MITCHELLCOUNTYHISTORICALSOCIETYNEWSLETTER

ThirdQuarter2018

MCHS2018APPLEBUTTERFESTIVAL

TheMitchellCountyHistoricalSocietywillholdits6thannualAppleButterFestivalonSaturday,October13,2018,from10:00AMto4:00PMattheBakersvilleCreekWalk. MCHSmembersandvolunteerswillcookapplebutteroveranopenflame.Watch them stirring the largekettle and enjoya sampleofhotapple butterwithfresh biscuit. Apple butter in pints and half pints will be for sale. They makewonderfulChristmasgifts–aswellasadeliciousbreakfastforyourself!

Twenty-five ormore local vendors will offer various arts and crafts at the 2018Festival. Visit booths of some talentedmountain artisans as you stroll along thepicturesque Cane Creek. And you won’t go hungry; there will be food vendorssellingsnacksandlunch!

We’llhavegreatlivemusicalldaylong;youcanbringachairandbeentertainedorenjoythemusiciansasyouvisitvendorsorwatchtheapplebutterbeingmade.

Get in on the drawing for a set ofMCHSChristmas ornaments; the 2018ornament, the 7th in the series, depictstheCloudlandHotelwhichoncecrownedRoan Mountain. MCHS will also raffleVoicesoftheValley,theexcellentaccountof Mitchell County’s first 150 years, byElizabeth Hunter. Those and otherbooks, including Arcadia’s Images ofAmericaseries,willbeforsale,aswellasChristmasornaments.

There will be activities for all in thefamily to enjoy, so come out and spendthedayatthe2018AppleButterFestival.

LEATHERBRITCHES

ByWillRitterExcerptedwithpermissionfromWill’swebsite,

https://sarahandwilliam.weebly.com.

There’sahugebeandiversityintheAppalachianrange,andthatisespecially true in Western North Carolina. A veritable army ofvarioustypesof“bunch”beans,cornfieldbeans,cut-shorts,pinktips,turkeycraws,preacherbeans,stickbeans,caseknifebeans,butterbeans,(tonameonlyafew)canbe found in gardens across thewestern part of the state. Many have been in thesamefamilies forgenerations. Octoberbeans, likemanyof thebeans I just listed,cancome ina rangeofshapes,colors,andtextures. It ismore likeabean “genre”thanavariety.ThemainunifyingcharacteristicamongstOctoberbeans,orassomepeople call them, Fall Beans, is the fact that they set their beans late in theseason. The first time IplantedOctoberbeans, Iwas just about togiveupon theflowerlessgiantsprawlingvines,butthenlateintheseasonitstartedsettingbeanslikecrazy--Iwasinundatedwiththem.Turnsout,manytypesofOctoberbeansonlysetpods in the fallof theyear,afterdayshavebeguntoshorten. It’snot that theytakealongtimetoputoutpods,asmuchastheyneedtobe“triggered’bythedaysgetting shorter. I planted October beans at different dates, but they all came inaboutthesametime.

I break down the October bean genre into two sub-genres: “tenderhull” and“toughhull.”ManyvarietiesofOctoberbeansarestringlessandhaveatoughouterhull. Some tough-hulled types of October beans are commercially available as“French Horticulture Beans,” or “Cranberry Beans.” They are almost exclusivelyeatenasadrybean,orinthedesirable“shelly”phasewhenthebeanseedisswollenandfullymature,butnotyetdriedoutfordormancy.Tenderhullbeansontheotherhand,tendtohavemoreroundedseeds,andcanbeeatenatanystage:(1)Earlyandthin--somefolksdon’tgivebeansachancetogrow,(2)fatandbulgingwithseeds,flavor,andprotein,(3)asshelliesforsoupbeansandthelike,(4)asdrybeans,and(5)“unzipped,”strungtogetherstill inthehull, anddehydratedas“Leatherbritches,”a.k.a.“ShuckieBeans”or“ShuckBeans.*”It’snothardtoseewherethenameleatherbritchescomesfrom,becausethebeansdryand fadetoashriveledtancolor thatverymuchresemblesleatherpants. Thedriedbeansarelatersoakedandthenslowcookedwithsomefatbackforauniquetaste.

• In an article for the Sylva Herald, my friend and noted storyteller Gary Cardenwrote a few lines in praise of the old-time treat: "[It’s] a bean dish that mygrandmother used to fix from beans that had spent the fall drying out onnewspapersintheattic.Whensheboiledthem,theyfattenedupandacquiredthatwonderfulflavorthatdrovemeintoafeedingfrenzy.

