The station from Greenville, South Carolina, was the only one we could pick up on our old black-and-white television. I often strained to watch The Roy Rogers Show, The Lone Ranger, Sky King, and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon through the snow and interference that were ever present on the screen. Although these programs were entertaining, my favorites were always the music shows. I tried to never miss The Porter Wagoner Show, Flatt and Scruggs, and The Wilburn Brothers Show. These were not only music to my ears, but I could actually see the entertainers. I loved the sound and admired the fancy “show” clothes that they all wore. The wagon wheels adorned with rhinestones and jewels distinguished Porter Wagoner’s clothes from all the others. The ladies’ full-skirted ballroom gowns were often clenched with both hands and raised to knee length as they broke out into a buck-dancing routine.
So many talented groups rise out of the hills of Appalachia. Deciding who would be included in this edition was a very tough decision. The groups you will learn about throughout these pages, whom you can also listen to on a companion CD available directly from Foxfire, are just a sampling of the talent that enriches our area. You will experience the music of well-known, well-traveled, award-winning groups like The Primitive Quartet, The Gary Waldrep Band, Curtis Blackwell and The Dixie Bluegrass Boys, and David Holt; multitalented miracles like Johnathan Bond and Young Harmony; talented songwriters and performers like Dale Tilley and Morris and Greg Stancil; and true diamonds in the rough like LV and Mary Mathis, who had never recorded any of their music until now. Whether it be from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley, or Old Mater Farm in Sylva, North Carolina, the voices of the Crowe Brothers and Mountain Faith will awaken your senses to the true sibling harmony experienced only in family music. George Reynolds and The Foxfire Boys are the true soul of the Foxfire music program. From the classrooms of Rabun County High School to the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, to the Olympics in Norway, The Foxfire Boys cut their teeth on bluegrass music under the direction of their mentor and teacher, George Reynolds. Each of these groups submitted one song to be featured on the CD (see www.foxfire.org). Information on how you can obtain more of their music is listed at the end of each article.
While music was a dominating factor in the social gatherings of my childhood, I also vividly recall the stories shared by family and friends while sitting on the front-porch swing listening to the rain beat against the rusty old tin roof or stretched out on a patchwork quilt around the woodstove as the poplar logs popped and cracked on a cold wintry night. The stories of crime, murders, ghosts, legends, and “haints” would often bring chills to your spine and sometimes keep you awake for hours just listening to the strange noises of the night. We have shared a few of these in the “Knoxville Girl” section of this book.
The older generation often refers to yesteryear as the good ol’ days, but the days were not always good. People often suffered heartache and pain, but the love of God, country, and family is so evident in all the stories printed within these covers. From the farm families to the family farms to just stories about life, these people shared a love for one another and a moral obligation to society that we have lost somewhere along the way. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book: Singin’, Praisin’, Raisin’. I will always treasure the memories and be thankful for times spent with contacts; my coeditor, Casi Best, who was and is the “best”; and the Foxfire book staff during the summer of 2010. It has been good to reflect on my childhood and share the countless memories of the childhoods of another generation. God richly blessed me with a loving, hardworking family who instilled in me the desire to love and care for my fellow man.
—Joyce Green
Born in 1991, I am a mere nineteen years old. If you mention iPods, Wi-Fi, netbooks, text messaging, iTunes, or anything of today’s modern technological world, I’ll know exactly what you’re talking about, or at least recognize the name; however, mention a water dipper, a mess of greasy white half runners, a sling blade, or a two-horse team used for plowing, and I’m lost. Many people blame this lack of knowledge on today’s society, but I blame it on the children of today’s society. My generation should be more intrigued about our heritage and should have the desire to not let who we are fade away.
Several years ago I began to notice that when my grandparents and great-grandparents would tell stories, I couldn’t follow along without having to ask, “What is that?” I was fascinated and wanted to learn about what my family members had to do “back in the day” just to scrape by. The Foxfire Magazine class paved the way for me to learn more than I ever imagined about my heritage. As a freshman in high school beginning the class, I started conducting interviews, meeting the knowledge-filled elders of our small community, hearing their remarkable life stories and advice, and simply falling in love with the Foxfire purpose of preserving the Appalachian heritage.
The remainder of my high school career I was blessed to have made so many new friends through Foxfire and been named The Foxfire Magazine editor for three years. I was beyond blessed to have the opportunity throughout school to work at The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center with Robert Murray, doing anything and everything imaginable. Now that I’ve graduated from high school and am in nursing school at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, Foxfire still holds a special place in my heart and always will. Not only are they assisting me to continue my education through the Julia Fleet/Foxfire Scholarship Program, but also Ann Moore, Foxfire’s president, approached me about being a part of this forty-fifth anniversary book crew. When she said that I would be working side by side with the people I grew up with here on the Foxfire property, I did not have to consider the opportunity a minute longer. This project has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will forever cherish. My relationship with the Foxfire contacts and staff grows stronger each year. I will always be grateful that God allowed my path to cross with such an incredible organization.
