The Library

Not a lot of people could not read back in yesteryear. Reading was something to be desired, but few had the skill. Those who did, treasured it and read to others who could not. People who had more than one book were considered the top of the heap educationally. If you had a bunch of books, you were the academic king of the hill.
Families who had as many books as seen in the picture were truly rich. Many of the books were published in England or France. If they were printed in America, they were probably printed in Philadelphia or Boston. However, New York City was publishing some books to. To have lots of books and display them in as elegantly as shown in the photo was a real blessing. God has blessed us today with so many books that they are a liability in the home as far as space is concerned. They are given away, thrown away, and sold cheap......not back then.

Pure Luxury

Having a hand pump instead having to hand draw water from a hand-dug well was great....but to have a hand pump that was located on the back porch was pure luxury. It was the latest in technology and owned only by a few. It beat the heck out of going all the way to a spring for water. The pump worked simple enough. Just move the handle up and down and in a few seconds, up came the water...cold, clean, and refreshing. If the pump was not used for a while, it sometimes "lost its prime". If that happened, it would not pump up any water. To cure that problem, you simply poured in a little water (usually a quart or so would do), start pumping as fast as you could, and if you were lucky.........the pump started working again. If not........your tried the same process again until it did start working.

Is it a boy or girl?

Long before machines could tell a woman if she would have a boy or girl, there were women in every community who had "the gift" of revelation. If you were curious as to what gender your baby would be, you ask a woman with "the gift" to give you an examination. There two "non-invasive" techniques that could be preformed:

1. Some gifted women could A.take a needle and about two feet of thread B. suspend the needle over the pregnant womans tummy and..................C. if the needle started swinging (on its own with no effort from the gifted woman) to the left, the baby would be a ......? If it would swing to the right.......the baby would be the opposite gender. Extraordinary!

2. The second method used by other gifted women (no woman seemed to be gifted enough to do both methods) was to A. bare the pregnant womans tummy B. place her (the gifted womans) hand on the bare tummy C. move her hand in a circular motion for a while D. give the verdict on gender. Amazing!

From the testamony of oldtimers...........both of these methods delivered accurate decisions about 98% of the time.

So much for todays technology!

Linoleum Floors

Many years ago American pioneers had log cabins to live in The floors were dirt.
When sawn wood came along, floors were made of rough sawn boards. Great improvement. Later the boards were sanded (prevented a lot of splinters in your foot)......better yet. Then came linoleum.........wow, what a break through! The blue portion of the photo is representative of some of the first linoleum flooring). Here was a product that was hard, tough, took a lot of foot traffic, and for the first time.......didn't look like wood. You could get linoleum with flowers on it; design patterns on it; or a mural on it! Man that was living! The flooring revolution was on, and hasn't stopped yet.

Corn Crib

In the early days, all farms had outbuildings of one kind or another. There was the smokehouse, corn crib, chicken coop, barn, storage shed, etc. The building in the photo is an example of a corn crib. Although corn was kept in the building, other items that may also be found there included, potatoes (sweet and Irish), tools, spare parts to whoknowswhat, pieces of wire, cans of nails, partial bags of cotton, empty baskets,and anything thing else that people didn't want to part with. After a big corn crop, the corn crib was a popular place for people looking for corn to feed livestock; weevils looking for a meal; mice and rats looking for food and shelter; snakes looking for mice and rats; and other unwanted critters. Yep.....it was a busy place.

Knotching Logs To Make Buildings

Way back when, people didn't have sawn lumber to make buildings. They usually made their homes and/or outbuildings from tree logs. In order to make the logs hold together, they would knotch the ends(see photo). Usually, the weight of the logs was enough to keep them in place. However, some people would drill a hole in the knotched part of the logs and put a wood peg in the top and bottom knotch. That did the trick. The cracks between the logs were usually filled in with mud mixed with horse hair, Spanish moss, or other suitable materials. They just had to do what they could with what they had.

Outside Stairs

The business of taxes, the government, and the citizen has been a game for a very long time. In plantation times, the government taxed people on the number of rooms in their home. Closets were considered a room.........so people quit building closets and put their clothes in an armoire. The government taxed people on the number of outside doors that people had in their home.......so people made use of long windows as places of entry and kept outside doors to a minimum. The government taxed people on the number of stairways that they had in their house......so people quit building stairways inside the house and built them on the outside of the house (see photo).