• SouthernerslovedtheirshuckbeanssomuchthatthetitleoftheoldScottishtune“LordMacDonald’sReel”wasrenamed“LeatherBreeches.”

ShuckbeansandOctoberbeans,likesomanyother fixturesofmountainpeople’sgardensandsuppertables,wereadoptedorinheritedfromtheCherokeeandotherNativegroups. Beforethewidespreaduseofcanning,andespeciallyuntilgrocerystoresofferedbeansall-year-round,leatherbritcheswereanexcellentwaytostoreyourbeansthroughthewinter.Overtime,whethertheywerethreadedwithawireandhungonanoldrustynailorspreadoutonanoldwindowscreenonahottinroof todry, the shrunken tanhullswent frombeinga foodstaple tobeinga raretreatatholidaysuppers(theydotake,afterall,awhiletocook).IrememberseeingLeatherbritcheshangingoffporches,oroccasionallyinsideanold carwhen Iwas growing up. At a roadside stand in Crossnore I actually sawsome for sale a fewyears ago (whichnearly causedme towreck). On thewholethough, I almost never see shuck beans or leather britches anymore. Now, thatcouldbebecausepeoplearedryingtheminelectricdehydratorsandkeepingthemsealedupinafreezerorsomewhereoutofsightandawayfromtheamazingtight-rope gymnastic abilities of mice, but I think it has more to do with the fadingmemory of a way of life that didn't just find leather britches delicious--theyneededa goodway to keep food over thewinter. My hope is that taste andnovelty will, as it has with heirloom seeds, save the cultural practice of leatherbritches.There'sarestaurantinAshevillecalledBuxtonHallBBQ,thathasstartedofferingleatherbritchesonrareoccasions.Theyevenstringthemanddrytheminhouse,inthesmokefromtheroastinghogmeat.Thatsoundspretty'daggumgoodtome.Will Ritter presented a terrific program in August 2018 for the Mitchell CountyHistoricalSocietyentitled“SavingSeedsandSong.”Ashetoldhisraptaudience,his“parents always kept a big garden, and (whether he liked it or not) he had theopportunitytolearnthefinerpointsofgardeningfromhisfatherRichard.Overthepast fewyears,Williamhas collecteda freezer-fullofold timey family seeds thathavebeenpassed down inAppalachia and elsewhere for generations.” Will toldstories about how he began saving seeds, sang songs about “greasy beans” andotherdeliciousvegetablescommoninAppalachia,andevensharedseedwithfolkswho wanted to start their own seed stash. To check out the musical andstorytelling talents ofWillRitterandhiswifeSarahOgletree, go to theirwebsitehttps://sarahandwilliam.weebly.com.

MitchellCountyHistoricalSocietyincollaborationwiththeNCDeptofNaturalandCulturalResourcesisparticipatinginthenationalprogram“BellsofPeace.”Thisisa call to citizens and organizations across the nation to toll bells in theircommunities21timesat11a.m.localtimeonNov.11asasolemnreminderofthe

sacrificeandserviceofveteransofWWIaswellas all veterans. The war ended by an armisticeagreementat11a.m.onNov.11,1918.

MCHS Chair Rhonda Gunter says, “We will besurethat theHistoricCourthousebellwillringand we hope that every church in the countywill set aside time to participate. Not just toring their bells, but also consider a specialprayer service for the 116,516 who died inWWI, all veterans, and those currently servinginourarmedforces.”

The event began with The World War OneCentennial Commission, joined by the Pritzker MilitaryMuseum & Library, theSociety of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the NationalCathedral,TheAmericanLegion,andVeteransofForeignWars.

In Washington, D.C., bells will toll in the National Cathedral at an interfaithservice,markingthecentennialofthearmisticethatbroughtanendtohostilitiesinwhatAmericansferventlyhopedhadbeen“thewartoendallwars.”WorldWarItookplacefromJuly1914toNovember1918andisamongthedeadliestconflictsin world history. The US officially entered the war on April 6, 1917. Some 4.7Americanssteppedforwardtoserveinuniform,ofwhom2millionweredeployedoverseastofight.

CongressestablishedtheU.S.WorldWarOneCentennialCommission in2013 toprovide education programs, public outreach, and commemorative eventsregardingUS involvement in thewar. The commission is authorized to create anew national memorial in Washington, DC, to honor the men and women whoserved. For additional info and resources go to:https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/ or contact MCHS at 828-688-4371,mitchellnchistory@gmail.com,orhttp://mitchellnchistory.org.