Louisiana Tech University - Special Collections::M-154

The late Rev. V.L. Westbrook, weaves basket side using form, an innovation of his own which has also been used by other basket makers.

BLACKSMITHING

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Homer Eaves, Simsboro, starts fire in forge for blacksmith work.

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Homer Eaves hammers plow sweep on anvil to sharpen the edge.

BONNETS AND HATS

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Mittie Weldon, Bernice, models two styles of bonnets; the one she wears is a dress bonnet, while the other is used more for everyday gardening.

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Leola Simmons, Downsville, plaits corn shucks to make a hat.

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Leola Simmons sews the plaited corn shuck to fashion the hat crown.

BROOMS

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Lucille Bayles, Point, sweeps her kitchen with a sedge brush broom.

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Annie Rene Harris sweeps the back stoop with brush broom; husband Walker Harris, who bottoms chairs with cowhide, rests on the porch.

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May Owens, Point, sweeps away debris with brush broom.

CHAIRS AND CHAIRBOTTOMS

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Jimmie Gray, Bernice, prepares hickory for making chair bottom.

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Nonie Waters, Shady Grove, twills corn shucks into rope for bottoming a chair.

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Nonie Waters selects corn shucks for making corn shuck rope.

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Nonie Waters weaves chair bottom with cotton cord, a commercial alternative to homemade cord.

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Mr. and Mrs. Ben Watson, Marsalis, sit in their swing on the porch of their bungalow, a favorite relaxation spot in the region.

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GOURDS

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Lonnie Gray, Bernice, prepares gourd martin house for hanging.

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Jake Martin's gourds, Friendship, are grown on a dead tree; note the aluminum cans in the truck collected for recycling. A modern phenomena, can collecting follows the "waste not" philosophy practiced by area farmers.

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Gourd birdhouses in Landscape (Union Parish).

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Clem Wright, Gourds (not part of original exhibit)

NEEDLEWORK

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Leola Simmons, Downsville, copies embroidery design with the traditional technique of placing cloth over the design to be copied and then.

Minnie Lee Graves, Hico, quilting "double wedding ring" quilt on frame suspended from ceiling.

Rosie Jackson, Chatham, on her front porch with some of her common quilts used for cover.

Opal Madden, Simsboro, adjusts clamps on her quilt frame which sits on horses, another way of setting up the frame.

Jossie Sheldon, Haynesville, puts this star quilt together with a variation of the "drunkard's path" pattern.

Rosie Whaley, Pin Hill, pieces an "around the world" quilt top from polyester knit.

Maybeth Wilson, Linville, quilts in her bedroom on frames suspended from the ceiling.

Leola Simmons, Downsville, crochets an afghan from a pattern copied from neighbors.

Annie Rene Harris, Homer, pours water through white-oak ashes in barrels to make lye for soap making.

David Allen carves a variety of spirals, clovers, and other designs on his canes.

Hugh McGee, Spearsville, a retired carpenter, whittles small objects to pass the time.

E. J. Ware, Haynesville, retired carpenter, builds martin houses to attract the mosquito-eating birds.

Abbie Colvin, Dubach (Lincoln), plows up potatoes while family members pick up the crop.

Sally Aulds, Ruston, uses a hoe to dig the remaining potatoes after the plow has gone down the bed four times.

Inez Sharp, Ruston, spreads potatoes out in a storage shed; lime may be sprinkled on them to keep them.

Harmon Martin, considered to be one of "the best plow hands in the country" gets the rows ready for setting out onions for a winter garden.

Mr. and Mrs. Clonie Otwell, Dubach, pull up the last of the snap bean vines to pick the last of the crop.

Victor Tabor, Spearsville, has built a number of barns on his farm. This one was disassembled and moved to his farm where he rebuilt it.

Victor Tabor, Spearsville, and his neighbors attempt to help a cow with calving difficulties. After trying to "pull" the calf with a rope tied to its feet and having no success, they had to resort to the skills of a veterinarian, which unfortunately came too late to save the calf.

