Traditions

I love traditions – and I’m not a big fan of change.  As we move through Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season, traditions are one of the things I most enjoy about the holidays.  They root us to our families and communities as we are reminded of days past, and family no longer celebrating with us.  Yet these seem to be days of change, don’t they? 

Thanksgiving for many this year was small, unlike the rowdy meals of the past shared with a huge crowd, over-filled houses and tables bowed with the weight of a feast.  For some, there was the overshadowing of disease as loved ones either suffered with the Coronavirus or lived in fear of contracting it.  Travel restrictions will have kept some at home, especially if you have family living abroad.

Amid the Pandemic, political upheaval and protests, 2020 seems unique.  Yet change is always with us, as much as it pains me to admit it.  That change is one of the reasons our traditions are so important to people like me – even as elderly relatives step over into heaven, as children grow up another generation moves toward the age-related-constraints.

This year I made coconut-cream pie and verbalized the steps for my daughter, just as Grandma taught me.  I told her how this was Grandpa’s favorite kind of pie – I too love it and rarely eat it without thinking of Grandpa.  My mother-in-law has a signature macaroni dish but she’s no longer able to cook it.  So, this year she stood by me as I followed her instructions and created a facsimile that my family happily scarfed down. 

Heaven alone knows what Christmas and 2021 will look like, but I for one will keep repeating whatever traditions I can and remembering the joy of family and holidays past – I’ll probably be reminding you too!

Embellishing the World

Embroidery and needlepoint were once a hallmark of a young woman’s development.  Homes were decorated with colorful stitching from tablecloths to wall art and embellishments were worn or carried on blouses, purses and handkerchiefs.  Today it is rare indeed to find someone willing and able to hold a hooped fabric and create a design with nothing but needle, thread and imagination.

Historically, embroidery is associated with wealth, however, it is also something a skilled artisan can do showing her love for those in her care.  Thus, very modest homes could be decorated with these accessories, even if the thread was applied to coarse or cheap fabrics. 

Of course, I was taught to embroider as a child by – you guessed it – my grandmothers.  However, I haven’t practiced the skill in a long time and two completely different things have recently gotten me to thinking about it again.  First, as I shared here a few weeks ago, I have been entrusted with many heirloom pieces my husband’s grandmothers have made.  There was a lot of embroidery because one of them preferred stitching to crocheting or quilting.  And she created some lovely pieces that today have tatters and holes to prove they were used and enjoyed.  I can just imagine walking into her cheery home where table coverings would have flowers and vines flowing down them in neat stitches; pillows adorned the sofa and chairs with bright colored images and maybe a bible verse sewn into them. She would’ve had on a neatly pressed (and maybe starched) apron on which she’d embroidered still more floral art and edged it with a crocheted lace. If I peeped into the bedroom her pillows would be dressed in embroidered cases and the bed itself may have been covered with a stitched or crocheted spread. I can easily imagine these scenes because while I didn’t know her in those years, my own grandmothers and aunts had homes similarly turned out.

Secondly, a friend passed along to me a couple of books on silk ribbon embroidery.  This is a new technique for me, but it the art form really quite old.  Some of the very first embroidered work came from the far-east where silk was first produced. 

I tried to research why embroidery fell out of fashion but I can’t find any hard details on it.  This is traditionally women’s work – now don’t email me equal rights stuff, I’m simply stating history here.  And, as more and more women moved into the workforce, I imagine time for embroidery grew scarce – that certainly has been the case for me as too many things vie for my time.

I suppose as printed fabrics became more widely available, it was easy to decorate with them instead of using plain colors and adding needlework.  

Clothing fabrics have changed drastically over the years, with more and more knits, which aren’t as conducive to embroidery as woven cottons were, becoming ever more popular. And, of course, far fewer clothes are made at home today.   Still, prowess with a needle and thread is never really wasted and I certainly hope I can share those lessons from my Grandmas with my own daughter – who knows how the tides of fashion may change, it might be an invaluable skill in her lifetime!

