Alice Lambert (left) skims a vat of cane
juice to ensure the purity of the finished
product. The woman at right it holding an
electric blower, which u all* UMd at in
tervals in the skimming process.
Molasses Time Brings Memories
Of Mules Crushing Cane Stalks
B f CIA BK COX
When you mention moll asses
making to an old-time mountain
eer, he immediately conjures up
a mental picture of mules plod
ding around a hand-fed cane mill,
the sweet and tempting elixir
uAich emerge* to be carried into
heavy vats over a blazing wood
fin.
There it to stirred aad Aka
mai by hand lor hours, with
huge. shovet-Uke ladles, before it
reaches the proper color and
consistency to be remavad, cool
ed, and tnmferred to gailoa jogs
for sale.
But with the onset of mechani
zation, this type of molasses
making has become a vanishing
art. It is so much easier and
more profitable to ose power -
driven cane mills, mechanical
arm* for lifting the mixtwe be
tween the various stage of its
iwulatow, aad shiny vats in
which the temperature and heat
ing timr ts rigidly set and con
trolled, to produce the sedktgfl.
ed mixture which now passei" lor
sorghian mollnses; but oM
timere wiH tell you that the
Saver af thie modem oonootion
cannot compare with oid-fashioo
ed 'lasses.
The lew mountaineers who atill
insist opto the more flavorful
but more laborious methods are
a hardy crew. Probably they've
tried a little bit of everything in
their lifetime: more often thaa
not they're ssmniUers and abat
toir operators as well as farmers,
an d work is the tast thing in the
world that would scare them.
Such a man is Dale Barker of
the Mm eonaiwinlty in neighbor
ing Ashe County. For the post
two weeks? and this will probably
continue for two or tflree weeks
to ceme? Barker has gone to bed
at midnight and risen at four
in the imulug to run off mo
lasses from the sorghum eane
by himself and several of
his neighbors.
The only concession that Bar
ker makes to mechanization is
tl* use of a small, motor-driven
cane mill, in lieu of mules.
Help has, fortunately, been
plentiful, as interested neighbors
pitdh in generously with their
services in return for the privi
lege of sitting in the log shed
around the boliag vats end ex
changing gossip and opinions
about the severity of the coining
winter with the two or three
docen others who are present.
Since corn - husking. quilting
parties, and communal tobacco
grading have gans the way of all
such leisnreiy but perhaps in
efficient get-togethers, molasses
making time is about the only
chance left tor country people ta
engage in such neighborly con
tact; and they make the most
of it
One of Barker's helpers in the
yearly project has been Alice
Lambert, a gigantic woman who
has became a Ashe County leg
end beoause of such feats ol
strength as wrestling a full-grown
bear at the county (air. (She won,
too!) On several occaJons, Miss
Lambert has been observed non
chalantly carrying a axvpoiuxl
sack of ?-atn under each arm
F>w Barker, she is in charge o<
skimming the greenish ever
rising foam from the vats ol
cane juice, in order to inaure
A - - #1? t ?!????! I t ? I
quality nawr ana pancy.
CMkfren. too, are plentiful aJ
H - ? - . * ? i . m
mot lasses - mwing, arawn rroir
mites Jtumni in order to lend
whatever help they can and ft
spend the neat of their ttn*
watching wida-eyed and suckirm
vcradoosty at freak cane stats
F*rM> may abject to the nn
sanitary ntturt of this
tiee; but as a country boy my
aaU, who has spent many hours
spraying .vpie orchards against
the wind and suffering nothing
worse than ? heartache. I can
tell you that few things beat
fresto sorghum cane for flavor.
But if anything can beat cane
for flavor, it's the moiaues that
Dale Batter nukes from that
one. I'm going back for my sec
and jppjUm thy* wcok.
i ? ir t 11
Dale Barker (left) watches aa an unidentified workman
feeds can* to the grinder for eventual transformation into
molasses. ?
Telephone
Talk
by
W. R. COOKE, Jk.
Your Telephone Manager
TELEPHONE VALUE? DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .
... In 1920 it took some shouting ? and money ?
to call coast-to-coast? When making the same
call today, you can hear a whisper and pay
only f2.25 instead of the $10.50 it cost in
1920.
. In the early days of telephony, major storm
damage was not repaired at times for as long
as three to five months? Today similar dam
age is restored in a matter of hours and days.
. . . The Bell System annually puts into the busi
ness more than twice as many dollars at it
earns.
* ? ?
SCHOOL'S IN ... and that mews lb* children will be
out by the dozens, walking to school, riding their bicycles,
getting on sad off school buses. So, it's tine again for *B
of as to be extra careful with our drivu* . . . especially
around schools, crossings, snd bos slope. Watch for the
signs, drive slowly, and STOP whtnem required. Our
children an our most precious assets, and it's up to all
of us to protect them.
? ? ?
