Florida’s Featured Author ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

“So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war,” President Abraham Lincoln said when he met Harriet Beecher Stowe. 

 

Or did he?

The first record of Lincoln’s greeting appears in Mrs. Stowe’s 1890 biography. Though her son, Charles Edward Stowe, tells the story as family lore, his closeness to the source gives it plenty of credibility.

 

Besides, many believe that Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet's classic novel, truly did light a spark within the abolitionist movement. 

 

Here are a few facts we know are true:

 

Harriet was born on June 14, 1811, in Litchfield, Connecticut to Roxanna Foote Beecher (1775-1816) and her husband, Reverend Lyman Beecher (1775-1863). 

 

She married Calvin Stowe, a professor of Biblical Literature at Lane Theological Seminary, on January 6, 1836. 

The Stowes had seven children, including twin daughters. Tragically, their son, Samuel Charles, died of cholera in 1849. He was only eighteen months old. 

She died on July 1, 1896—not even a month after her 85^th birthday.

Her Writing Opened Hearts

 

Her scholarly husband, Harriet once said, was “rich in Greek & Hebrew, Latin & Arabic, and alas! rich in nothing else” (HBSC).

 

However, even before she married and had a family, Harriet's writing provided an income. Her first publication, Primary Geography for Children, was published in 1833 when she was only twenty-two or twenty-three.

 

She wrote her most famous novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, about twenty years later. The National Era, an abolitionist paper, wanted a short story to run in installments “that would paint a word picture of slavery” (HBSC).

Instead of the planned three or four chapters, Harriet wrote a full-length novel that opened readers' hearts to the suffering of enslaved people. 

Three more abolitionist novels followed: The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1853),

Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (1856), and The Minister’s Wooing (1859).

 

During her writing career, which spanned half a century, Harriet published thirty books plus numerous articles, essays, hymns, poetry, and short stories. Her influence through her writings is immeasurable. 

 

The Stowe Family’s Florida Connection

 

The Stowes lived many years in Cincinnati, Ohio, and later in Brunswick, Maine where they housed fugitive slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. 

 

After the Civil War, however, they became snowbirds and purchased property in Mandarin, Florida, on the St. Johns River. They wintered there for more than fifteen years and even bought an orange grove for their son, Frederick, to manage.

 

Charles Beecher, a minister and educator, opened a nearby school to educate formerly enslaved people, a cause which was dear to his sister’s heart.

 

Harriet expressed her appreciation for Florida’s unique beauty in her book, Palmetto Leaves(1873), where she compared the area’s semi-tropical climate to that of Italy. (Which surprises me ~ I’ve lived most of my adult life in Central Florida and I’ve visited Tuscany. To me, the climates are very different!)

 

The Beecher Family Tradition ~ A Legacy of Service

 

When it came to service and reform, the Beecher family didn’t sit quietly in the pews. 

 

Harriet’s older sister, Catharine, founded the Hartford Female Seminary which provided women the opportunity to study the classics, languages and mathematics. Harriet attended this school.

 

Isabella, Harriet’s youngest sister, helped to found the National Women’s Suffrage Association.

All of Harriet’s brothers were ministers.

Honors

• 1986 ~ Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame;
• 2007 ~ A 75¢ U.S. postage stamp was issued in her honor in the “Distinguished Americans” series;
• 2010 ~ The Ohio Historical Society nominated Mrs. Stowe as a finalist  for Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol, however, Thomas Edison was selected instead.

Your Turn ~ Uncle Tom's Cabin has been on my TBR (To Be Read) list since my son-in-law read a heart-rending chapter out loud to us a few years ago. I procrastinate because the novel seems so daunting. But I truly hope to read it when life slows down a bit. 

Have you read Uncle Tom's Cabin? If so, what did you think? If not, do you plan to? What other classics do you have on your TBR list?

Journey of the Heart

In the shadow of slavery, love answers with courage.

Stories of heart, mystery, and timeless truth.

Johnnie Alexander writes award-winning stories of enduring love and quiet courage. Her historical and contemporary novels weave together unforgettable romance, compelling characters, and a touch of mystery. A sometime hermit and occasional vagabond who most often kicks off her shoes in Florida, Johnnie cherishes cozy family times and enjoys long road trips. Readers are invited to discover glimpses of grace and timeless truth in her stories. Connect with her at johnnie-alexander.com.

