Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a time to have fun, grill burgers, eat watermelon, and watch fireworks with family at dark.  It is also a day when we should should reflect on the sacrifice and hard work that made our country what it is today.  Freedom for all has never been guaranteed and has been threatened by foreign powers and our countrymen alike.  The United States has endured several scars such as the War Between the States and the Civil Rights Movement, but each trial has pushed us to do better for the next generation.  Be thankful for the freedom given to us.  Happy Independence Day from the Museum of Scott County.

 

Lard Bucket

Animal fat has been used in cooking for centuries, yet it was pig fat that dominated among the Southern Mountaineers.  Every fall a pig was killed and the pieces cut up and cured in the smokehouse.  The left over fat and skin residue was melted down over an open fire.  The melted fat was strained through layers of cloth to catch rich pieces of pork called cracklins, which were added to corn bread.  The melted fat was then allowed to harden and become lard.  Store bought lard became available around the turn of the century and came in metal buckets.  Ever resourceful cooks and farmers would recycle these pails by using them as lunch boxes and storage containers.

 

Mussel Shell

Hello everyone!  It has been busy at the museum for the past few months and one thing that has fallen to the side has been our "artifact of the week" posts.  We will try to do better from now on.

Mussel Shells are fairly common in the streams and rivers of Scott County, yet it was the Native Americans who benefited most from this mollusk.  Over 2,000 years ago, the Native Americans in the Big South Fork region were harvesting them in large quantities.  Mussels, a cousin to clams and oysters, are rich in protein, omega 3, iron, and vitamins B-6 and B-12 which makes them a huge payload for their small size.  Mussels were often eaten raw on the riverbank or were taken back to campsites and roasted over fires.  Archaeologists have found garbage piles of mussel shells around ancient villages that measure in the hundreds of square feet which shows how important this small organism was as a food source for the Native Americans.  

Photograph courtesy of the author.  Information taken from Tribes That Slumber by Lewis and Kneburg and https://oceana.org/blog/benefits-eating-bivalves.   

"Cordless Iron"

How many of you remember using this "cordless" iron?  Irons like these are made from solid cast iron and are heated on a wood stove to warm them up.  If the user wanted to see if the iron was hot enough to iron clothes, they would lick their finger and touch the heated iron quickly.  If the saliva evaporated, then the iron was hot enough.  Washing clothes and hanging them on the clothesline caused the clothes to wrinkle as they dried so a whole day had to be dedicated to ironing shirts, dresses, handkerchiefs, and sheets.

Breast Auger

Coal mining was a dangerous and back breaking occupation, especially from 1870 until the 1930s.  During this period all mining activity was completed by hand.  When the miners needed to drill a hole to "shoot" the coal with dynamite or gunpowder, they had to use a breast auger.  The U-shaped bracket fits over the chest of the miner and the long drill fits into that piece.  The men would push against the wall of coal with their chest and use their hands to turn the drill to make a hole in which to put the gunpowder.  When the whole length of the drill was inserted in the hole, it was changed out and longer drills were used to go deeper.  The same design is used today except the augers are electric.

One section of a breast auger that was used in the early coal mines of Scott County.

This U-shaped bracket was held against the miner's chest to put pressure on the drill.

This catalog page shows how the breast auger pieces fit together.  Miners often had to buy all of their own tools that they used to work.

Images 1 and 2 courtesy of the author.  Image 3 found on Ebay.

"Hamp" Law Cartoon

William Hamilton "Hamp" law was born in De Soto Parish, Louisiana on November 13, 1923.  Law spent an unhappy childhood growing up in the great Depression, but he found that he had a knack for drawing.  Although he never attended art school, Law prayed to become an artist and escape his rough life.  Hamp Law served aboard the USS Tennessee during World War II and make several hilarious cartoons about life aboard ship.  He continued to draw cartoons after the war until he died.  The final years of his life were spent drawing get well cards for veterans and sick children, which was a ministry that he started with his Sunday School class.  Law passed on December 22, 2009.  Visit the USS Tennessee Battleship Museum, part of the Museum of Scott County, to see more of Hamp Law's work.

The caption on this cartoon states, "I'd like to hear th' Stateside news to see WHO'S WINNING!!!"

Hamp Law drew his makeshift studio aboard the USS Tennessee, which was located in gun turret one.

Hamp Law later in life.  His cartoons provide a wonderful look into what life was like for a sailor.

Merry Christmas

The day before Christmas was a busy time.  This is when a chicken was killed to fry and the hams, from pigs killed after the first cold snap, came from the smokehouse.  Vegetables from the spring garden that had been canned in late summer would appear from the cellar.  Apples that had been dried on rocks and the tin roofs of outbuildings would be soaked in water, cooked, spiced, and spread between thin pastry layers to make stack cakes.  Exotic treats such as oranges, coconut, and brazil nuts would make their yearly appearance on the table or in the stockings of young children.  Although the food and the gifts were very simple compared to today, people who remember Christmases like this always emphasize an important detail, they were able to spend the holiday with the people that they loved and counted their blessings.  We hope that you are able to spend the holiday with the people who mean the most to you.

Merry Christmas from the Museum of Scott County.