Fall Revivals and Protracted Meetings

Well we’ve been in revival this week at Calvary Baptist Church. We had a visiting evangelist and a Pandemic-affected crowd. Yet The Holy Spirit was neither afraid of the gathering, nor was He surprised by the attendance. He bountifully blessed all who managed to be there.

As always during these meetings, I am reminded both of revivals during my childhood as well as those I’ve studied. So, I wanted to share again with you the thoughts I had during last years “protracted meeting”. That article was written just before I released Gracies’s Babies so there are references to the revival story I told there. I don’t have another book coming out this winter, but you can look for revival stories in most of them because these annual meetings were both a fixture of the harvest season on the mountain and a great gathering place and time.

Brother John Van Gelderen spoke to us this week and afterward he shared with me the idea to research and re-tell some of the historic Tennessee revivals. It’s a great idea that I intend to pursue - so stay tuned for those articles.

And that leads me to think that you readers may have been in some fine meetings as well and have stories to tell about them. Please click “comments” below and SHARE!

The following story includes a link or two from Callie Melton’s writings so I hope you’ll enjoy those:

My church has been in revival this week and coincidentally there’s also a revival meeting in the early chapters of Gracie’s Babies.  So, as we met an evangelist and prayed for the Spirit to move, my mind had already been on a “protracted meeting” and I couldn’t help but make a mental comparison.

You may recall in some of the writings by Callie Melton that I shared here last year, she talked about preachers coming into the neighborhood to hold “protracted meetings” – I like that term.  I guess that while we schedule special gospel meetings for 3-5 days they opened a revival and kept it open so long as the Spirit was moving.  And the Spirit did not disappoint in many of those meetings. 

Meeting in brush arbors or hot church houses, the crowd would often be standing room only.  Families walked, rode a mule or drove rough wagons sometimes for hours to attend.  Even in the 1980’s I remember revival meetings that were standing room only, and we didn’t have air conditioning for those August dates either. 

Today we’ll drive to church on smoothly paved roads in temperature controlled cars, sit in cool sanctuaries on padded seats.  There will be electric lights so no matter how late the preacher holds you, there’s little chance you’ll be sitting in the dark and a sound system ensures even those in the back of the building clearly hear the sermon.  Yet we’ll be lucky to have half the seats filled (okay that statement was void of any faith, wasn’t it?)

In the upcoming book, the Clear Creek Baptist Church hosts a traveling evangelist who preaches for a full week.  Gracie, the book’s protagonist, has to miss the first meeting as she attends a sick neighbor.  While she’s deeply blessed to be at the bedside there’s a pang of regret at missing the revival service – and all the action her sister comes home to report.  Not to fear though, Gracie and her family will make it to every other meeting that week as will young people from all of the surrounding communities.  It’s clear that the Bible lessons are only part of what those teens want from the services yet they eagerly participate in that part as well as the fellowship with old and new friends alike.

In fact, the meetings of old truly did revive those attending.  I’m not sure what’s changed in our crowds or our hearts since then but I sure wish we could get back to something close to the spirit of those protracted meetings.

Banner Area Schools Part 2

The following article was written by Rachel Atkinson and included in the History of Education in Fentress County, Tennessee booklet.

ROSLIN

According to Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Norris and R.H. (Bob) Rogers, the school was established in the year of 1907.  Mr. Rogers also stated that he moved to Roslin in Jan. 1907 and at that time there were about six students who were of school age and there was no school there.  He called on the County Superintendent who at that time was W.P. Little of Clarkrange.  Mr. Little agreed that the county could furnish roofing, nails and windows.  Mr. Rogers had obtained an acre of land from his brother-in-law Wilburn Stowers.  The school board later reimbursed Mr. Rogers.  The people in the community furnished lumber and helped to build the first school, and Joe Lockhart was the first teacher.  School was held in this building until 1927.