Photos ~ Unless otherwise indicated, photos are in the public domain.

Bust of Harriet Beecher Stowe by Brenda Putnam at Hall of Fame for Great Americans. Photo by H0n0r at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17210647.

 

Sources

Gershon, Noel. Harriet Beecher Stowe: Biography. New York: Henry Holt and Co. (1976).

HBSC ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (harrietbeecherstowecenter.org).

Hedrick, Joan D. Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life. Oxford University Press (1994).

'Below Stairs' in a Scottish Castle: Inside a Grand Victorian Kitchen

During a recent trip to Scotland, we visited Inverary Castle, where I found a wonderful example of a formal Victorian kitchen.

Inverary Castle, located in western Scotland on the shores of Loch Fyne, has been the home of the Dukes of Argyll for centuries. The present castle, begun in 1746, replaced an earlier 15th century castle on the same site. Built in the Gothic Revival style, the castle highlights the importance of the Clan Campbell in the history of Scotland and Britain.

The original castle kitchen, which takes up much of the basement, was last used in 1956 by the grandmother of the current Duke of Argyll. More recently, it’s been restored to the way it would have looked while the staff prepared an elaborate dinner in the Victorian period.

If you’ve watched Downton Abbey, you have some idea of the details involved in preparing meals for the nobility in 19th- and early 20th-Century England and Scotland. (As an aside, the Christmas 2012 episode of that TV series was filmed at Inverary Castle.) Cooks, maids, and footmen filled the downstairs kitchen with activity. Food prepared here was carried upstairs to the dining room, where it was served by staff wearing House of Argyll livery.

Much of the food would have been locally sourced. Mutton, beef, pork, doves, and fowl were raised on the estate farm. Venison, pheasant, and other game came from the area. A nearby river provided salmon, sea trout, and brown trout, while sole, herring, and mackerel were obtained from the loch (lake).

Equipment in the massive kitchen included two stewing and roasting ovens, two baking ovens, a hot plate, a boiling stove for water, and seven fireplaces, one of which featured a smoke-jack.

Illustration of a smoke-jack from The Century
Dictionary: An Encyclopaedic Lexicon of the
English Language (New York: The Century Co., 1895)

The smoke-jack was an ingenious device for roasting meat on a spit. Hot air from the fire rising up the chimney turned a wheel of metal vanes, much like a fan, which engaged a system of gears and a chained pulley connected to the spit. Thus, the heat of the fire kept the meat turning, eliminating the need for a staff person to turn the spit.

There were also a butter churn and flour mills. Copper pots and pans, used for both sweet and savory foods, were kept highly polished.

Ingredients that were unavailable locally could be stored in wooden cabinets located at one end of the kitchen. The various drawers were labeled for such items as spices, pasta, sugar, currants, and almonds.

And to ensure the staff remembered protocols for interacting with the family or guests of the Duke, a list of 12 “Servant Rules” was prominently posted. To summarize, servants were expected to speak only if spoken to or when absolutely necessary, use the proper address, and be invisible when possible. The final rule stated that any female staff who “fraternized” would be immediately terminated.

Imagining what it would have been like to work in this kitchen of a hundred-plus years ago was interesting, but it also reminded me of the blessings we enjoy in our modern kitchens.

                                _____________________________

Multi-award-winning author Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like undiscovered treasures, old houses, and gnarly trees. All three books in her Mended Vessels series, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical women, have won awards in multiple contests. She is currently working on historical romances set in her native western Kentucky in the 1930s and ‘40s. An unpublished novel, Shifting Currents, placed second in the inspirational category of the nationally recognized Maggie Awards. Learn more at www.MarieWellsCoutu.com.

When the lights of Broadway dim, Delia leaves the city behind. But will her family welcome her home again?

The historical short story, “All That Glistens,” was included in the 2023 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction collection and is now available free when you sign up for Marie's newsletter here. In her newsletter, she shares about her writing, historical tidbits, recommended books, and sometimes recipes.

