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.

The Business of Love: Mail-Order Brides in the Old West

by Martha Hutchens

image by LiliGraphie, deposit photos

The most famous business devoted to connecting men and women seeking partners was The Matrimonial News. Every edition opened with this declaration:

“Women need a man’s strong arm to support her in life’s struggle, and men need a woman’s love.”

The paper also posted its rules in every issue and enforced them strictly. Each advertisement had to include a description of the advertiser’s appearance, their social and financial standing, and the type of person they hoped to correspond with. Ads were identified by number, since even then people hesitated to publish their names and addresses. Replies were sent to The Matrimonial News, marked with the ad number, and then forwarded to the advertiser.

Other magazines and newspapers entered the field as well. The New Plan, published in Kansas City between 1911 and 1917, existed solely to unite lonely hearts. Women who placed ads in its pages agreed to reply to every inquiry they received that also included return postage. While these periodicals specialized in matchmaking, general newspapers carried matrimonial notices too. Even the New York Times published such ads.

Some entrepreneurs went beyond advertising and attempted to organize groups of women to travel west together. Asa Mercer is the most famous of these, but the Benton brothers and Eliza Farnham made similar attempts. Few of these ventures succeeded, and even fewer operated as genuine businesses.

image by @IgorVetushko, deposit photos

Advertising was only part of the equation; people also had to receive the papers. Not everyone could afford a subscription, especially in rural areas, and mail delivery there was often slow and sporadic. Much like families would later gather around the radio in the 1940s, communities in the 1800s gathered to hear newspapers read aloud. Sometimes this became a feature designed to draw customers into a business such as a general store, saloon, or barbershop. In some cases, a designated reader was even paid for the service.

Many people of the era, especially in the West or in immigrant communities, couldn’t read or write. Others could, but relied on “creative” spelling or had long since forgotten their grammar lessons. What was a lonely heart to do? Pay someone to write letters on their behalf. This was usually a local service rather than a large enterprise. A schoolteacher, for example, might earn a little extra by drafting letters to family back east—or to potential brides and grooms far away.

As with any market, opportunities for fraud appeared quickly. Problems ranged from simple deception, such as exaggerated descriptions or “enhanced” appearances once a woman arrived, to more organized schemes. The Matrimonial News itself warned readers of potential trickery. Inserts listed ways a man might be deceived and even declared that in such cases the marriage need not stand.

image by @Nebasin, deposit photos

The most notorious scams came from so-called matrimonial bureaus. These offices advertised themselves as one-stop shops: they would post ads, exchange letters, translate correspondence, and even arrange photographs. In reality, many kept only a handful of pictures on hand and circulated them widely. Letters sent by hopeful clients often never left the office.

Some businesses sought to profit after the vows were spoken. In San Francisco, a popular honeymoon destination, hotels competed for newlywed trade. Managers offered flowers or other enticements to attract couples. One hotelier boasted of hosting as many as forty newly married couples at a time, with an average of twenty-five.

Matrimonial ads were big business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They created work for printers, readers, and letter-writers; offered profits to railroads, hotels, and editors; and inevitably spawned scams. Even today, mail-order bride stories remain one of the most enduring tropes in romance novels—still supporting small businesses, though in a very different way.

Best-selling author Martha Hutchens is a history nerd who loves nothing more than finding a new place and time to explore. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha occasionally finds time for knitting when writing projects allow.

Martha’s debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, is now available.

When his family legacy is on the line, rancher Drew McGraw becomes desperate for someone to tame and tutor his three children. Desperate enough to seek a mail-order bride. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, Drew balks.

Heiress Kaitlyn Montgomery runs straight from the scandal chasing her toward a fresh start on a secluded ranch. She strikes a bargain with Drew—a marriage convenient for both of them.

But the more Kaitlyn adapts to ranch life and forms a bond with Drew’s children and their enigmatic father, she realizes that this ranch is where she is meant to be. And then her past catches up with her…

A Death Fit For Poe

On October 3, 1849, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun named Joseph W. Walker decided to head to Gunner Hall's, which had been set up at polling station for the day's election. Thinking he'd gauge the vibe or catch a whiff of public sentiment, he knew the public house would be a great place to find a lead for his next story.

And he was right. But not in the way he imagined.

Instead, upon arrived at Gunner's Hall, he found a man lying in a gutter delirious, semi-conscious, and unable to move. As Walker bent to assist him, he was startled to discover the identity of the man was none other than Edgar Allan Poe. 