Guess the game is still going on.............heck of a way to run a railroad!!!

Old Door Locks

No matter what period of human history you pick to look at...........door locks were made to do one thing..............keep honest people out. Crooks and thieves will get in if they are determined enough. Locks have been in an evalutionary process since the very first one was made. The one in the photo has been in use since the early 1800's. These kind were available for purchase in hardware stores and catalogs. A few were also made locally.

Todays locks are still in an evalutionary process. They are harder metal. Come with complicated systems for opening and some are electronic for even more security.

Hayrake

Way back when, agricultural tasks were accomplished by manual labor. About the only tasks that were not accomplished my mankind, was those accomplished by animals. Horses, mules, oxen, anything that could pull, carry, or push was pressed into service. THEN.........people began to make agricultural "tools" that were mechanical. Eventhough the tools were pulled at animals at first.....they were a welcomed addition to the labor force. The invention of the hayrake was one of those great tools that any large animal could pull.

When the tractor came along.........lordy me........it was incredible how much tractors and mechanicle tools could do in an hour. WOW!!!

The old hayrakes today are just relics of the past.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a common plant in the South. It lives on many kinds of trees and is a parasite. It seldom kills its host, but sometimes does. Mistletoe is a small, evergreen plant with small poisonous greenish berries(see picture). What makes it a delight, is that at Christmas time, people hang a piece of it over doorways. When a woman walks underneath it...............they are suppose to allow men to kiss them. Not a bad tradition.

Wagon Wheels

If you just look at a wagon wheel and don't think about it, you may not appreciate the skill it took to make a wheel that did its job. Wagon wheels were made by people called "wheel-wrights". It was not small task to make the various parts of the wheel, muchless put them together so they fit and worked "together" and not against each other. The parts of a wheel are: the outter wheel steel,(the part that actually touches the ground), the spoke holders, the spokes, and the hub. That may not sound so complicated....but read on. The steel had to be tempered steel so that it would withstand rocks, dirt, gravel, mud, sticks, uneven ground,etc. The spoke holders had to be made "on the curve" to match the roundness of the steel. Holes were drilled into the spoke holders to exactly match the size of the spokes. Spokes were fashioned to fit into the spoke holders on one end and into the hub on the other end. The hub had to be made in the round with holes drilled exactly the size of the spokes. A hole ran completely through the hub to fit to the wagon axel.

Once the wheel was put together, it was placed on a spinning device to see if it would spin "in the round", and not wobble back and forth. Any wheel that wobbled could not be used. It would breakdown under a load, high speed, are uneven ground.
The wheel had to spin in complete rotation and in perfect rhythm.

Dinner At The Big House

On the plantation, the masters house was referred to as "The Big House". The dining room was a spacious and elegant place. When holidays, parties, or special occasions came around, the food was something to behold. There were peas, beans, squash, okra, tomatoes, mashed potatoes, egg plant, sweet potatoes, gravy, cornbread dressing, duck, pork, beef, vension,and chicken. In addition, there was cornbread, biscuits, and rolls, pecan pie, blackberry cobbler, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, and muffins. Drinks included milk, tea, coffee, and lemonade. You never seen the like of food. All served up in expensive dishes, plates, cups, and glasses. They called it "putt'n on the dog". After eating, the men would go outside to smoke, drink sip'n whiskey, and talk politics and cotton prices. The women would go into the parlor hear live music; talk about the latest clothing styles; who just had a baby; and who was going to marry who. As they say in the story books.....a good
time was had by all.

Home Lighting

Home contractors today say that the item that most people have trouble selecting for a new home is the lighting! Why! There are so many choices. There weren't that many choices back in pioneer days. It was candels, or some form of gas lantern.
What you see in the photo is a gas lantern used in the early days of the South. Quite often these fixtures were ordered from catalogs from England. They would be shipped to a port of entry in America and hauled to the point of destination. That was also true of other furnishings and fixtures to. The light from these lanters was very soft, romantic, and gave off a warm glow.

