When All Was Woven

There comes a moment

after crossing

neglected borders of 

lost rice plantations 

where the rider

views the tall pines,

and places her hand

upon the rolled window

as if to touch

red dirt sides

now cradling blacktop.

The last twenty miles

take as long

as the first three days.

The road intensity 

reaches a peak.

Soon the rider will

leave her shoes

forgotten for the remainder

and run rapidly across gravel

as if never no minder.

The plump grandmother

will come and crush

her to some blue floured apron.

The tall grandfather will

bend and pull peppermint

from a faded, Osh Kosh pocket.

The old uncle will sit close

whittling on the end of

a green cane pole.

His glance will say,

"bout time."

Soon meals will start

with women

spreading dishes round

an old plank table that

daily fed a dozen.

Then chores will start

and the rider will run

clothes through

a porcelain

front porch wringer.

At day's end

music will play 

mouth harps will clang, guitars,

and dulcimers will clamor a lap.

The gliders will sway. 

The fireflies will come.

The cousins will come.

July will come. 

At night's sleep

the fans will twirl.

Windows will be up.

Nature will boast and rant

and reckon a ruckus up.

The heat will cover the rider

in beads while she reads

some classic render

alump a feathertop

and quilted spread

where a mother always

leans to say,

"Sleep now sister,

the sun'll up again." 

2012 ©Teresa Price · all rights reserved 

1829 letter:  Branch Gold in Rutherford County.

http://books.google.com/books?id=IjwPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA361&dq=Gold+Rutherford+County+NC&hl=en&sa=X&ei=V3PgT421Nem_6AGVrdl-&ved=0CHEQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Gold%20Rutherford%20County%20NC&f=false

I am fortunate that in the summer I teach online and therefore, in between working with students, I have "computer" time to explore my love of history and genealogy.

I'd like to share some "tidbit" finds:

In 2003,I read that a trunk containing historic papers was found in Asheville.  This trunk opened up a "mine" of history.
http://www2.unca.edu/news/releases/2003/papers.html

The trunk interested me because I had recently traveled to Duke University and also to Chapel Hill to study documents on the McEntire (McIntire, McIntyre) genealogy.  While there, I read letters from Archibald McIntyre, the son of famed Archiblad McIntyre (comptroller in NY) while he was in Rutherfordton, NC.  I also read about McIntyre mining in the Adirondacks.

http://www.adirondack-park.net/history/mcintyre.mine.html

But back to the "found" papers...

These papers eventually formed the collection known as "Speculation Lands," now housed at UNC-A.
http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/speculation_lands/default.htm

Reading the speculation collection was to discover "history" in volumes.  One of my favorite finds was when an agent from Hendersonville,  Mr. Justice, was advised to "act like a farmer," in order to gain the trust of Rutherford County farmers so that he could make offers to by their lands.   This line became the inspiration for the poem, Land Speculators: Book 37, Number 400,* (included below)

Reading these papers also led me to some of the most interesting mid 1800 -early 1900 reports by state geologist, Ebenezer Emmons and to the 1847 "Report on the Gold Mines of Philadelphia and North Carolina."

I was and continue to be fascinated by the descriptive writing on these mines near names familiar:  Whiteside, Edgerton branch, Gilbert Town...

http://books.google.com/books?id=xyY7AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=south+of+rutherfordton+gold&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JnrgT4OuAe-K6gGlvbB_&ved=0CHQQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=south%20of%20rutherfordton%20gold&f=false

I also found beauty in learning about the  "arborescent gold," at the Shemwell Mine, as well as the significant gem size discovered at Twitty* mine.  No wonder the wanderlust for gold!

*Twitty mine: http://books.google.com/books?id=tTvPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA79&dq=gold+rutherford+county+nc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=aYXgT_KTCI2K6gHsu5yAAQ&ved=0CGwQ6AEwCDgU#v=onepage&q=gold%20rutherford%20county%20nc&f=false

And finally, in closing on this glance of tibits, I discovered Chapel Hill's: Documenting the American South.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/support/about/

One could spend a summer "online" in this treasure alone.

I am teaching once more in summer and eager to see where this season's mining leads.

"Happy Trails."

Other links to explore gold in Rutherford County:

1919:
http://books.google.com/books?id=pTBNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA18&dq=gold+rutherford+county+nc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AYTgT63GMoSM6QGFwfR_&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=gold%20rutherford%20county%20nc&f=false

1919:
http://books.google.com/books?id=fP8mAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA20&dq=gold+rutherford+county+nc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AYTgT63GMoSM6QGFwfR_&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=gold%20rutherford%20county%20nc&f=false

1878
http://books.google.com/books?id=-SlMAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA72&dq=gold+rutherford+county+nc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1ITgT5GzD7DR6gGGj4iWAQ&ved=0CEoQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=gold%20rutherford%20county%20nc&f=false

1884:
http://books.google.com/books?id=t0wDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA10&dq=gold+rutherford+county+nc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1ITgT5GzD7DR6gGGj4iWAQ&ved=0CGoQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=gold%20rutherford%20county%20nc&f=false

  Land Speculators: Book 37, Number 400

They came among us
when we were newborn.
“Act like a farmer to gain their trust,”
said lawyers from New York.

Vain janglers
babbling reason and chiming dollars
toward a farmer’s tethered pockets.
Were we eager to dream
a sturdy wagon, new shoes,
spring corn?

And later, as northern zines
sprouted promises to own
ripe and unspoiled lands,
deeds like old Doc Brown’s
were sought and sold
together with all rights,
privileges and appurtenances thereunto.

A day’s work done,
dealmakers clung
‘til the hand-shaker’s shadow
stretched like a caul
across some sawyer’s
virgin planks.

Our grandfathers signed,
and trace ink dried like dribbled milk
as we dreamt our youth
under the scrambling front porch vines
of a golden scuppernong.

Our history sleeps there still,
wrapped in speculation and transaction,
shaded by the twinning branch of a Carolina pine,
and rocked by the wafting trill
of some hopeful mother’s
mountain song.

Teresa Price, published first place in Anuran, ©2004, all rights reserved