Photo Credit: Brittanica.com

The famed poet was wearing clothes that didn't seem to belong to him; they were shabby, cheap, and ill-fitting, a sharp departure from Poe's usual well-tailored wool suits. In addition, he wore a straw hat atop his head, something the acclaimed writer would never have chosen for himself. Poe arose from his stupor long enough to pass along the name of a person he believed could help him--Joseph E. Snodgrass--before falling back into the depths of oblivion.

A letter was sent to Snodgrass, a magazine editor with some medical training, and Poe was taken to a local hospital. For four days, he drifted in and out of semi-consciousness, speaking incoherent sentences and experiencing visual hallucinations. However, he never regained enough of himself to tell doctors exactly what had happened. On the night of October 6, he uttered one more nonsensical word--"Reynolds"--before passing away the next day at the age of 40. A Baltimore newspaper reported he had died of "congestion of the brain."

But what does that even mean? And how did it happen? 

What is known for sure is that Poe left Richmond, Virginia on September 27 (a full week earlier) bound for Philadelphia. Once there, he was to edit a collection of poems for Mrs. St. Leon Loud. However, Poe never made it Philadelphia. From his departure on the 27 to the discovery of his dilapidated, barely conscious body outside Gunner's Hall on October 4, no one saw Poe. No one spoke to him. 

The world's best horror novelist seemingly took a page out of his own book: missing for a week, discovered, then dead without cause.

Or was there?

Many believe Poe's death was a result of complications from alcoholism. Snodgrass himself, who was the first medical professional to attend Poe at Gunner's Hall, believed that Poe's condition was a result of drunkenness and his subsequent illness alcohol withdrawal. Other witnesses came forward, saying they'd seen Poe around Baltimore in the days before his collapse going on a "drinking bender." It's entirely plausible, as he had been notorious in his inability to handle alcohol and had thus suffered from bouts of alcoholism throughout his life. However, in the months leading up to his death, Poe had joined a temperance movement, which sought to promote refraining from the consumption of alcohol. In addition, John Moran, the attending physician at the hospital, said he did not believe Poe was drunk nor had he been drinking in the days leading up to his illness. He cited the length of his ailment as well as his slight improvement before ultimately dying as inconsistent with "death by drink." Science lended weight to Moran's opinion; low levels of lead were found in Poe's hair after his death, indicating at least partial sobriety. This didn't stop Snodgrass from using Poe's death to further the temperance movement, of which he was also an active part. For several years afterwards, he gave lectures across the country, blaming Poe's death on binge drinking and furthering the unsubstantiated theory of his demise. 

But, if it wasn't alcohol, what else could it have been?

Some believe Poe was beaten to death by ruffians, either during a robbery attempt or during a case of mistaken identity. Still others believe it may have been carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of the coal gas used for indoor lighting at the time. Others cite high levels of mercury in Poe's system in the months leading up to his death and believe it was heavy metal poisoning. Still other, more common causes--diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, tuberculosis, the flu, even rabies--have been put forth. These theories, however, fail to account for all of the symptoms or circumstances surrounding Poe's surmise.

More sinister speculation has also arisen. Some believe Poe was a victim of "cooping," a method of voter fraud carried out by gangs in the late 19th century. During a coop, thugs would force an unsuspecting victim under threat of violence to vote for a particular candidate multiple times wearing various disguises. Proponents of this theory believe it was no coincidence Poe was discovered in his beleaguered state on Election Day outside a polling place known to be a hot spot for cooping. His ragged clothes and delirious state could have been a result of costume changes as well as the celebratory glass of alcohol given to voters upon casting; if Poe had been committed to temperance, months of abstaining (coupled with his natural inability to handle liquor) could explain his stupor. 

There has also been conjecture that Poe may have been murdered by the brothers of his wealthy fiancée, Elmira Shelton. They believe his "disappearance" was actually a week of hiding after receiving threats during his time in Philadelphia. His second-hand clothes were an attempt at disguise before returning to marry his sweetheart--a marriage that was not to be as, supposedly, the brothers found him anyway and ended the engagement--and Poe's life. 

Photo Credit: Brittanica.com

Each theory surrounding Poe's death carries answers--and more questions. Although some are more believable than others, none of have sufficient weight to definitively close the case on just what transpired in the final days of Edgar Allan Poe. But perhaps it's only fitting for the world's most famous author of the macabre's death to be shrouded in lurid uncertainty.