Cotton Stalks As Floweral Arrangements

Cotton plants are one of the most common plants in America today. That was true back in pioneer days to. Any State that had hot weather and a long growing season had cotton. The fiber is unique in the plant kingdom because it actually gets stronger when wet. Cotton has a very pretty flower, and you have not witnessed a large field of cotton that is ready for harvest, you have missed one of the joys of life.

Plantations owners made floweral arrangements from dried stalks filled with open cotton balls (see photo). They were attractive and lasted a long time. Arrangement containers were usually wooden barrels, pots of various kinds, or large containers like butter churns, etc. Frequently, other dried plants were intermingled with the arrangement such as stalks of dried okra plants.

Coat Rack, and Umbrella Holder

There has been a need for a coat rack and umbrella holder for many years. This is a fancy one used in a Southern plantation home........"The Big House". As you can see it has many compartments, holders, a mirrow, and is highly polished. It was probably purchased in New Orleans, made in England. That was done a lot during the plantation period of history. However, many plantation owners had slaves that were very good at crafting furniture and other home item needs. If so, that person was in demand and often escaped field work. His skills were more valuable as a craftsman.

Kitchen Match Dispenser

The little item that you see in the photo is an old time match dispenser. Usually placed in the kitchen near the fireplace or woodburning stove. This one was in use all through the 1800's to 1997. Quite a spell for a kitchen item. We don't use match dispensers much today because our ranges are electric or gas with self-starting devices. If you want one.........best look in an antique store.

Old Time Kitchen Grater

Cooks have always needed a grater for various purposes in the kitchen. It was one of those tools that passed the test of time and is still in demand today. The one in the picture was one used in the late 1700's. It did back then what a modern one does today. This was the "giant, economy size" because cabinet space was not a problem back then. Today's graters are about one-third that size. Few of these tools have survived, but this one is in a national park, so it's preservation is assured.

Early Wire Fencing Patterns

The mass manufacturing of steel wire fencing created a revolution in America. Barbed wire alone caused many a war out West. In other parts of America it was "the" answer to fencing in or out unwanted animals. It also helped mark landlines in a very tangible way. Fences were often placed on the landline to define where ownership started and stopped. For the yard, fences kept livestock from trampling and eating flowers and vegetable gardens. They kept a lot of animal poop out of the yard to.

Manufacturers produced a lot of wire patters for various uses. For instance there was: hog wire that was thick guage and tough, chicken wire that was thin guage but woven with small holes, and decorative wire that was produced more for fashion than function. The pattern in the photo was one of those early patterns. Finding this particular pattern is rare today.

Using Old Colored Bottles For Flower Bed Borders

Back in yesteryear, people used anything handy for flower bed borders. One thing that was often handy was glass bottles. They were not only plentiful but didn't cost anything. Another good factor about glass bottles, was that they didn't deteriorate like wood and other natural items. The bottles that you see in the photo are used for flower bed borders at an old plantation home called Oakland. The
home is a part of the Cane River Creole National Historic Park. It turns out that these particular bottles are very valuable because they were produced in limited quantity back in the 1700's and 1800's. The National Park Service has estimated the value of one of them at $500,000. WOW! For a bottle!

Sugar Cane Syrup Boiling Pot

Down South, the making of sugar cane syrup and sugar cane brown sugar squares was one of the primary activities on plantations and small farms alike. Squares of brown sugar were used as collateral in some cases. The syrup was used for domestic and commercial purposes. Compared to maple syrup, cane syrup was thick and slow running. However, the taste was wonderfully indescribeable. Just about everyone made cane syrup and/or sugar from the cane.

These old boiling post were found on every farm and plantation for many,many years.
As commercial processing came into vogue, the need for individual pots became less and less necessary. Now, you find these old gems in museums, living history farms, and antique stores.

Lightning Rods

In the early days of America, people placed lightning rods on the tops of their homes, shops, and barns(see photo). Supposedly, lightning strikes the tallest thing in a given area. Often, the tallest thing was a house,store,or barn. If lightning hit the lightning rod the current from the strike would travel through the rod, continue through wires that led to the ground. The strike then did no damage to the building. Did they work? Not sure about the answer to that question, but one thing is for sure..........some manufacturer made a ton of money selling them. They were found north to south and east to west.

