| Summary: | Folder contains 9 pages of Alabama short stories compiled by Ida Henderson for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.•
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1<1 Rencleraon
Pel'liue 11, Ala.
nro. Count7
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e w tw _ \h••\at... aD \h. 0 ••• t t led \0 It.
"e ea rop~ I' I' ed hi.\orl <1 "0111. 17 ed
oratore. The•• au Jeote :n afi'orAed po11\101aDe 0 aip d..
In \hell' pl upon par\! aDd pr-,judloed "oter. bo\h in \h. Jl'or\h
iD • SOu\h. Thi. war, lUt. 810.\ oth.. war., produoed a lar •
I' o~ ero..- _ o~t'ere<l th.lr 11"•• ~or. t th e11eYed
to b. 1'1 t. an4 the ..."'rie. o~ \h. ha". •• kipt IT. hi.tor-
10 I' orA., 011& an4 b.T .\01'7 •
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And, thi. war, ~o t \0 eD4.laY ,In \h. 11 t o~
ap. e••ade In \h. r\h, .\01'1" lUt.· '. C :biD••
\h. UD1 u .tiDo\! n o~ a"ll1& retu\ed o~. ~al.e pr war
prop \0 th. et~eot \hat \h. u\h.rn ala". own.. • a Ual
t.yr t oruell7 lI1.treated hie negro prop81'\7 •
At o~ \he war, • en \h. lett
ell' • \0 Joln. ,th... ere w t 0
wi air 701D1& Iar.t..... In 1 rt air .wh1t.
~olk.·, aol~ roIIi.ed \0 • ood oar. o~ • 0 .·-and \hi.
\h d In ac ~ .. U • ~ po.aible. V ahared air ~
ah1 • ., ~oraaed ~or ~ood d In In.tano... chell
b 1;\1. ~lal4. tor \h.lr 111.&111& ••ter., .000.tl... bring1JlS th_ l&GIt
un ed, ott tlB.. ea4. 1~ Oil. ,th•• nll8l'O.. :'1'. loTi
uu,d ~1 0.1'.; ~ d d, g :'1'. n. 17 a 1.tl 1
ftI could, wi· ••1'.'•• baloag1. a aorro~ Jour-nel
report to ·01. • ·01. • •• ot a II well-parto
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t IIOt • Itt or told o~
apl8,7.d \h••1a"e uring tel' ••
conoern. a wv.......-on. o~ • lIO.t I' bbl.
rac., d aD outataD<l1 1. o~ \h. apl«1414
t md..ted e ala". owner. air
10".
,ac, 1••\0
aot • ot her
• ral tiona
tt.al••
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1 llama In lta
hi. It .\01'7 llW.l 11&, .ell-o tor
<1ed ter 0., turthur b.auUtled wi\h IIl)'1'tl.
t.lY. t.ed OD It. e:t aT.JIll., on...l 1111. ott
.tre.. ••• tro' n .tre.t., aDd at. ri t
to t t.horoughtar.. • Alm alaT. owner, d a~
In \h. olY10 acolal Ut. DOt o~ ot Claiborne. but o~ •
tlr. coun •
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.1 ..... Jtarriet.t Abav, kDOwa \0 eY81'7bo 1a
Jtarrl.tt·, _1'. o~t_ ot 01' ad4r••ed e1a-
And 1t 18 wi\h her \hat \hi•••tch 1. conoerned:
OD. ot hi.
•• parle ••
p17 a. • ••
t .. • 0
0
• 0 Ida Henderaon 0 • • PII&e2 Perdue Hill, Ala.
Harriet Abn.., oDroe Count;r.
" waa a ;roUDC wowsn at thie period, probab17 about
eighteen ;reara of age. She had been reared in an atlllo IIPhere of
culture and refineaent, haTiD& been trained for houae work. Fol-
10wiD& the war, lIJlaIUl:r" and llill, another of • Abne)' 'a alaTea,
and an old -sn and kin.-an of Harriett, re.ained lo;ral to the
~ Abn«r faB117, and continued an uninterrupted eerTiee. en
"llaraa Lander". a. he waa oalled b7 hia negroea, elia4, the world aeaed
auddenl7 to haTe ooae to an end for "~" aa "014 lUaa- waa
lea't"iua to liTe with her kinapeople in Louiaiana. At the tiae ot
her departure lira. Abn.., preaented to this faithful .."ant gir1
deede to the Abne;r hoae and fara land, toaether with the hoae furniebiD&
e. Harriett rented her hoae to whit. frienda whoa she ooneidered
"qualit;r", and continued to oeoup;r the aerTant 'a quartere,
working ae aaid and laundreee. to her rentere •
Yeara paeaed, and the writer reoalla "~" aa a rather
oldish wo••n, who neTertheleae oontinued her aetiTitiea. There
waa neTer a weddiua, birth, tuner , pio-Dio, danoe or ~ public
ooeaaion at ~ which - " waa not preaent aa a general uti1it,)'
unit, aa &aid, cook, m'ree,or to reeeiTe the aueata. She n8't"er
obtruded herae1.t where her preaenoe waa not needed. On ocoaaioD,
she oould Bake a perfeot tade awq, her intuition SiTing her the
que to the ria;ht lIOaent to ex1t.