Jennifer L. Wright grew up wanting to be a reporter, but it only took a few short months of working in journalism for her to abandon those aspirations for fiction writing instead. She loves to reimagine and explore forgotten eras in history, showcasing God's light amidst humanity's darkest days. Her books have won multiple awards, including Golden Scroll and Angel awards. She currently lives in New Mexico with her husband, two kids, a couple of hyperactive dachshunds, and an ever-growing herd of guinea pigs. 

 

The Dutch Resistance During WWII

As they had done during the first world war, at the onset of World War II, the Netherlands declared neutrality. However, on May 10, 1940, Germany bombed Rotterdam, then simultaneously invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg without a formal declaration of war. The royal family fled to London, and the Dutch army fell almost immediately. Five days later the country signed a surrender document.

Martial law was implemented for a short time while the royal family was invited to return, so Germany set up an occupation government. Their approach, referred to as “velvet glove” by several scholars, was to keep repression and economic extraction low in the hope to appease the Dutch people. Reports indicate that there was a high level of collaboration, either by choice or by force.

The day after the invasion the Communist Party of the Netherlands met to organize resistance including

the distribution of leaflets and publication of De Waarheid (The Truth). They also participated in the 1941 February Strike, a country-wide labor strike. Other organized resistance bubbled up slowly, but individuals hid Jews and onderduikers (literally undergrounders-those looking to avoid deportation or avoid arrest), and forged or stole ration and identity cards.

Eventually, the following organizations were founded:

• Raad van Verzet (Council of Resistance): Founded after the strikes in 1943, this group attempted to coordinate all armed resistance. Unsuccessful, they became a separate organization, conducting their own raids, sabotage, and assassinations.
• Naationaal Comite: All initially founded to act as a coordinator of activities, this group was fairly small and composed of high-standing businessmen who gathered, analyzed, and passed on intelligence.
• Landelijke Organisatie voor Hulp aan Onderduikers (National Organization for Helping People in Hiding): Founded in 1942 by Helena Kuipers-Rietberg and Frits Slomp, this highly successful group created an extensive illegal social services network to hide and provide financial support to people in hiding. This group also provided couriers to lead refugees and downed airmen out of the country.
• Landelikje Knokploeg (National Assault Group-literally brawl crew or goon squad): This organization performed sabotage, raids to steal ration cards, and assassinations. There were more than 2,700 members.
• CS-6 (Thought to be named for the address where it was founded): Considered a radical group, CS-6 only had about forty members, but committed at least twenty assassinations, if not more. They targeted high-ranking Dutch collaborators and traitors.
• The Naationaal Steunfunds (National Financial Aid): This group’s primary role was to collect and distribute funds for aid to the onderduikers as well as coordinate relief activities.

Both Reformed and Catholic churches conducted resistance activities: condemning Nazi laws and actions, denounced anti-Semitism, made funds available, and secreted Jews, refugees, downed airmen, and others within their walls.

Britain’s Special Operations Executive also aided the resistance with mixed success. Agents were parachuted into the Netherlands to recruit and train resisters. SOE also provided weapons. Unfortunately, the office in England failed to realize that one of the networks had been infiltrated and over fifty agents were captured and eleven RAF planes shot down over the course of about eighteen months.

_______________

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and

women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII and a former trustee for her local public library. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state and immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Her friend talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, blonde leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000709432.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_resistance

https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/dutch-citizens-resist-nazi-occupation-1940-1945
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-6/dutch-resistance-ambushes-ss-officer-unwittingly
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/jewish-resistance-amsterdam
The Dutch Resistance Revealed by Jos Scharrer, Pen and Sword Military Publishers, 2018

Photos:

Windmill: Pixabay/ Adam Bortnowski

Newspaper: Pixabay/Andrys Stienstra

Church: Pixabay/Kevin Seibel

Agatha Christie - Renowned Mystery Writer... and Surfer?

By Mary Dodge Allen

Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Mystery, and more than a billion copies of her 80 novels, short story collections and plays have been sold. But did you know she was one of the first British women to master the sport of stand-up surfing?

Agatha Christie and a British naval attache named Ashby on Muizenberg Beach, South Africa, 1922

(Christie Archive)

Agatha was introduced to surfing in 1922, while accompanying her husband Archie on a ten-month world tour, promoting the upcoming British Empire Exhibition. The tour included visits to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada.

