Mountain Folk and Log Cabins Ping List
My aunt has pics of our ancestors from the hills of Tennessee and Alabama who were living in cabins only slightly better than the one in the picture.
Being free in a primitive cabin sure beats being a slave in government housing.
Too bad so few of our fellow citizens feel that way.
Love this stuff. My ancestors were in Maryland in the mid 1600’s.
Thanks.
I love the mountaineer’s names - Pharaoh Jackson Chesney.
That roof doesn’t exactly look water proof.
Those were days as Louis L’Amour wrote that “Men were so rough that they wore their clothes out from the inside.”
Interesting read. Notice who he voted for?
Cool, the freedman voted Republican.
By the way... if any of you live in the North Georgia driving distance area, this weekend - Friday and Saturday (April 9th-10th) there is a big festival at the Foxfire museum in Clayton GA.
"See the days of pioneer Appalachia brought to life by local families as the Foxfire Museum & Heritage Center hosts two days of living history, with adults and children dressed in 1800s period costumes, showcasing almost every facet of life in these mountains 200 years ago. Cooking simple food in a stone fireplace, crafting wood furniture with hand tools, blacksmithing in a coal-fired forge, one-room schoolhouse classes covering the Appalachian “three Rs” (Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and Religion), short church services, a quilting bee, plenty of old-time kids’ games (everyone is invited to join in), live traditional music ......"
http://www.foxfire.org/news.html
I'll say this for him to live in what he did where he did he was one tough old bird. I live on Chestnut Ridge which isn't quite as high. The top of Copper Ridge at times is a weather maker it's so high. That cabin looking at the picture I believe was at or near the top of the ridge. The wind up there during a storm is a force to be reckoned with as well. The fact that cabin held together as long as it did where it did speaks a lot for the construction as well.
Old log cabins weren't built for looks but rather built solely to be functional. The older the cabin more so that applied. A one room cabin with small door and windows like his was easier to heat. Log Cabins are cold in the winter. I had an Ashley wood/coal stove in the one I had and it still was cold.
His family likely moved on to Anderson or Knox County at some point afterward maybe upon his death. In my community there was a neighborhood of black farmers living a few ridges over. They moved or likely died out in the 1960's not because of harassment of any type as there was no such issues but because of the area being too remote and their children etc moved on to Knoxville for jobs. The older generation died out and that was it. In Union County though I hate to say this but he and family would have later on faced some rough times that I'll not go into detail about in here. I doubt a census of that county from 1930 on except for possible CCC workers in camps would have showed a black family living there. That's just the reality of it.