THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
Corn Shuckings
and Pumpkin Gatherings
For those of us who grew up on
the farm,
fall was the time for gathering in the crops. Pumpkins, an important
staple for
winter use, had to be gathered in and properly stored so that they
could be
preserved. Corn, necessary for human consumption as meal for cornbread
and for
feeding animals during the long winter months, likewise had to be
gathered and
stored.
I remember corn shuckings,
especially at my
Grandfather Collins's farm.
He had a corn crib with an open
shed in
front. The corn was brought by wagonloads from the field and stacked
high under
the shed. The crib itself had openings between the planks and chicken
wire
liner in the crib. This arrangement of the crib gave circulation of air
so that
the corn, gathered when it was not quite cured, could dry without
molding.
On a certain day, an event was
planned that
drew neighbors together. People in the community gathered in the
afternoon and
the corn shucking began. Young and old, men and women, attended. Some
of the
women helped with the evening meal that would be ready about sundown,
spread
out on long tables near the corn crib. Everybody enjoyed the repast.
The shared
meal was part of the fun and fellowship. Very similar to the
dinners-on-the-ground served at church homecomings, the corn-shucking
meals
received special attention and some of the best dishes from the cooks
in charge
were spread out to enjoy.
After the evening chores were
finished by
the hosts of the corn shuckings, everybody gathered around the corn
pile and by
about
Then would come the fun. Any red
ears of
corn found in the pile had special meaning. The boy or man who happened
to find
a red ear would be given the privilege of kissing the prettiest girl or
woman
present, or of leading her out in a square dance when the shucking was
done.
Sometimes a prize was given to the one finding the red ear or ears. One
young
boy won a heifer calf, claimed it, and when it was grown, sold it for
$100.00.
That was quite a prize for an evening of corn shucking. If the host
family had
a feeling against dancing, this activity was not held. Some in those
days felt
dancing was "the devil's playhouse," and it was forbidden by their
religious beliefs. Instead of a dance, as they gathered around the corn
crib,
they told tales of old times and of ancestors' feats.
Before the corn shucking broke
up, with
another announced to be held at a neighbor's house on a date in the
near
future, it was much after
The shucks from the corn were
saved to feed
the livestock. The pumpkins that had been gathered in were stored in
the loft
of the barn and shucks placed over them to protect them from freezing.
Hard work was broken by
community festivals
such as corn shuckings. They weren't called "fall festivals" then,
but the sense of camaraderie and helpfulness made them welcomed breaks
from the
monotony of hard labor.
Poet William Cullen Bryant wrote
of autumn:
"The melancholy days are come,
The saddest of the year,
Of wailing winds and naked
woods,
And meadows brown and sear."
Remembrance of corn shuckings of
years past
helps us to paraphrase Bryant's poem to read:
"The bright days of fall are
here,
With leaves of red and gold;
And together in our work--like
play
We bring crops into the fold."
c2007 by
Ethelene Dyer
Jones; published Oct. 25, 2007 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville,
GA.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Updated August 9,
2009
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