The Dark Side of the Hollywood Star System

Two face statue Mazatlán, Mexico

By Kathy Kovach

At the turn of the twentieth century, the silent film industry was exciting and new. There was no big name recognition because producers didn’t want their actors to demand higher salaries. To them, the technology of developing moving pictures trumped the actors themselves. Some of those performers had gotten their start on the New York stage and considered movies a step down, therefore they had no problem hiding their identities.

In fact, it wasn’t until this newfangled entertainment was a couple of decades old when actors’ names were included in ending credits. Audiences were picking out their favorites, purposely visiting their local nickelodeon to see the cowboy, or the swashbuckler, or the sweet, yet tragic, lass in rags. They demanded to know their names and learn about their private lives.

Florence Lawrence

Recognizing the public’s need, producer and co-founder of Universal Pictures, Carl Laemmle used unconventional marketing methods to promote his stars. One such example was concerning the actress considered to be the first movie star. Florence Lawrence was known to fans only as the Biograph Girl before her name became known. Biograph was a film production company operating from 1895-1916. Laemmle spread a rumor that Lawrence was killed in a streetcar accident, leaving her adoring public devastated in their grief. He then revealed the story wasn’t true, and that she was alive and well . . . and starring in his next movie. I’m sure they flocked to the theater, relieved to see their darling living and breathing.

The Hollywood Star System, also known as the Star Machine, was borne of such manipulative tactics. The goal was to groom, exploit, and market their product, which unfortunately, was of the human variety.

The following video depicts the Hollywood Star System perfectly.

From the 1920’s to the 1960’s, the System churned out thousands of movie stars. It created fictional characters out of flesh and blood. What the public saw were happy, shiny actors and actresses with their perfect hair, straight teeth, and glamorized lifestyles. And the fans lapped it up, like a thirsty MGM lion in the Serengeti.

While a fraction of performers thrived in the artificial spotlight, others wilted behind the scenes, becoming substance abusers in order to cope. Some lived debauched lifestyles in rebellion of the system. A tragic few succumbed and took their own lives.

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney

One such tragedy involved Frances Gumm, known to us as Judy Garland. Her story is well-known now, vividly portrayed in the 2019 biopic, Judy, starring Renee Zellwegger. When Garland was the fresh-faced teenager, hoofing and warbling with Mickey Rooney in the ‘30s, and later becoming MGM’s greatest asset in movie musicals, the System kept her busy lifestyle afloat by pumping her with amphetamines to combat her tiredness. Her weight fluctuated, so more pills were given to keep her the perfect size. She was starved during the filming of The Wizard of Oz, reportedly forced to eat nothing but cottage cheese and chicken soup to keep her size acceptable.

Garland married band leader David Rose and became pregnant, however, the System, along with her mother and husband, urged her to get an abortion because they wanted to maintain her innocent image. Judy Garland’s life ended in tragedy on June 22, 1969, as her depression lead her to an accidental overdose of barbiturates.

Admittedly, the Star System wasn’t the only factor in Garland’s eventual demise. Her personal struggles surrounding a failed marriage and other factors also came into play. But one wonders, if she’d had better support from her employers, if she would’ve had a better life.

It Happened One Night, 1934, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

Let’s talk about the King. No, not the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, although he also fell victim to a star system created by his handler, Colonel Tom Parker. I’m referring to the man, the myth, the legend, the King of Hollywood, Clark Gable.

Gable began as a struggling stage actor. Once discovered for film, his image was carefully sculpted to that of a romantic leading man. Not your typical leading man, however. His character was known for his savage treatment of women. His persona on screen could go from insult to an embrace in a heartbeat.

Nothing but a commodity, Gable churned out movies for MGM, never being allowed to play anything more than what his image called for. He rebelled for being typecast and was sent on loan to Columbia Pictures as a punishment. That feature was It Happened One Night with his co-star, Claudette Colbert, a move that proved lucrative as it garnered him a Best Actor Oscar.

The Hollywood Star System had become an entity not to be messed with, going as far as suspending an actor without pay if they violated the numerous rules. It controlled every aspect of an actor’s life. From doing their laundry to setting them up in the perfect, and no doubt, photogenic, mansion on Mulholland Drive. It told them what to wear in public in order to maintain their image. It told them who they could date, who they could marry, or more specifically, who they couldn’t marry. No dedicated, starry-eyed fan wanted to see the romantic lead wedded to someone else.

