Faith, Folklore, and Friends

While we were at the Music Festival in Townsend last Saturday, there were craft demonstrations, including this one about making wood shingles.  Using very primitive tools, this fellow made some beautiful shingles and made it look easy. He started with a piece of a white oak log that had been cut to the proper length.  That piece of wood was split into 8-12 pieces, and he carefully made the shingles from those triangular pieces of the oak. He worked at a steady rhythm, and I didn't want to interrupt his work to ask questions.  You could tell he had done this before.  I was impressed that he was handling those splintered shingles without any gloves. These were the shingles he had completed. I wonder how long it would take to make enough for a roof? I can understand why the people who settled these mountains stayed busy all winter, when everything had to be made by hand. These wood shingles are on a barn at the Bud Ogle place in Gatli...

  On October 13, we were privileged to attend the 34th annual Tennessee Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia near Knoxville.  We have been several  times before, but it had been about a decade since we had enjoyed the homecoming.  We were ready. The sounds of Appalachian music filled the autumn air.  There were five stages on the grounds with different musicians about every thirty minutes.   Everywhere we went, there was music. Children loved this--for a dollar, they could shell an ear of corn and take it with them. It would take way too long to name all the musicians there.  We enjoyed them all. This quilt was perfect for the old cabin porch.   These Revolutionary fellows fired off their muskets occasionally, just to keep things lively. We loved watching all the children there.  This little girl danced and played in the dirt at Stage 2 during a performance.  I'm ...

  Construction on Huntsville's Lowe Mill began in 1900, and the massive building opened in 1901.  The building, with its 25,000 spindles, turned local cotton into cloth.  A few years later, it was used as a cotton warehouse.    After World War II ended, the building housed the General Shoe Company, providing jobs for approximately 800 people and shoes for soldiers.  Genesco closed in 1978, then the mill became a warehouse for Martin Industries.  In 2001, the building was sold to its current owner, Research Genetics founder, Jim Hudson. Today, Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment is the largest center for the arts in the Southeast.  Hundreds of artists demonstrate and sell their crafts in booths covering three floors of the old building.   Last Saturday, Steph and I enjoyed wandering around all the booths and talking to the artists.  We rode the vintage elevator and walked on wooden floors scarred by footsteps long ...