Throughout this process Joyce Green and I have traveled all around the South meeting inspiring families and talented groups and hearing true-life stories that are unbelievable. I recall several occasions on this journey when God’s presence, whether during a singing or an interview, was so real it felt as though I could reach out and touch Him. Within the following pages you will experience stories that will leave you with cold chills traveling up and down your spine. Whether they are caused by God’s remarkable ability to raise people from the dead, His warning power to let people know they are crossing the line, the endless stories of generations having to labor for their shelter, the gruesome Appalachian murders, or even the ghosts that still appear, I assure you that by the end of this book you will have no question of God’s existence and will be filled with appreciation for the world that we live in today, as well as gratitude toward your ancestors, and occasionally think to yourself, “You’ve got to be kidding!”
The majority of citizens today have food to eat, a place to lay their head at night, means of transportation, and clothes on their back. A very wise woman once told me, “We all have the same things. It may look a little different, sound a little different, taste a little different, and not be exactly what we hoped for, but ultimately we all have the same things.” Throughout this process I’ve realized just how blessed I am and that my generation truly has no idea what hard work consists of, what a hard life actually entails, and, sadly, no idea what our ancestors endured.
If you remember anything from this book, I hope it is this: Every person has a story, and they’re simply waiting for someone to say “hello.”
Happy forty-fifth anniversary, Foxfire!
—Casi Best
The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book
Singin’, Praisin’ Raisin’
“People will forget our past
if it isn’t recorded.”
Foxfire’s History
Ya know that old trees just grow stronger,
And old rivers grow wilder ev’r
y day. Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello.”
—John Prine, “Hello in There”
Foxfire began at Rabun Gap–Nacoochee School in 1966. While Foxfire can be proud that it has helped preserve a way of life that was quickly disappearing, as a former Foxfire student, the thing I am most proud of is the lasting ties created between the old and the young. Over the years Foxfire students have not only interviewed hundreds of people—recording their stories and their knowledge—they have also said, “Hello in there.” Lasting friendships, sharing both joy and pain, were formed between these hardworking, Bible-believing, family-oriented old-timers and the skeptical, self-centered teenagers who interviewed them. Having been one of those self-centered teenagers, I realize what a difference getting to know, love, and respect the elders of my community has made in my life. I visited with Lawton Brooks many times over the years. I shared his joy when a grandchild did something well. I shared his sorrow when his wife of many years, Florence, passed away. My sister and I cried at his funeral. Lawton Brooks had a lasting impact on my life, just as Aunt Arie, and many others, influenced me and all the other students. Lawton had a rich, full life, with numerous friends and a caring family, but he also was willing to make room for me in his heart. Lawton taught me that hard work won’t kill you, that God always provides what you need, that hard times build character, that family is more important than anything, and that age has no effect on lifelong friendships! I also learned that everyone has a story to tell, something to share. They just need someone to listen and care.
Foxfire’s impact on a former principal, a former student, a Foxfire contact, and a former staff member are shared in the following narratives, with a closing letter at the end of this anniversary edition from President Ann Moore, bringing Foxfire’s past into the present. Their stories epitomize the idea that this was about much more than writing stories, being published, and getting a grade. It was, and is, a way to connect with other people, both young and old, who may or may not be different from you—people who are just waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello.”
So if you’re walking down the street sometime,
And spot some hollow, ancient eyes,
Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare,
As if you didn’t care. Say, “Hello in there, hello.”
—Kaye Carver Collins
Morris Brown was principal at Rabun Gap–Nacoochee for thirty years. He was an early champion of the Foxfire program and remained a loyal supporter until he passed away. His early support of the program was instrumental in Foxfire’s success.
Morris Brown: I was enthused about Foxfire from the start and, after all these years, I am still enthused about it. Of course, I had no idea that Foxfire would grow to what it has. I thought it would be a local project that would last for two or three years, at the most get a little statewide publicity, but to dare dream of what did happen, of course I never dreamed that. I didn’t figure there was enough material to last over two or three years, because I just couldn’t see enough material in a little community like this to keep it going for a long period of time. I just figured it would be something local.
I can’t really take any credit for the enterprise itself, although I did try to create an atmosphere in school for individual teachers to use their talents for the benefit of the students or the school itself. I supported them. We tried to make facilities and everything—but money—available to them. The only thing that I guess I did was to help provide the environment that could give birth to a project such as this. It would have been very, very difficult to get a project like this started in the public schools. It was a little new, and we had a little more leeway. The county school superintendent and the school president, Dr. Karl Anderson, were very supportive of us. I think the school and Foxfire came together at the right time to do this. Also the time that it was, people were going back to the “Mother Earth” thing. There was a big interest in it, which helped. We were sort of dumbfounded, to be frank with you, by Foxfire’s success [laughs]. It came along just at the right time; the people were thinking about the “going back to nature” sort of thing and becoming a little bit more aware of our ancestors’ contributions to the life of today. When it became a best seller of Doubleday, I think we were as surprised as everyone when it just really skyrocketed as far as the income from the selling of the book itself. To expand as it has is just unimaginable!