Jacks Cookies

Back in mid-1900's a kid could go to any grocery store with a nickel and buy five Jacks cookies. The cookies were big compared to most cookies, tasted great, and would fill a boys tummy just fine. The cookies came in a clear round container (see photo)so you could drool a while before you got started eating. Those cookies just screamed to be eaten. After look'n at them for a few seconds, all your resistance fell on the floor and you found yourself telling the storekeeper........I'll take five of those!!

Early Oil Companies

When cars and trucks started rolling off the assembly lines in Detroit, they needed gasoline to fuel them. The rush was on.............gasoline companies began to build and supply service stations in every state in the union. Some companies lasted only a short time, while others lasted a few decades. The Standard Oil Company (although changing names quite often) outlasted most of them and is still kick'n. The sign you see in the photo was one that was recognized nationally. They must have made thousands of them because you could drive from New York to California and see ESSO signs in every state.

Irons

People have ironed their clothes for a long time. That hasn't changed. What has changed is the instrument used to do the ironing. Remember this old relic? It was heated by whatever means possible and when "hot" used to press out wrinkles in clothes. Most people was happy with just ironing dress clothes, but some zealots ironed all outter garments, underwear, handkerchiefs, and even their hair!!! To heat the irons (everybody had several) you usually put them on the eye of your wood stove or eyes of the burner of a range. After a few minutes of ironing, the iron got too cool to press out wrinkles. Then you returned it to the stove to heat up again, picked up another iron that was hot, and continued ironing. There were about as many iron shapes and patterns as there were peas in a pea-patch. The old irons are gone now except for conversation pieces.

Wide Heart Pine Board Flooring

When white Europeans came to southern America, they found very large pine trees in great profusion. Trees up to 60 inches around at chest height were common. Sometimes it would be 50 feet to the trees first limb. Tree trunks were as straight as an arrow. What great lumber those trees made. Back then, milling boards that were one foot wide was common. The center of pine logs was called "heart pine". It was perfect for flooring that needed to withstand heavy foot traffic. Public places like court houses, stores, businesses, shops, restaurants, and hotel lobbies were some of those places. The floors was sometimes finished with products of the period, sometimes they were just laid bare. Either way, they were beautiful, durable, and easy to lay. Many of these old floors are still with us today. We salute them.

Country Store Post Offices

In the early days of America, rural country stores often served as the community post office. It made sense, because eveyone on the community came to "the store" one or more times a week for supplies, social interaction, and local news. The post master and the store owner were one and the same. Sorting mail took all of a few minutes since most communities were very small. The photo shows the boxes for local people lined up by alphabetical order. Some people could not read at all, some were immigrants from other countries and could not read English, and some could read just enough to get by. It was not uncommon for the post master to read your letters for you if they were in English. Anyone getting a "package" was a super star. Getting a
letter was one thing.......but a package, was a community event. Junk mail did not exist because postage was much too high for such extravagance. Yes, the old post office and country store played a signigicant part of American history. Gone, but not forgotten.

Pump Organ

Music has been a part of human history ever since ancient times. One instrument that captured the hearts of early Americans was the pump organ. Its unique sound and play requirements was something to behold. Using both hands and feet, the player had to be totally concentrated to make the music all fit together. Most of these instruments were made of wood that was very ornate and highly polished. Add mirrows, bright fabric, and you had a piece of furniture that was the envy of all the neighbors. There are still a few around if you know where to look.

Pigeonnier

As far back as the early 1700's French landowners in Louisiana built and maintained a "pigeonnier". The pigeons were raised for food. They roosted and nested in the building that you see in the photograph. Adults were not eaten. Young birds that could not yet fly were the ones selected for consumption. The dish prepared with young pigeons was called "squab" and was considered a delicacy. If you served squab very often, you needed more than one pigeonnire on your property. French decendants in South Louisiana still maintain pigeonnires.

Latches

In pioneer days, anything that could be home-made was home-made. Especially is the item was usually made of metal. Door and gate latches fell under that description. They were usually made of wood, were part of a tree branch, or part of a scrap piece of board. A single nail through the latch at its middle did the trick. Some latches were small and short; while others were quite large. They were made to fit the situation.