EVER HAD TO SCRAMBLE? with the Met of the fam
ily- ? to talk an a Long Distance caBT A
gives everyone a chance to participate in
huddling, crowding or waiting in Una. And
enjoy hearing both sides at the conversation. Call onr
Business Office to Ind out more about the Speakerphone.
? ? *
THE WORLD'S FIRST TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
celebrated iu 82th birthday eariy this yew. In 1878 the
exchange, in New Haven, Connecticut, listed nearly 50
telephone subscribers. The switchboard hKtf waa priori
< | ti ve to say the least Among its fittings were teapot handles,
and the whole thing was strung together with wiring from
the frames of ladies' buatkal
October fc Marks First Official
Registration On Present Campus
"Just ?* Mr. D. D. Dough
erty and sign your name."
These were the instructions for
registering for enrollment in
the Appalachian Training
School for Teachers In 1803.
How different they are from
registration iiatructions for
1963. This la not the only as
pect of life on this campus that
is so very different from what
it waa sixty year* ago.
While 1MB la the year which
m denoted aa the first yea* of
the existence of ASTC, an
earlier date is perhaps more ac
curate.
In the August M, 1899, issaa
at the Watauga Democrat an
advertisement appeared aa
nonndng that a school was to
be opened September 8, 1S99.
The ceursM to be offered were
common school courses (ele
mentary courses), academic
cooraaa (high school taaisas),
and two years of collegiate
courses.
Music and Business were al
so offered, and special atten
tion was to be given to elemen
tary teachers. Tuition was one
to three dollars par month.
On September 5, 1899, the
Watauga Academy began Its
first day of classes in an old
two room building. At this
time there were only elemen
tary classes taught. By Christ
nfes the classes had moved to a
new frame building which wu i
to be known u the Watauga |
Academy.
HS I
On January 15, IMC,
newa bulletin appeared in thai
papers. It lUN that Watauga I
Aa
ing. One hundred twenty-three |
answered the roll call an
day (January It) when the |
mercury was havering uncoi
fortsbiy near the aero point.
In the February 1?, IMS, I
edition of the DEMOCRAT |
there was an editorial
m ending the formation at the
proposed Newland BUI ? the
MB waa a request for a state
in
to
hi
to
ol school to BaMgh I
mt'C
The Newland BUI did
and Watauga Academy became [
Appalachian Training School.
On October 5, 1903 a grand
total of 273 students visited Mr.
D. D. Dougherty, signed their
names to the register, and paid
their tuition.
feme students signed pledges
?grating to teach far taro years
to North Carolina. By this,
UWbtoMiee fees wet* ptid by
Thf cinpui wu quite ctitier
eat from what it is today. Since
there were no dormitories, the
students had to find reaidence
in hones in Watauga County.
The one building an cam pas, a
two-story frame structure, serv
ed as both a classroom building
and administration building.
There were two buildings un
der construction at this time.
One was a brick Administration
building which is now uaed as
the business education build
ing. The other was a frame
building which housed one
hundred girls. This building
stood where the hoepital is to
day.
This one Issm building and
the two partial constructions
constituted the entire campus
for the 373 students and five
faculty members in 1903.
The range el etwees offered
was limited by the small fac
ulty. Faculty members were B.
B. Desigfcorty and D. D. Dough
erty. They served as both ad
ministrators and teachers.
Maude Harris taaght English
a*d French, W. K Francum
taught history and geography,
ami mnint Shea Im?M
mute mm! art
This composed the entire
faculty. Julia Hardin waa not
actually a member of the fac
ulty, but ah* niyiailhla
for the elementary program.
The aixtkth a?hremor ?f
ASTC presents much to eele
brate. The chaafea made alnee
Itm nw reaarfcaMe. tat
rrtm Mte remarkaMe to fee
fact that ASTC to at? graving
to kapa and tomto
This rapid growth and tile
?v*r ohtiaial la m at ?k? aam
pai maka oa? wonder what
ASTC will bfc like on tta on*
hundred and twentieth anniver
sary, 2023.
MS acre Cm with aa eight
?almmlag pad la yard; yard ia I
Ml pan Thia tt a very i
aat haaaaa; large ban. ? IMM
I a geaeral (tare hiH<hg with MM apn fM*
of flaar apace and liability i lain 1 1. There la
feet W Marketable timber ea this place. At leaei IN i
af thia fana la cavered up wtth yeaag white piae aad >a>lir.
IMM white ?toe aad pepiar treea hare beem planted eat aa
thia (arm. There ia aba araaad 2JM
(rawing ea thia place. H haa a
It haa bettem land aad iliri paatnre. It haa ra
water far HteaMtL It haa (rarity laaaiag water ia the
aad ia the brattar piaat Fiaai StteM percent af the
af thia place caa ha fiaaaced th ea;h
the leaa. Thia
ia lacated ia a good community, aa a farad read aad aaly
about S miles (ram Leaalr, CaldweU Coaaty, N. C.
D. W. M. Roberts
Lenoir, N. C
Office PL 4-7898 - Residence PL 4-9436
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paakr Uctaae No. HOI