Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Munn 's Chapel hosts 'A Taste of Black History'

While theres a somber side of African American history, there are also some who have fond remembrances of life as they lived it a half century or so ago.

It was a good life, Martha Butler said. Children dont believe it be we had a better time than they do now.

Butler, one of 12 children, said they had to work  chopping firewood, washing clothes on a washboard or working in the garden. But she said that chores were made enjoyable by the time spent with family and friends, and that there was also time for play.

One of the more common chores was washing clothes and the African American event held at Munns Chapel on Feb. 16 featured a wash day scene. Butler, Selman Morgan and Janie Craven explained the process. A fire was built around a wash pot filled with water, usually toted from somewhere nearby. Clothes were boiled and then scrubbed on a rub board. Morgan said the knuckles often took the brunt of the scrubbing. While Morgan said her mother made lye soap, Butlers family used P and G, a Proctor and Gamble product though some referred to it as push and grunt.

Clothes were then rinsed and bluing might be added to the final rinse water for those pristine whites.

After that, it was a matter of hanging clothes out on the line then ironing. Starch was a must and both Butler and Morgan said theyve used flat irons  heavy irons that were heated on a wood stove.

While she couldnt really explain why, it was Craven who said she loved wash day.

Pastor Daniel Flemons talked about the cotton plant display and said he picked cotton as a child. Cotton planted in the spring came to fruition in August, according to Flemons.

I took us from August to October to gather it, he said.

Until his grandfather lost the farm during the Great Depression, Flemons spent a great deal of most early fall days in the cotton field. He said the cotton was gathered then seeds were removed and saved for planting or for feeding livestock.

I didnt like it, Flemons said. I couldnt pick very much. If I got about 200 pounds (a day), Id done good.

The Munns Chapel event included additional displays, such as a drawing of a typical slave ship and an education section. But the Taste of African American History featured just that  a taste. One of the organizers, Patricia Blake, said food was grouped into categories of soul food, Jamaican fare and African foods. Choices included chitterlings, pig feet and ears, fried pies, rib tips and butter rolls. Butler said shed been cooking for days in preparation for the event.

And of course, there were turnip greens and fried chicken.

Because youve got to have friend chicken in the soul food section, Blake said.