Making Them Fit Together

This is a part of a 1840's mule barn. Each log was knotched at the end to fit tightly into the knotch of the log above and below it. Not a bad system. Sometimes wet, wooden pegs were put in holes between the logs to make them a little more secure. As the pegs expended they filled in any gaps that may have otherwise occured. If nails could be obtained, they were used. This was just one of several knotching systems used in pioneer style construction.

Front Porch Rock'n Chairs

The front porch was the social porch where casual and serious conversations were conducted while rocking away. There was something theroputic about the rocker. Perhaps it was a reminder of when your Mamma rocked you back and forth in her arms when you were a child. It gave you comfort and a sense of safety and security. Back then, rocking chairs were as common to front porches as leaves were to trees. A porch without rockers looked lonesome and bare.....incomplete and sad. With rockers, the place was one of welcome and hospitality. There was something special about front porches and rockers when there was a summer rain or a light snow drift in fall or winter. The tranquil scene soothed the pains of life better than any medication ever could.

Rockers were usually made of wood. Hardwood worked best because pine had pitch in it and bled in hot weather. The chairs could be purchased at feed and seed stores and at hardware stores to. Many people made their own. They are basically gone, but not forgotten

Under The Porch Storage Space

Outbuildings and lean-toos were not the only places where people stored tools and stuff that needed to be out of the weather. The porch and house were also used when necessary. Hoes, shovels, picks, sling blades, sharp shooters, post hole diggers and other such items found themselves under the porch many a time (see photo). It did the job seemed to fit fine for the purpose. All family members were instructed to put things back where you found them............so everybody knew for instance that the "post hole digger" was kept under the front porch next to the shovels. If a person put it under the back proch, they were setting themselves up for a future tongue lashing. It was a reminder of the old saying; "a place for everything, and everything in its place". That's still good advice today. It's funny how some wisdom stands the test of time no matter what.

Where To Put Tools That Will Be Out Of The Weather

Country homes and farms had outbuildings for storing tools and other items that needed protection from the weather. If the storage buildings inside was too small for everything, a lean-to was attached to one side to form additional storage space
(see photo). You simply put up a few nails and hung your tools on those nails. It's amazing how much stuff can be hung on the side of a building. That was just another example of how creative Americans made-do with what was available.

Electric Roller-Type Washing Machine

When electricity came to rural areas, women screamed their approval. Power would replace candels, coaloil lamps, drawing water from the well, wood burning stoves, and yes................the old wash pot. Now you had a machine that would wash your clothes and ring them out making them ready to put on the clothes line..........YEA!!!! However, the machines were not without a few problems. For instance, it you didn't watch closely when putting clothes through the wringers, they would sometimes stick to the roller and clog the machine. However, there was a safety device that could be used to unclog them without burning up the washers motor. Just think, with an electric pump for the well and an electric washing machine, a woman could do a heck of a lot more laundry in a much shorter period of time.

Grist Mill Wheel

Grist mills played a BIG part in development of American communities. In fact many a town sprang up because a grist mill was there. The mill was much more than a place to get you corn or wheat milled. It was a place to swap yarns, catch up on local gossip, complain about the price of "you name it". It was the CNN of the community. Sometimes you had to wait a long time until your grain was milled because others got there ahead of you.

The mill stone was the most important part of the grinding process. This one (as you can see) has been used a lot hours. It ground slowly, but could grind exceedingly fine if that's what you wanted. Today, you find these stones mostly at historic sites or antique shops.

Drawing Water From A Hand Dug Well

Getting water from the ground to your house was always a problem for old time Americans. Most people tried to locate their home near a spring, lake, or stream for water for themselves and their animals. If that was not possible, they would attempt to dig a well near their house and in their yard. If successful in finding water, they would lower a metal cylinder into the well, allow it to fill, then draw it up and empty it into a container. If you had a lot of laundry to do.........man you had to lower the old cylinder many a time. Oh well, you did what you had to do.
Aren't you glad that God has blessed us with electricity and pumps to bring out water to us anywhere we want it in our homes?