My daughter, Jan, was one of the editors for the three years that she worked with Foxfire. I was quite familiar with the class. Foxfire operated for a year out of my daughter’s bedroom! Jan was in English class when the name was given. The students tried to decide on a name. They talked it over and finally came up with the Foxfire name. Foxfire is a little plant that grows back in the mountains and glows when the moonlight hits it in the right spot. It’s hard to see. So they thought, “Well, we are just a small school—maybe we could call the magazine Foxfire and see if we could bring a little light to our county.”
PLATE 1 “Foxfire seemed to bring out the best in people.” Mr. Brown and his daughter, Jan
At its inception, Foxfire students would bring in the local citizens about whom they were writing. Many times we had programs built around their appearance at school. They had certain talents they would share with the students or at an assembly program. Whether it was musical, whether it was storytelling, or they had a certain skill to share, we made available to them, and to our students, assembly programs.
I’ve seen many students who were just so-so students, lackadaisical about their work, didn’t seem to care whether they made a seventy. As a result of being in the Foxfire classes, they seemed to wake up, find skills or desires or goals they had not been aware of. If it had not benefited the school, it would have eventually died out. This is something that the whole school, student body, teachers, administrators, and the community itself could be proud to be a part of. It was a benefit to all the students. Even those not directly involved got some benefits by seeing it in operation. They were exposed to a culture many of them had never seen.
Foxfire seemed to bring out the best in people. They became more self-assured. It helped them to zero in on what their skills were and what they wanted to do. This was a by-product of the actual work that went on in a Foxfire class. I am sure it gave them a good feeling to see something down on paper that they had put together and to see their name in print. You know how it makes you feel to see your picture in the paper or see an article you’ve written? That sort of thing—it increases your self-worth.
From year to year the Foxfire program just kept growing and growing. It seems to me that its objectives when it first started and now are the same. It’s just expanded some. It has grown and expanded. I think that the goals that were set out—to make education interesting, to learn by doing rather than just reading—they’re just as much in evidence now as they were then. I can’t see that the basic philosophy between then and now has changed much.
I am sure educators everywhere, colleges, high schools, and what have you, have looked at this and perhaps studied it. I am sure that their teaching and learning interests have been enhanced because of the Foxfire projects. As I say, see what can be done, see what high school students can do when they are interested in something, and they are motivated. It’s not only the people here in Rabun County who benefited, but I am sure teachers and teenagers all over the United States have had their own lives, teaching methods, and learning processes enhanced because of the Foxfire project.
It’s something new every time you pick up a magazine. You read about some individual who’s done this or experienced that; it’s not like reading yesterday’s paper. It’s new, fresh, and told in an interesting way that makes people not put it down until you finish reading it. I’ve seen in the response section of Foxfire magazine, on occasions where people have written in and said, “Once I started, I couldn’t put it down till I finished it!” It’s becau
se of the uniqueness of it and the fact that it brings back memories of their childhood to those who read it. It just makes a memorable experience.
All in all, it’s been one of the brightest ideas that has originated in this county. It certainly has been successful at Rabun County High School, and I know it’s meant a lot to them. It’s an experience to have something and see it grow and succeed. It gives me, our teachers, and the community a good feeling to know that we are part of a national thing. The publicity has become widespread over the years. Not many counties as small as ours have experienced something like this. [Editor’s note: We sincerely miss our wonderful friend Mr. Brown, who passed away in 2009.]
Rosanne Chastain Short helped write Foxfire’s Book of Wood Stove Cookery, later expanded into The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery. When she heard this summer about the illness of one of her coauthors, Kim Hamilton [McKay], she dropped a note to Ann Moore, Foxfire’s president, with the following story attached. Rosanne’s story exemplifies the feelings of most of the students who went through the Foxfire classes, so we thought it was perfect for this forty-fifth anniversary edition.
Rosanne Chastain Short: Every so often I find myself in a north Georgia gift shop, completely lost in flashbacks of thick mountain foliage, bumpy dirt roads, and sweet grandmothers standing in front of wood-burning stoves, countertops full of glass canning jars, and kitchen tables laden with fresh produce. Grinning like a kid in a candy store, I thumb through a copy of The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, fighting the urge to grab the closest tourist and say, “Look, this is me; really, I did this—want me to autograph a copy?”
The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book Page 2