AS the ;reara went b7 her a••11°fiaure becaae bent innate
dilnit;r aa she went about attired in her beat black dreae and a
large white apron of auffioient ;rardage to aske a frock of preaentdll1'
at;rlaa. For head dreae she wore black and white banclann-.
Harriett waa reall a lIOat UDUlIUal charaoter: SIle called
the children of her "qualii1" white foU frienda "..,. children", all
of whoa she Bincere17 10T.d, and to whoa ebe afforded -each J07.
She waa conaiderate of thoae leaa fortunate then "her children", and
polite to the a ..bera of her own race, but in the srand wanner of her
;reater-;reara.
To coae within" 'a" charaed or inner circle, and 1Dj07
all the aa&ie of her pre.enee, one had to a ..alU'e up to her own 0
etandart of "quali t1" fcr white foU.
She waa without an education in the aenae of ha't"iua acquired
knowledge froa booka attendiua achool, but through the anociaticna
ahe waa priTiliged to ha't"e in the hoae cf her ownera in her
ear17 7eara, ahe had acquired refinaent and poiae, her natural inte11igenca
enabling her to abaorb much Taluable intoraation thrc8&h
theae ccntacta.
l1a 70ung aen of the town and count1'7Bide _de certain that
"~" waa aTailable aa chaperone before planniua a dance cr picnio.
At the dancea she toolt care of the wr pa, coata and hata.
and it ia hard to eonceiTa that a IIOre correct chaperone waa eTer
produoed before or Binee her tiae. It waa frca the proaptinga of
a heart of 10Te and deep..t 107alit;r that she chaperoned her chara"
ao aa&n1ficent17, and alwll1'a had thea read;r to so hoae at aidDight.
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Id Brown (White)
Perdue Hill, Ala.
Ida !lenderoon
Monroe County, Ala.
ED BRown, gAiT FARMER
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In the Fall of 1934 J.lr. Id. Brown, hie wife, 81x children and
two grandchildren came to Perdue Hill to live. They had been living
at Franklin, but their heuee aJld fUrniture were bum ed. A friend,
knowing that Mr. Brown VaJlted to lll8ke a cbange of plane, said 'Why
not eee Mr. Deery", a large plantation owner at Perdue Hill. Mr. Bro.n
came dow end negotiated with Mr. Deer for a place known eo 'The
Peach Orchard Farm' on a half-end-half baeie, In the Fall the family
moved into the tenant heuee which coneieted of four roome and a front
gallery. A good well supplied water and a good spring nearby vas
available for the stock and for lalJUdry purposes.
Mr. Brown ""d his son began to prepare the lsnd for planting, ...d
the daghters gladly helped with the farm work, as they appreciated the
opportuni ty to get near a school. The laJldowner fum1ehed cotton eeed
and fertiliser, mules and all farm equipment.
The mother and daughters made the yard attractive with flovers and
vinea, Many ot theBe plant, coming from other tenant farmere' wive. on the
plan totion, and from friende in t he villa ge whe were glad to help in
beautifying the place.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown are delighted to have their home 80 near the
village echeol, and they children are in the; later they will go to
the hid> school in Monroeville, 1En milee dis tanto Their own education
having be.., limited on account of financial difficultiee in early lite,
the parente are anrlo". for the children to have better advanta«ee.
Mr. Brown said, 'I feel that an education 18 the beet possible legacy
that I can leave to Jq children.'
When it became necessary to toke a twelve-year old boy out of
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Camp eetinl's.
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Tt..dL . r
The camp IIIOOting, a religeou9 institution of the South, we
indebt to the ethod1st denomination. HistorJl of these c
oeotinr:s would giTO tho honer to Lorenzo Dow of' in the ori 0 tor-
1 a used this &s a IIICsns of reacll:1nr tho poople
teenth contur7' It was so successtul; that the
the methos of' collecting th people f'or a rali
in thO esr17 nine
thod1st adopted
ous revival in the
owin" tates of rica.
n. The preac could
ThO camp meeting of Ion/" aro were ~ue in many respects.
