Here is my new abode for now -- an apartment in a fairly new apartment complex. I do like it as it contains lots of trees, shrubs and other natural plantings. I took this photo from my bedroom window.
Since this area is all rather newly built I feel my search for old traditions is going to be a challenge. While previously living in Kentucky I concentrated on the old folkways for my blog. But now I know I will have to make some compensations while living here on the eastern fringe of Vancouver, Washington. Only time will tell what I can discover -- but I am up to the challenge.
As far as nature's material -- I don't perceive that it will be difficult to find as there is an abundance of it in this beautiful natural area. I expect to learn some new things from nature.
Whatever the area can offer in the world of art, nature and folkways will be my focus here. I have already spotted some nice public art work.
Yes, I will have to adjust my perceptions but isn't that always a refreshing trail to follow.
Tomato plants stand guard by the folk garden shed. Old tobacco sticks give structure to the growing plants.
Standing brightly at the edge of a large family home garden is a shed that spells folkways. A metal skin covers the old wood garden shed. It brightens the end of a family garden that holds many heirloom plants passed down through generations of family -- white skinned cucumbers, old timey sweet potatoes, parker beans and mustard that joins tomatoes and greens. Seed saving is part of the family's tradition.
I like graphic items that are funky and display individual creativity. For me, handmade gameboards usually characterize these attributes.
Gameboards have been around since ancient times. Some examples would be checker boards or Chinese checker boards. Individually made boards can be painted in any color, have designs other than the game design painted on the board, be of different sizes, be of any age, handmade and sometimes signed by the maker
FUNKY PAINT COLORS ON ALL WOOD BOARD
This particular board is dated along its wooden frame -- 1986. Not that old but still of the folk genre. It also has a faint name next to the date, M... Lam., difficult to make out. It has two game sides. One being checkers and the other a game I do not know. I guess I wasn't much of a board game player when I was young otherwise I would know.
This board is both folk art and a symbol of a folkway. Folkway, as the individual crafting of a gameboard is a socially established custom.
CHECKER BOARD SIDE
From ancient times to the present -- gameboards have been made by individuals reflecting their personal interpretations of how the board should appear yet keeping with the game design.
For folk appreciators -- its not the game that is important but the construction, colors, and spark exuded by the visual design that matters. No matter the age.
My son and I made a visit this summer to find a slave graveyard that was reported to be located on a recently developed Civil War Battlefield Park which involves several sites in Madison County, Kentucky. The site we were headed for was a homestead called the Pleasant View House and Farm.Nothing in its published flyer indicated that there was a slave graveyard on site.
What the flyer did say was that Joseph Barnett built the present house on the property in 1825 and at that time he owed 20 slaves. And, he also owned 578 acres. This information was a good base to help us understand the spatial pattern of the graveyard. So off we went toward a rise on the land, a distance back of the old house, to find the slave graveyard.
The first thing we noticed when we spotted the graveyard was that it was divided into two sections – African American slave on one side and European white pioneer family on the other.
EUROPEAN WHITE GRAVE SECTION
It was a small graveyard and according to a sign posted by it, it had been in a deteriorated state for a long time previous to a recent restoration. There were approximately fourteen or so grave-markers on the white side and about six or so on the slave side.
The white side consisted of two types of grave-markers; the ledger type and the head and foot marker type. The African American slave side of the graveyard had two types of grave markers. One being head stone and foot stone type made by a stone cutter and the second type -- some head stones and foot stones -- being simply a field stone to mark the head and one also to mark the foot.
MY SON MAKING RUBBINGS OF THE LEDGER INSCRIPTIONS
The ledger types were large flat one-piece stones covering the grave, similar to the cover of a tablet, and placed on a raised limestone foundation. The inscription was on the ledger’s topside. Most of the ledger grave-markers were difficult to read – exposure to weather and the type of local stone used had blurred or erased much of the writing.
My son came up with the idea of doing rubbings to determine what information we could obtain about the deceased. This method did help some in deciphering some of the names and dates.
The ledger style was expensive in its time and is believed to have been used by the wealthy. Historically, they are believed to be a British tradition.
HEAD STONE IN SLAVE SECTION
The head stones in both the slave and white sections of the plot, if made by a stone cutter, carried the name and date of the deceased. The foot stone simply had the initial of the deceased.