And it spied on them. It wasn’t unusual for a studio head to enlist someone low on the food chain—a housekeeper, a chauffeur, a personal chef—to spy on the stars and report back their activities. Once again, Judy Garland fell victim of such practices, devastated when she learned that her trusted assistant, Betty Asher, had informed on every aspect of her life.

The system even went as far as altering appearances. As I mentioned in a previous article, The Manufacturing of a Hollywood Star, Rita Hayworth went from a dark-haired, Latin beauty to an Irish redhead using electrolysis to raise her hairline by an inch. Plastic surgery was common, as well. One horrifying technique was to fill the nasal cavity with molten hot wax and literally reshape the nose. Rhinoplasty was also common, and several actors underwent the nose-altering surgery, including Dean Martin and Marilyn Monroe.

United Artists founders

Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and director D.W. Griffith rebelled against the System and created their own studio, United Artists. This assured more control given to the stars.

Although the Hollywood Star System seemed horrifying in many ways, one must keep in mind, it had been set up as a thriving business. Everything produced by the major studios had to be perfectly maintained and, yes, controlled. Of course, much of the overbearing practices could have used more empathy, but many of the positives must be recognized for shaping the industry into what it is today.

And I, for one, am grateful for the opportunity to watch my favorite film stars on the silver screen. Do you have a favorite star or movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood?

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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Auraria: Georgia’s Gold Rush Ghost Town

 by Denise Farnsworth

Auraria in 1932

Gold in Georgia! My last post on HHH explored the 1830s gold rush that few people are aware of. This month, let’s zero in on the first boom town of that gold rush, Auraria—also the setting for my upcoming release, The Songbird and the Surveyor. This mountain country crossroads proves especially intriguing since it’s been a ghost town for the past fifty years or so.

William Dean built the first cabin between the Chestatee and Etowah rivers in the summer of 1832. Nathaniel Nuckolls soon established a tavern and hotel to serve the miners that flooded North Georgia following the 1829 discovery of gold. The town that grew up along the narrow ridge there, traversed north to south by Gold Diggers’ Road, was first known as Nuckollsville.

Graham Hotel ruins

Land that originally belonged to the Cherokees, who were slated by the national government for removal by 1838, was surveyed into 160-acre farm lots and 40-acre gold lots and reapportioned to white settlers through a land lottery in the autumn of 1832. In November, Nuckollsville was renamed Auraria. Within six months of the lottery, a hundred families, eighteen to twenty stores, twelve to fifteen law offices, and four to five taverns comprised the rowdy village. The population soon swelled to over a thousand…with twenty saloons and five hotels. Auraria was a wild place, much akin to the later boomtowns of the Wild West. Georgia law prohibited gambling in public places, but there were exceptions for “respectable gentlemen” for dice games, board games, a bluffing game which became poker, and vingt-et-un (twenty-one), which came from New Orleans and became blackjack. Fights and horse thefts were common, as were houses of ill repute.

Room inside hotel in ruins

Legitimate businesses also thrived. Mining companies formed and assaying labs popped up. A newspaper, The Western Herald, began publication in 1833. Agnes Paschal and her son, George W. Paschal, a lawyer from Lexington, Georgia, purchased the Nuckolls hotel and soon built a new one. They also helped establish the first Baptist church. Former Vice President John C. Calhoun stayed at their establishment two weeks at a time, overseeing his thriving gold mine. Drovers brought hogs from Tennessee and wild turkeys to camps outside town to help offset the scarcity of meat in the area. John Ware established a confectionery in a new building. The Athens Stage Line arrived Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and left for Augusta on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings. Another line ran from Pendleton, South Carolina, via Carnesville, through Auraria and on to Gainesville, Georgia.

In April of 1833, due to a legal dispute over the land where the courthouse for the new Lumpkin County was to be located, the court announced the selection of a courthouse site north of Auraria, near where gold was first discovered at a place then called Licklog or Headquarters…later Dahlonega. Dahlonega and Auraria held rival Fourth of July celebrations that summer, with town lots being sold in Dahlonega. Soon county offices and businesses closed in Auraria and reopened in Dahlonega. Auraria held on through the early twentieth century with just a few homes and businesses, but the heyday had ended. Hulks of crumbling buildings soon lined Gold Diggers’ Road, forgotten, mere shadows of a colorful past.