Agatha and Archie Christie began the world tour in January 1922. They left their young daughter Rosalind home, in the care of Agatha's mother and sister. Agatha took many photographs during the tour, and her frequent letters to her mother, Clarissa Margaret Boehmer, described her travel adventures in detail. Surfing played a large role in these letters.

South Africa - Muizenberg Beach:

In early February, shortly after they arrived in South Africa, Agatha and Archie began learning how to do prone (flat on your stomach) surf board riding at Muizenberg Beach. They enjoyed it so much, they spent much of their free time surfing together. Agatha wrote: 

"The surf boards in South Africa were made of light, thin wood, easy to carry, and one soon got the knack of coming in on the waves. It was occasionally painful as you took a nosedive down into the sand, but on the whole it was an easy sport and great fun."

Hawaii - Waikiki Beach:

Surfers at Waikiki Beach in 1922 (Christie Archive)

When they arrived in Hawaii in August 1922, they were eager to learn stand-up surfing. Agatha borrowed a long wooden surf board belonging to a surfer named Fred. (She chose this board because it bore the name of her beloved father, Frederick Alvah Miller, who died when she was ten years old.)

Agatha Christie with surf board Fred, in her new emerald green bathing dress, 1922

(Christie Archive)

Prone surfing at Muizenberg Beach seemed easy to learn because the waves were gentle and broke close to shore. But at Waikiki, the waves were much larger, and they broke near a reef a long way from shore, which required long distances of paddling. Experienced surfers warned Agatha that finding the right wave to catch would be a challenge. But she learned quickly. She wrote: 

"Even more important, you have to know the wrong wave when it comes, because if that catches you and forces you down to the bottom, heaven help you..."

The first day, Agatha caught the wrong wave and was forced underwater. She swallowed "quarts of salt water" and surfaced, gasping for breath. Even though she emerged bruised and exhausted, she was more determined than ever to master this type of surfing.

Archie and Agatha Christie at Waikiki Beach, 1922 (Christie Archive)

Agatha is wearing her original silk bathing dress.

The second day, the waves tore her long, silk bathing dress off her body. Agatha managed to cover herself and went to the hotel gift shop, where she found a "wonderful, skimpy, emerald green wool bathing dress, which was the joy of my life, and in which I thought I looked remarkably well. Archie thought I did, too."

The Christies moved into a small chalet not far from the beach, and they spent much of their remaining free time learning to surf. The sharp coral cut their feet, so they bought leather boots to wear in the water. And when their skin began blistering from sunburn, they began wearing shirts at the beach.

Agatha Christie relaxing at the chalet, 1922 (Christie Archive)

Over the next several days, Agatha continued practicing. Her arms ached from the repeated paddling to catch each wave, but she persisted, and her skills slowly improved. Then... one day, success! She wrote:

"Starting on my run, I would hoist myself carefully to my knees on the board, and then endeavor to stand up. The first six times, I came to grief... [but] Oh, the moment of complete triumph on the day that I kept my balance and came right into shore standing upright on my board!

"Oh, it was heaven! Nothing like it. Nothing like that rushing through the water at what seems to you a speed of about two hundred miles an hour... until you arrived, gently slowing down, on the beach, and foundered among the soft, flowing waves."

Agatha continued perfecting her surfing skills from August to October 1922. Her surfing accomplishment is even more notable, since stand-up surfing at that time was a male-dominated sport. There were only a few women who preceded her, such as a woman named Nakookoo, who won an 1887 Maui surfing contest. But for many decades after this, surfing remained primarily a man's sport.

The British Empire Exhibition:

Post Card of the British Empire Exhibition Stadium (Public Domain)

Two years after Agatha and Archie Christie returned to Britain, the British Empire Exhibition was held at Wembley Park, London, from April to November 1924 and from May to October 1925. This colonial exhibition was a celebration of the British Empire and its economic achievements and potential. 

Surfing in a Mystery Novel:

Agatha's love of surfing soon found its way into her writing. In her novel, "The Man in the Brown Suit," published in 1924, main character Anne Beddingfeld took up surfing in Cape Town, South Africa, and met with failure. In the novel, Anne said, "Nevertheless, I determined to return on the first possible opportunity and have another go. I would not be beaten... I then got a good run on my board and came out delirious with happiness. Surfing is like that."

Later Life:

Unfortunately, Agatha and Archie Christie's marriage failed a few years after returning from their world tour, and they divorced in 1928.

