes called “Square Dance”
and sometimes “Barn Dance.”
There is a great deal of fun in one of these dances, especially when
you have some one in mind that you particularly want to dance with and
he is attending the party. But, sometimes this boy finds another girl
with whom he would rather dance. This is where the fun begins. If you
can not get to dance with this particular person, you just simply will
not dance at all. That’s that. Sometimes there is more than one boy
that wants to dance with the same girl, then trouble starts.
I remember very well what happened at this dance. There was a certain
young man that wanted to dance with one of the girls attending and she
had someone else already spotted.
After we had been dancing for some time, this young man decided that
If he could not get to dance he was not going to let anyone else. He
got out in the middle of the floor and took out his gun and dare any-
one to get on the floor. Of course this caused a great disturbance and
we did not dance anymore that night.
The dance begins by everyone choosing his partner and getting on the
floor. There are usually four or five couples, who form one one big
circle. Of course we have music which is made by banjos, violin ( we
call them fiddles) and guitars. They play old tunes like “Sally Good-
win” “Ida Red,” “Big Eyed Rabbit,” “Cumberland Gap,” and “Hook and
line.” They are played very fast and we have to “make it snappy”, keep
in step with the music. The person who calls the figures starts with
“Get ito your places,
Straighten up your faces;
A great big circle
And let’s go left—
Half way will do—
Back on a single line,
Ladies in front
And gents behind.”
While he is saying this, “Half way will do” we go about half-way round
the room and go back in a single line with the girls always in front of
their partners.
“Swing you partner by the right,
Opposite lady never slight.
Now your own and on your way home.
All stop! first couple out and swing.”
Everybody seings his partner and never forgets his opposite. After he
gets his own partner and skips back to their places. The first couple
is usually the one who calls the figures for the dance and the couples
are numbered then from right to left. The first couple swing each other
in the center of the floor.
“On to the nest and circle four.
Right hands crossed and howdy do,
Left right back and how are you?
Circle four!”
After the first couple swings in the center they go on to the next
couple which is the second and together they form a circle of four. The
girls shake hands and the boys shake. Their hands are crossed. Then
the left hands are done the same. Then the circle of four is formed
and broken by the boys choosing opposite partners and swinging them.
Next they get their own partners and the first couple goes back to their
places which is by the third couple and the second couplegoes back to
their places. This goes on until the first couple gets all the way a-
round the circle back to their places. Then the second coupledoes the
same and this continues until every couple has had a turn. Then they
begin a different figure. Perhaps it is “Cage the Bird” or “Chase the
Rabbit and Chase the Squirrel” or “Up and Cown the Aisle” or one of the
countless others. I fear that I haven’t made this very plain but I
can do them much better than I can tell how they are done
Francis Farm
No full textThe Francis Farm, located at Johns Creek, was a working farm used by the college. It was later mined for coal and then sold
Francis Farm
No full textThe Francis Farm, located at Johns Creek, was a working farm used by the college. It was later mined for coal and then sold