Southern folk grave-markers are simple and unadorned. None of the grave –markers had adornment such as flowers, birds etc. The graveyard was on a rise, which is a southern thing -- this tradition is older than Christianity. The front side of the head stone is smooth while the sides and back have chisel marks – a sign of back country grave stone-cutters
FOOT STONE OF EMILY'S HEADSTONE -- PHOTO ABOVE
The earliest deceased date that we found was 1806 and the latest was 1851 -- pre-Civil War times. These dates definitely indicate back country living for this region of Kentucky. Also, I would consider this graveyard a folk one due to its dates, arrangement and back country location.
SLAVE HEAD STONE WITH FOOT STONE
Grave stone-cutters in the backcountry during the above dates were involved in other artisan trades along with stone cutting. Many grave stone-cutters were itinerate and travelled over large regions.
SLAVE HEAD STONE INSCRIPTION In Memory
Joshua Servant of
Jos Barnett Jr born
1798 & died by a
stroke of Lightning
July 1827
In the early 1800s, markers were not always placed on the grave site at the time of death. This was due to time spent sending away for a grave-marker and then having it delivered by wagon. This could take up to a year or so. The spatial arrangement of the plot is similar to early Scots-Irish traditions – linear rows. The slave side was also dictated by this pattern.
CLOSE-UP OF JOSHUA HEAD STONE (PHOTO ABOVE)
This graveyard in all probability has many more secrets to unveil through its material culture. My son and I made two trips to the plot and feel we still missed some of the clues to its history.
CHISEL MARKS ON BACK SIDE OF HEAD STONE
For sources to check out about folk graveyards – see below. I never thought that graveyards could be so culturally fascinating but now I know I will be on the lookout for more of the same.
SOURCES:
Books
Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy by Terry G. Jordan
Sticks and Stones: Three Centuries of North Carolina Gravemarkers by M. Ruth Little
Ghosts along the Cumberland by William Lynwood Montell
BIRDHOUSE -- REPLICATE OF AN EASTERN KENTUCKY FARMHOUSE
I've lived in many homes in my life-time. All different -- small, large, country, town, city, artist studio, cottage, campground, historic house, apartment, and fairly new. Although each was very different, the old adage rings true when I think of them all -- the heart is where the home is.
With today's economy many folks are losing their homes. A very sad situation. My thoughts go out to them. And, today I am telling a little sad story that relates to not only the economic situation, but the birdhouse in this post..
DETAIL OF SIDING APPROPRIATE TO A DERELICT FARMHOUSE
A Kentucky man and wife lost their home. He is a carpenter. He is a thoughtful husband. Let me give you an example of his thoughtfulness. His wife loves birds. So, over several years he built her magical, folksy birdhouses for their yard. All six were different and lovingly made. Works of art. But then they lost everything and the birdhouses were sold. I acquired one of the birdhouses. I also acquired the sad story that went with it. I will always view this birdhouse with hope. Hope that the couple turned their life around and he again has started to build birdhouses for his wife in a new home. And, hope for all the people that have lost their homes in this economic turn-down.
SIDE PORCH OF BIRDHOUSE
The carpenter husband built my birdhouse based on a photo he saw of a derelict old Eastern Kentucky farmhouse. He incorporated the worn look right down to the weather-board siding. He meticulously placed a hundred-plus individual pieces of miniature wood weather-board siding on the birdhouse to replicate the authenticity of the farmhouse. A metal roof was added and painted as it would have been on an Eastern Kentucky home. A side porch has delicate architectural decor parading around it. The house measures approximately 16" X 21" X 21".
BIRDHOUSE -- DETAIL OF METAL ROOF
It is not only the couple that lost their home but so did the many birds that visited their birdhouses. Birds are fragile yet are tough survivors. I can only think that the couple will be tough survivors like so many others that have lost their homes.
On this day -- the 4th of July -- I find it difficult to celebrate. Maybe next year?
Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom -- Thomas Jefferson
At three a.m. a crew of bakers arrive to prepare from scratch all the bake goods and deli items for Burke's Bakery and Delicatessen in Dansville, Kentucky. Above one of the bakers is preparing crust for their cherry individual pies. In this room where she is working, it is ten o'clock in the morning, and much of the baking prep work has been completed. A large task as Burke's is a popular bakery and people start streaming in when the doors open at seven in the morn, six days a week -- on Sunday they open at noon.