It isn't known if Agatha Christie continued surfing later in life. But she often attended a writer's retreat on Burgh Island in South Devon, England. And the nearby Bigbury Beach is known as a great place for water sports, including surfing.

You can read more about Agatha and Archie Christie's 1922 world tour in the book, "The Grand Tour: Around the World with The Queen of Mystery," edited by Mathew Prichard.

__________________________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Books

Cheerleading, The History, The Sport

Cheerleading like many sports has some interesting roots. It's not as old as many other sports, and many people have said that cheerleading isn't a sport. But I would have to argue that statement. I coached cheerleading for over fifteen years. The girls I worked with had to be strong, flexible, have the ability to jump high, throw, bend, etc. And they competed in regional and national competitions. They were amazing athletes and worked harder than most because the flier they were throwing 15 feet in the air trusted them with her life.

So, now that we have established that cheerleading IS a sport, let's get back to the history of it. It is speculated that 'cheering' or encouraging participants by yelling in sports has been around since the early Olympics in Greece. Although, there is no written documents stating as much it is assumed that the people did cheer the athletes on. 

Cheerleading became a 'thing' in the late 19th century. Princeton was the first school attributed to a type of cheerleader. They had Princeton Cheer. They had areas designated for the cheer and students as well as the athletes would yell and cheer their team on, not necessarily in unison. 

It was a young man by the name of Johnny Campbell that is attributed to starting cheerleading as we know it today. Campbell, a student at the University of Minnesota, got up from his seat and lead the other students in a chant that is still used today in one manner or another.

Rah, Rah, Rah!
Ski-u-mah!
Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah!
Varsity! Varsity! Varsity,
Minn-e-So-Tah!

With that, November 2, 1898, became the birthday of cheerleading. Other schools quickly saw success in the organized yelling and cheering the teams on and followed suit, thus birthing the beginning of a sport that continues to evolve today.

Cheerleaders were originally all male. It wasn't until World War II, when so many of our young men were halfway around the world, fighting a war that young women stepped into yet another vacancy left by our fighting soldiers. And like so many other jobs, when the boys came back from war, they found women weren't going to give up their newfound sport, and co-ed cheering began. 

But as the years passed jumping in unison as well as doing hand motions became a part of the cheering platform. in the 20th century we started seeing stunts and some tumbling. But as progression continued in the 21st century, a cheerleader not only has to be able to lead a crowd, have rhythm, yell in unison, dance, tumble, and be strong enough to lift one to two other girls above her head, but she also has to do it with a smile on her face and look like it is effortless. 

By Orcsos 17 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58417899

By Johnharrison1995 - Own work, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29719243

Giving a yell out for all those cheerleaders out there past and present. 

He couldn’t very well hear God if he wasn’t listening. He needed to lay his life before God and let him direct it instead of trying to manipulate things to his liking.

Kirsten Macleod is in a bind. Her father’s last will and testament stipulates that she must either marry, lead the plantation into a first-year profit, or forfeit it to her uncle. But marriage is proving no easy option. Every suitor seems more enamored with the land than with her. Until her handsome neighbor sweeps into her stable to the rescue… of her beloved horse.

Silas Westbrook’s last year at veterinary school ends abruptly when he is called home to care for his young orphaned sisters. Troubles compound when he finds an insurmountable lien on the only home they’ve ever known, and the unscrupulous banker is calling in the loan. The neighbor’s kind-hearted and beautiful stable girl, Krissy, provides the feminine influence the girls desperately need. If only he had a future to offer her. But to save his sisters from poverty, he should set his sights on Krissy’s wealthy relative Kirsten Macleod, the elusive new heiress. Surely this hard-working and unassuming young lady and the landowner could not be one and the same?

Debbie Lynne Costello is the author of Sword of Forgiveness, Amazon's #1 seller for Historical Christian Romance. She has enjoyed writing stories since she was eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She writes in the medieval/renaissance period as well as 19th century. She and her husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina with their 4 dogs, 4 horses, miniature donkey, and 12 ducks. Life is good!

Do You Sea?