Victor Tabor, Spearsville, uses his bullwhip to herd the cows to the barn for milking and feeding.

Victor Tabor, with help from his neighbors, harnesses his ponies for a Sunday afternoon ride, a traditional Sunday pastime.

The Sunday afternoon ride stops abruptly when the ponies, still being trained to pull the wagon, plunge into the ditch and break the wagon tongue. Victor has to walk the pony’s home and return for the wagon with the tractor.

Richard Bryant raises a variety of chickens, ducks, guineas, and banties in his traditional homemade coops.

Richard Bryant and family relax on the front porch at twilight after the chores are done. The granddaughter takes care of the perpetual fly in a traditional fashion, a task usually assigned to children.

Clonie Otwell, Pea Ridge, tells a donkey's age by examining its teeth. The more slanted the teeth, the older the animal. Animal husbandry information such as this is learned growing up on a farm.

Gibson family, Homer; bank fish with cane poles and rod and reel on lake Claiborne, a traditional family activity.

Vessie Gibson, Homer, removes a "bream" from her hook. The fish will be taken home and fried.

Howard Henry, Wilhite, hangs his homemade hoop nets in a tree to dry out after a fishing trip. The nets, along with trammel nets and fishing.

Howard Henry, Wilhite, places his catch in a holding cage in his pond to keep them alive until they are sold.

Truett Moore, Ruston, smoothes cow horn with a rasp to make a blowing or hunting horn.

Squire Pearson, Litro, with his hunting dog Penny which he trained for squirrel hunting.

Roy Bayles takes his frozen hides from the freezer, where they are stored until marketing. Bayles, a buyer of hides-fur trader-gets his hides from farmers and hunters who trap as a sideline.

Clonie Otwell (Pea Ridge) and his grandson set a steel trap for trapping mink, coon, etc.

Sarah Albritton pulls corn from Jewel Davenport's garden which has purple hull peas planted in his field corn, a traditional practice.

Jewel Davenport, Grambling, loads okra in his truck along with cornstalks he will feed to his horse.

Phil Robertson, Luna (Ouachita) calls ducks in the Union Parish swamp with his self designed and patented Commander duck caller. Duck hunting has become a popular as well as traditional hunting sport. In the past, handmade callers were used, but decoys were not common to this area.

Lestar Martin coaxes his pet pig to beg for food; farm animals frequently become pets.

Traditional pig pen structure built by Mr. and Mrs. Walker Harris, Homer (Bethlehem Community).

Clonie Otwell and his new jack beside his Grandfather Otwell's double pen log house with dove tail notching.

May Owens, Point. Bungalow with screened porch. Note traditional yard with clean swept yard free of grass and random flower beds.

Annie Rene Harris with her chicken house (used for penning chickens at night). Homer, La.

She processes the capped jars, a new step popularized by home extension service.

Inez Sharp, Ruston, tops filled jelly jars with melted paraffin to seal jelly, an alternative to sealing with new jar lids.

Mary Gray, Bernice, packs white-oak picnic basket with huckleberry pie, peas, and fried chicken for community dinner.

James Robertson, Luna, and Grandson Jess gather may haws in the north Union Parish forests.

Michael Greenfield in the Ouachita River backwater shakes may haw tree to release berries into the water.

Phil Robertson and sons with friend Michael Greenfield wade in knee deep backwater to gather may haws floating.

Annie Rene Harris, Homer, in kitchen with milk which will be churned into butter.

Charlotte Houck, Hico, prepares biscuits (made by mother, Viola Houck), and sausage.

Alvia Houck builds fire with hickory and sassafras for smoking hams and sausage.

Pat Otwell, Pea Ridge Community, removes a bottle of pickled peppers from cupboard where other canned goods are stored.

Maxine Otwell, Pea Ridge Community, mixes dough for may haw cobbler, first she makes a well of flour and adds oil.

Maxine Otwell rolls out dough to be cut into strips and placed over may haw juice.

