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| Old timey loggers using a crosscut saw and ax. |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Woodcutting memories told” was originally
published in the Dec. 11, 1997 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville,
Ala.)
As the chilly days of winter gathers on the horizon, many
memories come to mind about growing up in a rural farm community. As the last
of the crops were brought out of the fields, there were other things that had
to be looked at also. One of these was the gathering and cutting of firewood
for the coming winters months.
During this time when living in the country, one didn’t just
go over and turn up the thermostat and within a few minutes the whole house was
comfortable and warm. Getting the house warm was an ongoing affair; the fires
had to be built in the large stone fireplace and periodically fresh wood had to
be added to the glowing coals to keep the temperature up there in the room
where the fireplace was located. If there should be a second fireplace in the
house, keeping a fire in it was much less important than the large one located
in the big room.
Cutting and splitting the wood for the coming cold weather
was most times a community affair. The men and boys of the farm community would
get together and “swap time” with the wood cutting. Six or eight men and boys
could cut a considerable amount of firewood in a day’s time if they put their
mind to it. And, it was good community relationship to have a country wood
cutting, and was also quite helpful for the elderly in the area and the less
fortunate.
The wood cutting period would last about 10 or 12 days there
in the local farm community. The trees that were to be cut for wood had been
selected some time before. These were selected because of their straightness
and belief that they would split easy. Oak and pine were the choice for most of
the wood, although some hickory would be cut that would be used in making fires
for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas night when a glowing fire
would be needed there in the fireplace for a long period of time.
The day for cutting wood would start quite early in the
morning. Axes and crosscut saws would be brought to the location in the early
hours. Before any cutting was done, my father, who was one of the best saw and
ax sharpeners in the county, would inspect all the tools for the wood cutting.
After he decided that the crosscut saws were aligned right and the axes were
sharp enough, the work would begin.
Always, once the tree had been cut down, contests of various
sorts would take place. There were those who were better than others with an
ax. These would do the splitting while the others would do the cutting with the
crosscut saw. Always, there would be a contest as to who could last the longest
on the handle of the crosscut. And, as each took their turn and they were
relieved on the saw, the glowing bed of coals nearby would always be the next
stop for that tin cup of strong hot coffee that sizzled in the large tin coffee
pot nestled on the glowing hot coals. And always, from out of nowhere would
appear a couple of flat tin pans of thin baked crackling bread. It seemed that
my darling mother had baked the delicious crackling bread the night before the
wood cutting. All that had to be done was to place the pan on the hot bed of
coals for just a few minutes and the delicious crackling bread was already to
be tasted.
Most times, if all was going well, the wood cutting would be
discontinued for the lunch hour. Most everyone would hasten home for the noon
meal except my father, who would quickly file the saw and sharpen the axes for
the afternoon sawing and wood splitting. His lunch would be sent down from the
house in the homemade basket. Most times, this small boy would choose to stay
with his father and share the wonderful meal that my darling mother had
prepared for the two of us. Always, there would be three or four delicious tea
cakes or apple tarts to finish the meal on. And usually another pan of the
wonderful crackling bread would accompany the lunch basket sent from the house.
After lunch, the serious work would really get underway. All
knew that as much as could be done had to be finished before sundown. Usually,
two or three large oaks would be sawed up and split before the day was finished.
Freshly cut oak wood would be piled neatly around the area where the large oak
trees had once stood. All that was needed now was for the fresh cut firewood to
be hauled to the house; this could be done almost any time.
As the wood cutting began to wind down, wood was added to
the fire nearby. Fresh coffee had begun to brew and someone had come from the
house with a basket filled with fresh teacakes along with several pieces of
peanut candy. The tin cups were passed around and each selected whatever
goodies they wanted with their coffee. Each would select a piece of wood to sit
on and they would gather around the fire for an hour or so of tale telling and
catching up on the latest news.
As the sun slowly began to settle behind the timber line,
plans had already been made as to where the next wood cutting would be and the
day on which it would take place. Any leftovers of the crackling bread or the
teacakes were offered to any that could eat them.
Finally, the fire was put out, and the wood cutting was
over. Goodbyes were said and a tired group of men and boys went their separate
ways for an evening by the fire place and some time with the family. And, a
tired and worn out young boy followed behind eating what was left of the
teacakes and peanut candy and looking forward to another day of cutting wood
and swapping work.
Where many were, but few remain
Of old familiar things,
But seeing them to mind again
The lost and absent brings.
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances
Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in
Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a
U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand,
lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964
and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from
June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks
to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe
County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe
Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that
appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared
in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in Pineville
Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns
are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County
Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week
for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work
and memory alive.)
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