The Back Porch

What a place! The front porch was often a place for relaxation, swinging, singing, and casual conversation. The back porch was just the opposite. It was a place for cooking, laundry, shelling peas, snapping beans, peeling potatoes, cracking pecans, and a host of other activities. Conversation was mostly business related and rather blunt. It's obvious that all of these activities took place on this porch. The porch also provided some shelter in rainy weather, and a bit of summer breeze in hot weather. Other benefits included shade, access to the water well and the indoor kitchen. It was the place to be if you had work to do. If walls could talk.....they would have plenty to say about what took place here.

Time To Pray

In rural areas of the South, tragedy would strike from time to time. Floods, hurricanes, pestilance, disease, death, etc. When that happened, race, gender, and economic differences didn't matter. What did matter, was that people pulled together and called on a higher power to help them through the valley. Souls were bared, crying was poured out unashamed, and the grief was shared by all. It helped to soothe the aching heart, put things into proper perspective, and gave hope and
comfort to those who were impacted by the aweful circumstances. Today is still a good time for all of us to pull together just like they did back then.

The Three Wheel Bicycle

Bicycles have been around for a long time. However, a three wheel bicycle has always been a rare thing. This one was used by twin women who used it to take eggs to town on Saturdays. They lived pm a dirt road out in the country about 5 miles from Pollock, Louisiana. After selling their eggs, they used the money to buy groceries while in town. The groceries, animal feed, personal items, etc. were put in the basket between the back two wheels and taken home. These two ladies didn't mind the ride and it saved a lot of money on gas. Bicycle repairs were less than those of a car or truck and there were no monthly payments. Come to think of it.......maybe some of us would be better off with a three wheel bicycle today!!!

The Wash Pot

Long before the invention of the washing machine, women used the old wash pot to clean their clothes. It was a rather simple job technically: 1. obtain an iron wash pot (usually from a farm supply store) 2. put water in the pot 3. put dirty clothes in the pot 4. build a fire under the pot 5. put lye soap in the pot 6. stir the water with a wooden paddle some while the fire is going 7. lift the clothes out of the pot when you think they are clean 8. hang the clothes on a clothes line to dry. Sounds simple, but was a killer physically. Remember.....back then the average family size was 8 to 18 people. Also, there was always a baby in the family that had to have clean diapers every day. No disposable diapers back them. For the wife.......keeping clean laundry for the family was a big item!

Thank the good Lord that wash pots don't have to be used today. He has blessed us with electricity and good washing machines.

The Corn Crib

Early American farms had several outbuildings. One of those was called "the corn crib". It served many purposes, but one of them was the depository for corn. Just about all farmers raised corn for consumption by the family and/or livestock. Some of the corn was usually milled, some was saved as seed for next years crop, and some was lost to mice and other critters.

Outbuildings were usually made of logs. Many of them were made of yellow poplar trees because some said that termites would not eat the wood. Others were made of whatever trees were available. The ends of the logs were notched so the logs would fit together without the need for nails or pegs.

Cut'n, Split'n, and Stack'n, Firewood

One of the great joys (being scarcastic) of early American life was the cutting, splitting, and stacking of firewood. Everybody had the same problem when it came to heating homes for winter. They all had fireplaces and needed something to burn in those fireplaces. A few people used coal if available.......but for most, the answer was FIREWOOD. Wood was usually available in unlimited supply, cheap, and did the job. It didn't take long to discover that some types of wood burned longer and hotter than others. Oak, hickory, osage orange, and pecan burned long and hot, while cottonwood and willow hardly burned at all. Pine burned great, but pitch from the smoke would stick on your chimney flew, and sometimes caused the chimey to catch fire. The chimney fire would then likely catch the house on fire.

Some wood split easily like oak. Some wouldn't split at all like sweetgum. All that meant that a person had to know how to identify there trees or suffer the consequences.

Firewood related stuff was usually the responsibility of teenagers if there were any in the family. Boys got the job most of the time, but girls were not exempt either.

Old Cars

When the automobile come on the scene in the early 1900's, people got excited. In fact they got so excited, before you knew it, there were about as many different car manufacturers as there were buyers! Within a few years there was: Ford, Oldsmobile, Hudson, Studebaker, Nash, etc. People argued for hours about which car was the best. Some had lots of features, others were plain. The good thing was.......everybody rode and gas was cheap! At first you could have any color car you wanted as long as it was black. However, it wasn't long before you could have a car in your favorite
color(s). It was fantastic!