In 1928 another enterprising citizen of the community, Mr. Daily Atkinson, gave four acres of land to the school on which a new building was constructed.  The building was completed in that year.  Later, another room was added which was used by the primary department.  The D.O. Beaty School was combined with Roslin in 1956.

At this time, the school had enrolled 49 students (some had moved away) and had two teachers for the school year of 1964.

The school had a hot lunch program for a number of years.

Taken from the Roslin Elementary year book 1957:

The first Roslin School was located on what is now the Edd Edwards property south of the Banner Roslin campus joining the Banner-Roslin-Jonesville Road near an old well.  According to some of the early settlers the teachers were Joe Lockhart, Porter Baldwin, Virgil Hall, HJesse Maxwell, Minnie Jones Sadie (Ramsey) LaRue and Ada Sessener.

The other Roslin School was located at the aback of the Banner-Roslin School.  Teachers were Edna Gentry, William Gentry, Foyster and Auda Atkins, Alta Norman, Willie Garrett, Carrie McDonlad, Denton Little, Ray Turner, Clara Todd, Ruby Turner, Elbert Hall, Lula Bicknell, Joe Black, Helen McDonlad, H.D. Taylor, Gladys Ray, Ollie Cooper, Doyle Conatser, Sallie Lanquist Averta Dixon, Pearl Kearney, Bertie Cook, Avo Rena Rogers, Mable Alsup, Alpha Black, Imogene Lewis, John Crabtree, Hazel York, Hazel Atkinson, Letha Little, Doris Rogers, Rachel Atkinson, Effie Ipox, Rama LaRue, Alta Rogers, Osteen Allred, Peggy Knight, Hilda Brewer, William and Barbara Threet, Fay Beaty, Roy Cross and Clinton Linder.

BANNER-ROSLIN SCHOOL           

The Long Branch and Roslin schools were consolidated at the beginning of the school year 1965.  It is better known as the Banner-Roslin School.

After much work by the State and County officials and the people oin the communitied concerned, a new school was built.

Land adjoining the former Roslin School was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Edd Edwards for the new school.  It is a modern block and brick building.  Besides the classrooms, it has a fully equipped kitchen, principals office, rest rooms with showers, dressing rooms and a gymnasium which is also used as a dinign area.  The children can play indoors on rainy days.

The school at that time had three teachers – Clinton Linder, Rhonda McCuistion and Rachel Atkinson.

The Banner-Roslin Community Club purchased several things fot ht enew school.  A piano and meat slicer was purchased in 1964.  The following year the things purchased were twelve dozen lunch room serving trays, World Book Encyclopedia, Child Craft, floor butter, waster paper baskets, water cooler and later a telephone was installed.

Taken from the Banner-Roslin Community Club Book.

After consolidation of the school, the seventh and eighth grades were transferred to Clarkrange High School leaving grades 1-6.  Later two air-conditioned portable classrooms were brought in and the school was given a Kindergarten and a Reading teacher, also aides.  Besides the regular teachers, the school has a part time special education and P.E. teacher.  It employs two cooks, a janitor and a secretary.  Present and former teachers include Charles Smith, Rhonda McCuistion, Rachel Atkinson, Wes Neil, Hazel Atkinson, Jim Martin, Patricia Dodd, Mr. Robbins, Hazel Taft, Steve Adkins, Noma Hall, Jr., Lois Keys, Vesta Maxson, Carol Piercy, Clyde Maddox, Vergie King, Mike Cross, Bill Cody, Karen Rogers, Wanda Burnett, Mr. Riggler, Wendell Evans, Susan Anderson, Sue York, Jeanne Truslow, Audrey Thomason, Steve Ramsey, Miss Phillips, Howard Allred, Mr. Little, Virgie Delk, Gary Conatser, Tammy Holt, Diana Little, Mike Jones and Wanda Young.