Look for further posts about gold mining methods and the rowdy towns and characters of the Georgia Gold Rush. Book one, The Songbird and the Surveyor, set in Auraria in 1833, can be pre-ordered now for the Nov. 3 release. https://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Surveyor-Twenty-Niners-Georgia-Gold-ebook/dp/B0F556951W/

Denise Farnsworth, formerly Denise Weimer, writes historical and contemporary romance mostly set in Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.

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Speakeasies – Bringing People Together

By Suzanne Norquist

Last year, my daughter and her husband visited a restaurant, and the hostess asked if they would rather go to the speakeasy in the back. Yes! Of course, they chose the secret door. Quiet music played, and board games were available as they relaxed over dinner.

Modern speakeasies give a nod to the days of prohibition from 1920 to 1933, a time when the sale of most alcohol was illegal in the United States, and bars went “underground.” The secret industry created a subculture with special passwords and unusual locations.

Social conventions and divisions vanished in the dimly lit backrooms and basements. Women, who weren’t previously allowed in most bars, drank with the men. Writers and intellectuals found lively discussion. Audiences welcomed rising singers, actors, and entertainers. The relaxed atmosphere of these places encouraged people to share ideas. Many could be described as Bohemian and counter-cultural.

They kept lookouts for police and set up warning systems to hide evidence of alcohol in case of a raid. Some simply paid off law enforcement. Others changed locations regularly.

Over time, they provided a home base for organized crime as well. Venues that evaded police, naturally, drew all kinds of criminal activity.

A British naval memoir used the term “speakeasy” in 1844, referring to an unlicensed liquor store or bar. During prohibition, the term was probably intended to remind patrons to keep their voices down to avoid detection. However, some of the speakeasies boasted boisterous crowds.

One could find thousands of these clandestine locations in any large city. The history of many is lost, as they were illegal, and record keeping could be sloppy. Some served as restaurants before and after prohibition. Others popped up to meet a need.

Here are some interesting tidbits about famous speakeasies.

Chumley’s in Manhattan served as a haven for writers and authors. Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John Steinbeck spent time there. It had two entrances—the main entrance at 86 Bedford Street, and a more discreet one down Barrow Street.

Some of the police were on Chumley’s payroll. Before a raid, they would call and say, “Eighty-six your customers.” Everyone would escape through the 86 Bedford Street door, and the police would come in through the Barrow Street entrance. Thus, a new term was born.

The Cotton Club in Harlem was known for top-notch entertainment like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday. Black entertainers served a whites-only crowd. Racism ruled the club’s themes, and even the name is a reference to cotton plantations.

Gallagher’s in the Manhattan Theater District attracted off-Broadway stars, showgirls, sports figures, and gamblers. Helen Gallagher, a former Ziegfield girl, and Jack Solomon, a gambler, opened it to create a gathering place for people with similar interests.

The Krazy Kat Klub in Washington, DC was only a few blocks from the Whitehouse on the second floor of an old stable turned garage. Customers had to navigate their way around old lumber and farm equipment to get to the staircase. The noisy space was dimly lit and filled with smoke.

The Dill Pickle Club in Chicago catered to those who wanted to share counter-cultural ideas. Its orange door said, “Danger. Step High, Stoop Low, and Leave your Dignity Outside.” Inside, another sign said, “This club is established to elevate the minds of people to a lower level.”

The Arizona Biltmore hotel hides a mystery room in the building’s interior. Rumors say that the skylight would allow lookouts on the outside to signal if the police were on their way. Little is known about the room. But again, no one kept records.

Tobacco Road opened as the first bar in Miami in 1912. During prohibition, it served as a speakeasy, catering to smugglers in the Caribbean.

Although prohibition didn’t last, speakeasies shaped our culture, bringing people together for entertainment and intellectual discussion. No wonder a few bygones from the era can be found in the back of modern restaurants. However, they are no longer in danger of a police raid—no need to “eighty-six” anything.

***

Love In Bloom 4-in-one collection

by Mary Davis (Author), Kathleen E Kovach (Author), Suzanne Norquist (Author)

Holly & Ivy

At Christmastime, a young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

Periwinkle in the Park

A female hiking guide, who is helping to commission a national park, runs into conflict with a mountain man is determined to keep the government off his land.