The bakery is owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generation members of the family that work right along with the store employees -- above Joe Burke and to the right his son Joedy Burke. Joedy told me that it is rare to find a bakery today that bakes every thing from scratch.
A long line of glass cased counters line the entire one wall of the shop. Clerks are kept busy waiting on the many customers and restocking the trays and cases. The clerks were very friendly and helpful to me when I told them I wanted to take photos. My daughter and granddaughter were with me and they bought some of their delicious chocolate chip cookies and donut holes. I usually don't eat sweets but I tried some of the goodies from my daughter's bag and I can attest that they melted in your mouth. On the upper part of the wall behind the clerks is a vintage painting of bakers that is original to Burke's -- from about the forties or fifties.
Della is selecting some whole wheat bread for me. They also have -- French, Salt Rising and others.
OK, the rest of this post is a visual treat if you are a lover of sweets. I don't know the names of all the beautiful baked goodies but they were sure very strikingly graphic.
I was told that their gingerbread men are a popular item
Only a small part of the selection of goodies available
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Butterflake Rolls
This case holds the deli items that are take-out just like all the baked goods. If you enlarge the menu on the case you will get an idea of what they carry and the price.
What a "sweet" place this store was. We had originally stopped in the store for directions as we were lost and ended up being treated to an old way of doing business -- from scratch!
I was standing on a hill overlooking the quaint village of Paint Lick when I took this photo of their commercial main street a couple of winters ago. Paint Lick is but one of the many small towns in Kentucky that strive to flourish under ongoing changing circumstances.
This village consists of a very small commercial area (the proverbial main street) which serves the rural residents of the area. Of course, in today's economic world such small main streets can only provide limited offerings. Many of the small towns and villages in Kentucky keep glued together by being located fairly near an urban city that can provide much of what rural residents cannot get locally. However, small places such as Paint Lick offer what many folks are looking for: low crime, neighborliness, strong community, family ties, heritage, and the strong intangibles that these factors imply.
WEST SIDE OF PAINT LICK COMMERCIAL MAIN STREET
The combination of access of an urban area and strong community spirit attract some new people while sustaining the existing residents. Residents learn to work with what they don't have in terms of services. Paint Lick doesn't have a gas station but it does have a car repair garage, bank, post office and until recently a cafe where the locals would converse about various subjects such as farming. Unfortunately the cafe recently burnt down.
EAST SIDE OF PAINT LICK'S COMMERCIAL MAIN STREET
In 1939 a book was published titled the WPA Guide to Kentucky. It was part of Roosevelt’s New Deal program to provide employment for writers under the Federal Writers Project. He commissioned writers to publish state guides of discovery for tourists as well as for residents to become more knowledgeable about their state.
Where am I going with this information? Well, I have a 1996 re-published edition of the 1939 edition of the WPA Kentucky Guide wrote and researched by the Federal Writers Project. I wanted to get their definition of Kentucky in 1939 as well as that of Paint Lick. The writers felt that their writings should be more than about history, that it should, “capture the spirit of the land, mostly rural, indefinable but very real."
This is what I wanted to hear -- writers that looked at the soul of a place.
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Although Paint Lick was limited to a very short mention they were able to write something significant that I had not been able to find elsewhere in my research -- that of the Indian symbols.Here is the short mention of Paint Lick:. . . a hamlet near the site of Paint Lick Station, which was established in 1782, and so named because the first settlers found Indian symbols painted in bright colors on trees and stones along the creek and around the near-by salt lick."
Paint Lick is a small town that manages to stay afloat because of its proximity to an urban area. It still has its small town flavor while growing incrementally. It has faced many challenges since its first days of settlement. One example is the tragic fire in the above main street photo. It has experienced population shifts mainly in the 40s through the 60s to the Midwest for manufacturing jobs. Presently rural farmers are experiencing a change of their farming culture -- from growing tobacco as a prime cash crop to now finding new crops to provide continuing farming opportunities. It appears that staying viable for small towns and villages is an ongoing process that takes stamina of the rural population.