My husband and I traveled to Isle of Palms, South Carolina, for a much-needed bit of respite. We did not fully escape as his mom visited the hospital while we were gone. We still handled family affairs on both sides from afar. And yet, we relished long walks on the beach in addition to extended periods of sitting and listening to the waves. Hard to unwind at the beginning of the trip, my mind galloped. Funny what thoughts pervaded as these phrases surfaced:

Be still

You get out what you put in

Seize the day

While these phrases battle one another somewhat, there is something to be gleaned from each of the three above. As the world turns, some of the younger generations hear these platitudes from those who have more experience and perhaps wisdom. The words tend to rattle in nimble brains attempting to take hold. Yet not until later years do individuals possibly grasp the deepest meanings. Then inevitably, they wish they yielded the tenants sooner. Such is the cycle. At least in my personal frame of reference and in observing those around me. And so, as the sages before me, I attempt to impart upon the next. I hope to save someone from loss, frustration, or missing out on what could have been – a whole lot sooner.

During many of the quiet moments on the beach that followed, I wondered as I often do, who sat and listened here before me? Who found this place? How did this specific spot evolve into the sought after location that exists today?

Dear lovers of history, might I share that life can be infinitely richer when we know whose we are and pause to reflect and absorb where we are. Be still. We might not have time to do this on the regular. When we do allow ourselves the opportunity, experiences deepen. You get out what you put in. I mentioned in prior posts how I considered who strolled amongst the ancient trees over the years. Who stepped on the worn stone stairs in the narrow, dim corridors. Who sat in the creaky pews or on the hard benches to listen to messages. Who prayed while watching light dance through vibrant stained glass. Wonder and awe. Part of the reason I adore traveling.

On a quest for the earliest accounts of what was once called Hunting Island and after named Long Island, I discovered that the Sewee, or “Islanders” were Native Americans who inhabited this stretch of beach. In the accounts I read the Sewee offered lessons on local agriculture to the English. Welcoming and forthcoming, these people shared what they knew and possessed. As always, my heart hurt as I learned of the outcome for these giving souls. Many succumbed to smallpox. A large contingent of their men sought to traverse the waters to England for trade and perished at sea. Some believe foreigners sold a large number into the slave trade. Eventually, history stopped recording the Sewee people entirely. Can you imagine? Gone.

What was life like for the Sewee before the English landed ashore? Without the benefit of a weather channel or app reporting on the latest storms approaching the coastline, how did they prepare? Or did they? What did they eat? What did they believe? We may never know.

In 1696, Thomas Holton acquired the title for Long Island. Other than Holton, the island remained under the radar. Some hunting and fishing parties landed on the sandy beaches through the mid-18th century.

During the American Revolution, the British General Sir Henry Clinton landed his 2,500 troops on the northern end, (now known as Wild Dunes). He and his soldiers hoped to attack Fort Sullivan, but efforts were thwarted by rough currents and American troops of William Thompson. This kerfuffle contributed to General William Moultrie’s later defeat of the British. 

The first summer residence for a family was constructed in 1897. This spurred others to build. At the time, row boats provided transportation from the mainland. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, transportation evolved to include ferry boats and trolleys. The initial railways offered rather unstable rides as the rails shifted in sand.

Did you know the Ferris wheel created for the Chicago World's Fair of 1892 thrilled residents and visitors on the Isle of Palms as early as 1912? A hotel, beach pavilion, and dance hall provided entertainment. The hard packed beach offered a racetrack for horseless carriages (automobiles). Later, in addition to growth and construction mid-twentieth century, developer J.C. Long offered housing at lower costs to veterans returning from World War II. The island continued to grow as it gained full time residents. 

Automobile use on beaches was outlawed in 1953. That same year the longest fishing pier in South Carolina opened, replete with snack bar, sinks for cleaning fish, and restrooms.

By the 1970s the IOP reigned as a popular tourist destination. Even today, this stretch of pristine white beaches provides residents and visitors with a peaceful alternative to the party locales in other areas. Family friendly, alcohol is prohibited, automobiles are not allowed, and turtles are protected. Today home values skyrocket. Just over 4,300 people live permanently on this pleasant island, while records indicate 20,000 visitors per day. Incidentally, my best friend and I traveled here with our respective families for years before we even knew each other. It is one of the top family friendly beaches in the south. 

Seize the day. What can you visit and do on and around IOP today? What historical sights and sounds exist near the area? I hope to discover more on my next visit this month. Perhaps I will have new highlights to share in November.

If you are interested in learning, read this nifty article of Isle of Palms Firsts. 

Have you visited IOP? What is your favorite beach?

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 130 Plans, in 44 languages on the Bible.com app.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a grad student. If it were up to Rebecca, she would be traveling - right now. First up, trips to see their two grown sons. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, she tackles the craft of fiction while learning from a host of generous writers. 

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