Truett Moore, Ruston, picks apples from tree with homemade apple picker (can on a stick) ,a traditional tool.

Elvie Lou Westbrook checks boiling pork back bone, a meat traditionally served with turnip greens.

Colvin family members (Lincoln Parish) make a traditional Sunday afternoon visit to one of the small family cemeteries prevalent throughout the area.

Members of the Clay and Eva Colvin family gather around the table for Thanksgiving Day prayer.

Oil and gas well drillings are important community events which draw whole families to observe the activity.

The extended Colvin family, one on the largest clans in North La. gathers at their family pavilion at one of the Colvin Centers (Unionville) for their annual family reunion with "dinner on the grounds."

Older Pisgah Community (Union Parish) members' calling their group "keenagers," have a monthly gathering to play music and share a meal featuring such traditional foods as purple-hull peas.

Jimmy and Jane Ball and son Bobby, Ruston, play old time country and gospel music in their home.

Fred Beavers (fiddle), Tracey Tyler (guitar), Lesley Raborn (mandolin), and Doc Chipman (rhythm guitar) gather at Beaver's home in Choudrant to play old-time country music.

Lawrence Rippertoe, Homer, plays harmonica with Johnny Beavers seconding on guitar.

Lawrence Rippertoe and Johnny Beavers play country music for family and friends.

Charles Ellis Dawkins, Farmerville, plays harmonica blues, gospel, and country music on his front porch.

Henry Holde (piano) and Hugh McGee (guitar) and Lonnie Gray (fiddle) play gospel and country music at monthly community gatherings.

Clonnie Otwell, Dubach (Pea Ridge Community), plays harmonica and dances for his family.

O. A. Houck, Hico, and children Johnny, Rickey, and Cindy Hockenjos, is a favorite area family gospel quartet provide a song service for Saint Rest Church (Lincoln Parish).

Rev. Onez McCarty, Chatham, pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church, delivers a "message in song" after his Sunday morning sermon.

The Shady Grove Children's Choir and pianist director Judith McConnel wait for Sunday service to begin.

Bluegrass musicians jam at the Vienna town hall. Many of the musicians such as "Pappy" Booth (guitar), "Pete" Brontley (fiddler), and Lesley Raborn (mandolin) also play old-time country and country-western music as well as bluegrass.

Primitive Baptist preacher, Hilton Mercer, Jonesboro (Pumpkin Center Community) behind Oak Grove Primitive Baptist service by leading the song.

Hilton Mercer, after his sermon has begun paces back and forth in the pulpit which punctuates the rhythm of his speech.

Elder W. D. Godwin, Goldonna (Winn Parish) sermon at Oak Grove Primitive Baptist service.

Elders Mercer, and Godwin lead song before communion for which church members have gathered at the front of the building.

Women members on the church begin the foot washing service which follows the communion. Each woman will "gird about the waist" a cloth and wash the next woman's feet, which will in turn, wash the next woman's feet.

After the communion and foot washing the members conclude the service by singing a song and then walking out.

Following the service, members gather for "dinner on the grounds," with members and guests providing a wide variety of traditional foods.

Family and Friends gather at Ruston Funeral Home chapel for a wake after a death in the community.

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church (Chatham), church doors with black mourning ribbon which marks the recent loss of their new pastor, Rev. Omez McCarty.

Johnny McCarty, Quitman, and his family give a special choral performance at the unveiling ceremony for Mt. Moriah Church.

Following a five month mourning period, an unveiling service is held to remove the mourning draping.

Tulip Methodist Church, rebuilt in 1872 is the location for the annual Tulip Memorial Day.

DeCinter Farley, Vienna, who tells stories of her youth spent on a traditional North La. farm, illustrates her memories of this time in her painting of traditional farm activities.

Jake Martin, Friendship, with his own creation of yard art of found bottles, fans, light bulbs, and other objects. Yard art such as this might be said to follow traditional structures such as bottle trees.