At one time Paint Lick consisted of mainly wooden buildings pre 1908.Its tenacity to the land provided the impetuous to remain a slowly growing village. In 1939 the population was 250 (WPA Guide to Kentucky), 2000 the population of Paint Lick was 2,084 (city-data.com) and in 2007 the population had increased to 3,293 (city-data.com).
DISTRIBUTION OF RESIDENTS AGES
Source: City-Data.com
One of the factors that is important to look at is the age of the residents. Age diversity indicates a viable population. The graph above shows that Paint Lick has citizens of all ages. Some for delight such as young children, many for working power such as the middle ages, and several in the older ages to hand-down proven ways and wisdom.
Paint Lick has the tools to survive as a rural village.
I bought William Woys Weaver's book in 1997, titled Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. Since the time of its 1997 copyright it has become a classic for heirloom seed savers. In the book he provides in-depth research, cultural history, and personal stories related to the heirloom seeds that he is familiar with. He traces how family vegetable gardens moved to industrial gardening (gardening for profit) in the mid-nineteenth century. Weaver's book was and still is an important piece for people wishing to know more about heirloom seeds.
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Moving on from Weaver's well written book lets take a close look at heirlooms. Well, they are open pollinators and have adapted themselves to certain regions of climate and soil over eons of time. They often are resistant to local pests, diseases, and extreme weather. They are tough "guys" if planted in their regional domain. What they aren't is hybrid or GMO seeds. They contain strong genetic traits while industrial seeds or hybrids contain weak genetic traits. Heirlooms are important to the world as they can override many of the problems of modern day seeds such as disease and pests. Heirlooms are vital to the world's food system.
The South contains rich pockets of heirloom seeds saved from family to family, friend to friend over many years of growing vegetables, flowers and fruits. More so than other regions of the country.
COLLECTING SEEDS Flickr Photo -- schill
. So why are we encouraging corporate, industrial farming when we know their genes are weak? A simple answer is, profit.
Corporations have been buying up many of the old seed companies that had heirloom seeds resulting in many of the seeds from these old companies being lost. The pool of seed diversity shrinks with the passing years. . What are we doing about this shrinking cache of heirloom seeds? Many things. In the past decade part of the seed savers movement was about establishing world seed banks around the globe attempting to save this rich diversity. Actually there are 1,460 banks around the world. One bank, ICARDA, has 131,000 varieties within their stores of 5.4 million seeds. These banks need to keep the seeds in long term storage under ideal conditions -- where there are regional conflicts or little money the seed banks are at risk. . The largest seed bank is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault that opened in February 2008 in Norway. It is the ultimate in safety for seed biodiversity and protection of our global food. . Here is an idea how you can help save the threatened heirloom seeds. Start planting some (better yet all) heirlooms in your gardens and flower beds each year. Maybe even start trying to save seeds from these plants for next year's garden. You will be rewarded with hardy plants and you will make a difference to our world by saving a bit of our plant heritage. . Below are some links on heirloom seeds, seed banks: . Svalbard Global Seed Vault from the Decorah Tribune, Decorah Iowa. . Seed Banks and the Global Crop Diversity Trust from World Changing: Bright Green Blog . Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds . Seed Savers Exchange
THE WROUGHT IRON VICTORIAN FENCE I NOTICED BEHIND THE POOSEY RIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH -- IT SURROUNDS A FAMILY BURIAL PLOT
I needed to turn around and go back down the other way on a rural road that I was driving on. I spotted a nice turn around church parking lot and pulled up the hill and swung around to go back down and out -- heading back the way I'd just been. But, as I reached the top of the hill and glanced behind the church toward a small stand of trees I noticed some lovely Victorian fencing. I stopped. I got out. And, I walked over to take a closer look. I was now looking at a small folk cemetery that I quickly assessed as mid to late 1800s.
I had recently read a non-fiction book titled, Love Cemetery: Unburying the Secret History of Slaves, by China Galland. The book had certainly piqued my interest in folk cemeteries. It is a remarkable story of unearthing the folk stories of the families that were buried in Love Cemetery.
TOMBSTONE OF E & F FERRELL, DIED 1868, POOSEY RIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH CEMETERY, KENTUCKY
But this post is not about Love Cemetery, it is about Poosey Ridge Cemetery located behind Poosey Ridge Community Church in Madison County, Kentucky. The name, "Poosey" was the name of the Native American tribe that lived in the area at the time of pioneer settlement. Today, the Poosey area is rural with a small population.Not an incorporated town but a "place."