A Song for Rose

Can a disillusioned tenor convince an aspiring soprano that there is more to music than fame?

Beauty in a Tansy?

Two adjacent store owners are drawn to each other, but their older relatives provide obstacles to their ever becoming close.

Republished from Bouquet of Brides

Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/bOOx8K

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Mary-Davis/dp/B0FPLFYCXR/

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class. 

Financial Crash Impacts a Tiny Island

 _By Tiffany Amber Stockton

There has been a lot of talk of financial struggle and hardships lately, what with the ever-rising inflation and prices nearly double what they were 2-3 years ago. My family has had to make some significant changes to preserve as much of those hard-earned dollars as possible, and I'm sure a lot of you who are reading this have had to do the same.

Although it's not as bad as the Great Depression, there have been definite ways my local community has come together to help each other through these tough times, sharing the burden and lightening the overall load. That's what communities should do.

Island Life During the Great Depression

The Great Depression was the longest and most devastating economic downturn of the 20th century. Spanning much of the 1930s, it shook not only the United States but the entire world.

The crisis began in the U.S. after the stock market crash of October 29, 1929—“Black Tuesday.” Within just three years, global GDP dropped by an estimated 15%. By comparison, the so-called Great Recession of 2008–2009 saw worldwide GDP fall by less than 1%. The contrast is staggering, yet many today mistakenly believe the two were on the same level.

Unemployment in the U.S. soared to nearly 25%. Personal income, tax revenues, profits, and prices all collapsed. With jobs scarce, families had to adapt quickly, often leaning on creativity, hard work, and each other to survive.

Island Ingenuity in Hard Times

On Chincoteague Island, poultry farming grew rapidly during these years. Families raised chickens not only to feed themselves but also as a source of trade and income. By 1950, the island was producing more than one million birds each year.

This was also when two devastating storms forever changed the landscape of both Chincoteague and Assateague Island. With 18 inches of flooding and the highest tide ever reported, a new inlet was carved out of the barrier island just south of Ocean City, Maryland, destroying a railroad bridge and dragging railcars out into the ocean.

Wages remained mostly steady, but many employers couldn’t keep as many workers. That meant every able family member pitched in. My grandfather was only 13 when he stood beside his father behind a barber’s chair, cutting hair to help feed his nine brothers and sisters. Customers often paid with food or by bartering services when money was scarce. Shellfish were a common exchange of goods for service on Chincoteague.

Harvesting the Land and Sea

Oystering, clamming, fishing, and crabbing weren’t just pastimes on Chincoteague, though. They were lifelines. The bounty of the sea was sold, eaten, or exchanged for other necessities. Hunting ducks and waterfowl also supplemented the food supply, and handmade wooden decoys became a useful and profitable tool. Those decoys remain cherished collectibles from the island today, and you can see them in several shops on Main and Maddox Streets.

Clothing and shoes were patched and repurposed until they could no longer be worn. My great-grandfather even cut old tires into strips and tied them to the bottoms of his children’s shoes to reinforce worn-through soles. Nothing went to waste.

Lessons We Can Still Learn

Perhaps the greatest lesson from the Great Depression is that hardship often drives people closer together. On Chincoteague, bartering, skill-sharing, and mutual support were the rule. These days, it seems to be the exception and a rather foreign concept. I'd love to see America return to this.

Those who endured learned to live simply, save diligently, and give generously. Many continued those frugal habits for life, building enough wealth to enjoy their retirement and even leave inheritances for their families.

When I look around today, I can’t help but notice the contrast. Even after paring down and simplifying our home, we still live with far more than ten families combined might have had during the Depression. It’s rather humbling, but it also reminds me to live with gratitude rather than excess.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* If you had to trade your skills or services instead of using money, what would you offer?

* What’s one “make-do” or frugal practice you learned from your parents or grandparents?

* When life gets hard, do you tend to lean on community, or try to go it alone?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments on the post below.

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

---

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help them just get rooted and live a life of purpose.

Currently, she lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, two dogs, and five cats in southeastern Kentucky. In her 20+ years as a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and has agent representation with Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.