Tbouo:h reliroou9 in purl'OSO, it bud an inviting side; the out door
camp, f"reedo f"rom house hold cares and t}(l abandon of n we k ...
ten days spent in the wo~ls so cl0ge to nature. Its lack of restrsint
or ccnventionality or anythin" formal, such as pertained to church
worship in t)~ towns, ave a spice and t ng that nothing olse could
have produced. eople f'elt free and easy, .. spirit of' oonr,cniel one-ncss
in the '-'ors'ip without having to rosort to style or stlltednpropriety.
The as no 00 laint
pr ach for hOurs, and usually did, before turn1n~ the servio over
t the nstting brothers, only as t ey took part in the prayer IIIOct-ing.
The 0 d brothers and sistors could get happy aIlll
out rest aint, or limit of' tt.e.
shout with
The fresh air,Toonted ounds, sooial centact and f'reedom to
worsh1p,were the cholf' attrl<ctions.
Certain points throu out the South became folllOus as camp
ounds .. rained so .or f'ifty years or
meeting was - occasion of Vaot ge
will deny.
to the
r • That the camp
ny attonding, no one
-Tbere was a zest and novelty or livUlg &J.Brt, away f"rOI!l worries
of the orld in the sylvan ooolnoss or tbe groat out of doors, ,ith
rri 1lI S bent on the sam , to "orah:1p God.
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The approacb or the se son spurr tbe r'ar~rs to -lay by- early.
Tho ol!lOn collected ch:1ckens,er: 'II and turkeys; and many a porker
round its way by the 1."9 oven to the camp meeting. Great quarters of
beef and wutton, and ldd. lieveral rlll'mrs going tor;stlter s ldllin
alar beof and diT1din,. it.
A level tract or land ...tb a s11 htly rooling bac gJ"ound, was
selected 1'01' the sigbt, and as near a good spring of water or near
• brook side, and in the most populous community•• re ion of abundant
rorage for the horsos and oxen, the popular means of travel at
that t:Lme. Tbe good houae wi'ea carried their cows ao ns to have
plonty of f~esb butter and cro •
Dome pitched tonts others built 10 bous s and kept thom rrom
year after year ror the purpo e, and J!!i.de them into apart nts by
means of curtains. There were shelters for the stock and to use for
the war:ona in case or rain. Tho tonts and bouses were usually built in
a S re orhaIr circle SIX! roneod so ss to keep out ..11 stray do s and
pittS Wbo might wander rrom bolllO tenees 'h:11e thO family \tel' away.
There sholte,'s with tho raJ:d.ly cook stove, destinod to do duty 1'01' thO
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dur tion of the moet • Disorder was not tolerated. There were no
rid.d rule., just courtesy and common senso, one to the athol' neighbor.
The camp meetin~s wero beld at state soasons and looked fo ard to
with delight by botb old and young. So
of the lara.litos in their pilgrims
ono has said, -akin to t t
to Jorusalem~
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- _ For at least a week in advanco soma were active in ~ttin~
reKdy tbe 'ounds, othors sUPlllys and arranging for com-
Cort in the t3nh und cot.~s. The tents blod pine straw about
four or five inchos deop on tho I"rouncl and this acted like a nice
carpet to those ocoupying tho tents. The choif buildinl" 1m the
ground was tho tabern cle. This was curbod tbout throe feet up on
three sidos and on tho rourth all th way to the roof. It was on this
side th t the preacbees stand wa made am the ohoir sat re also.
Ofccourse,tbe entire conl!Tegation took part in tho sin~ing, the choir
pitc 1ng the tIme. The brothers in the vast congref~ati n were daily
called upon to load in prsyer.
Tho service bevm at sunrise with prayer and sinl!'ing. T e *80
of a rara boll or born to call the people to prayor was a del1ghtt'ul
custom those days, and an hour in thO eurly rno in.. devoted to praye
thnksgivi to God fitte one for the day. There wero for servi.os
daily, and no l1Jll1t to tho lenl':ht of t1me, often after midnil!bt services
were still in progr ess.
In the center or the oUDd there was built a stand rour or
rive reet across and on this as pile on sand about a r(l) t thisk
and a rtre or pine knot. built on this, the light fro these pine
knots illUIII'nstod the r,rounds and rore ts near by, oreating a beautiful
scone.
These occasions were gala onos with the young n and girl
They could he seen going out walking in tho arternoon or 1'01' bu~gy
rides, and mony wero the 1'0 no s tohed up on tho camp ounds,
culminating in a wedding in the Spring. Tlto old t:l.De black -my as
always un evidonco, a ooil or biuldan.> about her head,and wearing
snowy apron,while -uncle -mos-was in attendance on th men and boys.
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