In the photo above one can see the scarring of one the Poosey tombstones (markers) after years of rain reacting with its limestone causing an acidic reaction. Limestone was a local material of the area and readily accessible
SCATTERED TOMBSTONES IN THE POOSEY RIDGE CEMETERY
It is difficult to pick out the tombstones in the woods above. There were about eight that I could spot. These eight were located outside the Victorian fenced family plot (see photo at the top).
THE ONE AND ONLY FANCY TOMBSTONE IN THE CEMETERY -- IT IS LOCATED IN THE FAMILY PLOT
Southern folk cemeteries have certain traits. I have gathered the following from the writers I have mentioned in this post; 1) grave tombstones of a "make do" quality, 2) pine and cedar are sometimes found on site planted by the caretakers of the cemeteries, 3) contains a family plot/s that is surrounded by curbing, shells or fencing, 4) lacks creative ornamentation, 5) small size, 6) rural area, 7) tombstones face east, 8) wife buried on the left, husband on the right. A folk cemetery does not have to meet all these criteria, just a few will do.
"MAKE DO," ROCK GRAVE MARKERS AT POOSEY RIDGE ARE AN EXAMPLE OF A FOLK CEMETERYTRAIT
Poosey Ridge has five traits to verify that it is indeed a folk cemetery. they are; 1) has, "make do," markers 2) has a family plot, 3) small size, 4) rural, 5) lack of creative ornamentation.
To sum up what folk cemeteries supply to our understanding of our culture, I will quote from D. Gregory Jeane ----
. . . cemeteries are a good place to accumulate information that can provide insight into a community's social and economic structure, its religious tenants, and its ethnic composition.
Also, from a gravestone restorer ----
Graveyards contain within them priceless historical information. They are in essence open air museums. Gravestones are often the only thing remaining in its original location from previous generations . . . please treat them with the respect they are due. ~~ Jonathan Appell, gravestone restorer
And finally, a quiet walk through a cemetery can be meditative and reflective.
SPRINGS THAT SEEP FROM ROCK OUTCROPPINGS ALONG MY ROUTE -- LOWER LEFT HAND CORNER
This past weekend was sunny and rather warmish compared to what we have had this winter. This kind of weather brings out people as well as wild critters. You choose the category you fall into.
I figured it would be a good day to travel up to Climax where I could collect gallons of drinking spring water. It's a curvy, rural, climbing road to the springs but the beautiful views are unsurpassed for these parts. Almost non-existent traffic. Climax is neither a village, town nor city -- it's is just a country "spot."
Rock outcropping along my way produce seeping springs -- now frozen solid like cave stalactites.
CLOSER VIEW OF SEEPING SPRINGS, NOW ICE STALACTITES
Kentucky has large areas throughout the state that are geologically known as karst areas. What is a karst? It is a landscape with sinkholes, sinking streams, caves and springs. In the areas of the state that are considerd to be a karst landscape one finds limestone bedrock.
I live in a karst area and the route I was driving today continued along a karst landscape.
CLOSE-UP OF THE ICED SEEPING SPRINGS IN MADISON CO.
My route takes me from Madison County into Rockcastle County. According to the Kentucky Geological Survey, Kentucky is one of the most famous karst areas in the world -- formed over hundreds of thousands of years in a continuing process as water moves underground from hilltops toward a stream through tiny fractures in the limestone bedrock.
CLIMAX SPRINGS SEEPING FROM ITS OUTCROPPING, ROCKCASTLE, COUNTY.
After my pleasant drive I arrive at the "spot," Climax. Here a large natural spring flows down into a captured area where local folks can fill their many gallon containers with drinking water.
CLOSER VIEW OF CLIMAX SPRINGS
The surrounding area is pristine for miles and the water tests clean. The taste of the water is pure, void of water treatment taste. It's cold and free!
LOCAL RESIDENT COLLECTING FRESH MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER
The collection site is just down from the large spring area at Climax. Captured in an underground cement tank it flows up and through metal piping that has an on and off spigot. When you turn the spigot on, the water gushes out hard and fast.
Aren't I lucky to know about this place. Thanks Mother Earth.