Witching Water Wells

Witching water wells was a "gift" that a few men had back in Americas early years.
There were no commercial water well drillers back then, so people dug their wells by hand most of the time. That being the case, people wanted to know where water could be located a short distance under the ground. Men who had the gift of "witching" were well known in the community. They were in great demand.

To witch a well a person would fashion a short, forked willow branch (see photo). Then they would hold each fork of the branch in their hands and start randomly walking. As they walked, they would hold the willow branch straight ahead of them and watch it. They would continue walking until the end of the branch started vibrating. Slowly at first......then more violently. Suddenly, the branch would point itself straight down to the ground with no effort from the person. Wherever the branch touched the ground......that's where the well should be dug. A really good "witcher" could also tell how deep you had to dig before striking water. They were surprisingly accurate.

WOW!!! Early brain ESP? So much for technology huh?

Sunday "go to meet'n" Clothes

People used to have two basic set of clothes............everyday, and "Sunday go to meet'n" clothes. For men and boys, that meant coveralls during the week and dress-up type clothes for church. For women and girls, it meant stylish clothes and hats
(see photo). Church was a time for your best lending credibility to the notion that one was presenting God their best. Good idea. People were very protective of their dress clothes because in many cases, they had only one pair or set of them. Girls usually wore lots of light colors while men tended to wear darker colors especially black. There was no such thing as a dry cleaning business then, so people guarded against harming their dress clothes.

Going Barefooted

Generally speaking, people prefer wearing shoes than going barefooted. However, there was a time in when kids couldn't wait to start going barefooted in the spring. They would start pestering their parents to allow bare feet from the first sunny day in March until they capitulated. Most parents had surrendered by April 15th or so. Arriving at school barefooted was a testimony to your toughness. Any boy wearing shoes after May first was considered a "sissy", and held in contempt by other boys. Girls looked forward to going barefooted as much as boys. Never mind cold temperatures, mud on rainy days, dust, grass stickers, gravel, rocks, broken glass, thorns, wire, sticks, and cockle burrs..................all that bedamned! Kids just wanted to go barefooted!

The Parson and His Wife

Back then........the Parson and his wife were the people that citizens looked-up to for spiritual living. They set the standards for righteous living. They stayed in the Word, gave sacrificially, and maintained good marital relations. They were kind and considerate, gave financially to Godly causes, and assisted those in need without expecting compensation. They were temperant and lived "the golden rule" on a daily basis. Because of these character traits, everyone gladly gave them their respect.

Home Made Flower Hanging Baskets

Americans have always been creative and inventive. They had to be. If something broke..... you fixed it. If something could be used over and over again......it was.
If you could "do without" an item......you did. If something could be made at home instead of buying it.........you made it.

A good example of this creativity was the home-made hanging flower basket (see photo). They were made of small tree limbs or vine cuttings of somewhat uniform size. They were held together by small wood pegs, wire, nails, or anything else around the house or barn that served the purpose. They were attractive, functional, and worked well.

Chief Paints

Most rural American homes in the early 1900's were made of logs or rough sawn wood.
Those homes did not get painted - ever! Paint was expensive and hard to find. When personal incomes improved so did house improvement products......including finished wood for home siding........and paint. Yea !!!!! At that point in history a person
could have a house painted any color(s) they wanted. What a break-through!

Depending on your local climate, a paint job might last you 3 to 8 years if you were lucky. Paints had lead in them, came in various qualities, and all of them required
paint thinner to clean up your paint brushes. There were about as many paint compaines as there were hairs on a dogs back. One of them was Chief Paints (see photo). Like most of those early paint companies......they came and went like most of them.

Small Business Vaults

In dsthe early years of our nation, American business owners often used a small vault to store money over night (see photo).

These storage bins were also called " safes". This prevented the owners from taking their money to a local bank everyday. Businesses out in the country were particularly needful of this safety devise because of their lack of proximity to a bank. Often, they only brought their money to town once a week or in some cases less often than that.

The vault was usually opened by knowing the "combination" to the conbination lock. Sometimes more complex systems of opening were used to prevent thieft. They must have worked quite well because the sale of these items was high in the 1800's and early 1900's.