Puttin' on my Winter Coat

Halloween is over, and that brings me to one of my favorite days of the year.

Forget Black Friday, I’m talking about the day after Halloween when all the Halloween candy goes on sale. I hit WalMart early on Saturday morning, November 1, and the shelves were picked clean. A flock of vultures couldn’t have picked it cleaner. I thought my dreams of chocolate laden goodness were going to be dashed for another year, but then as an afterthought, I figgered I’d try Target. I hit pay dirt there. They had aisles and aisles of discounted confections. I got KitKats, I got Snickers with Almonds, I got Reese’s Cups…all at 50% off! I really stocked up. I even wrestled an elderly lady for the last bag of Twix bars. I did it for her own good, she looked borderline diabetic to me. Okay, that last part wasn’t true but I would’ve if it had come to that. Shirley told me I had a crazed look in my eye!!

I’d like to say I’m going to share this with my friends and family, but if I said that, I’d be lying. I even have to suppress the growls and fang-bearing whenever Shirley asks me for a Heath bar! I know, I’ll make myself sick, but I can’t help it, it is a sickness. Seldom do the elements of life so align themselves with the forces of good, I mean, how often can you get a mountain of candy at discounted prices?

So for the next few days, I’m gonna eat and eat and eat some more, and maybe add to my “winter coat” as they refer to the extra fat that we put on for the upcoming lean winter months. So, don’t you all out there be coveting my candy bars, or I’ll cyber-growl at you.

Don't Forget To Grease Your Corners

Back when I was growing up on the mountain, there was a great fear of witches getting into people's barns at Halloween. If a witch got in your barn, they could injure your livestock or otherwise vex the animals. This may include killing an animal outright, or it could mean giving the livestock a disease or infecting a wound. There were reports of witched milk cows giving spoiled or bloody milk for weeks afterward. Pretty much anything was fair game for witches when it came to inflict misery on livestock. Aside from Hex signs and rotas-sator squares, many farmers took to providing added protection against this witchery.

The only way to remove a hex from livestock was to get a good witch to counter the spell, but this may include destroying the animal. I remember my Grandmaw Mary telling of a story about a milk cow that had been witched, and gave bloody milk. She said that the hex also was spread to other livestock, and the farmer was forced to consult a good witch about the problem. This good witches last name was Moats and he lived over around Franklin. Anyway, the first animal that was hexed was identified, and Mr. Moats instructed the cow to be destroyed by fire, and Granny said that he said a few "witch words" while the cow was being killed. The carcass was then burned, and Mr. Moats said whoever witched this animal would be known to the community because he or she would have burns all over their body, because he had put the spell back on them. Sure enough, a few days later, a man was seen in the community who was covered with burns all over his body. The man tried to say that his stove blew up on him, but everyone after that knew that he was an evil witch.

So you can see the importance of protecting your home, barn, livestock and family from the evil influences of witchery. To ward off this trouble, a ladder was placed against the barn's wall on the day of Halloween. This ladder was used to reach the highest reaches of a barn and a coarse brush would be used to liberally apply grease to every inch of every corner in the barn. This was because folklore dictated that a witch could only enter a barn by way of a corner. By greasing every corner of a barn, it was believed that when a witch would come flying in on a broomstick, they would be deflected when they would hit this grease, and thus would not be able to enter the barn to vex the animals.

So, if anyone out there has a barn, be sure to grease your corners to protect your livestock. You never can be too careful when it comes to witches bent on doing you harm.

For added protection at your home, lay a broom on the floor across every door to your home. A witch cannot cross a broom that is laid down, and if someone picks it up and tries to enter, you will immediately be able to identify the witch. Also, you could place a rotas-sator square in the highest point of your home for added protection.

And remember, not all witches are bad!!!!

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As an afterthought, perhaps some of you don't know what a rotas-sator square is, well here is a link to wikipedia with information and a photo of a rotas-sator square:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sator_Arepo_Tenet_Opera_Rotas

A Strange Animal

The Grant County Press
28 January 1932
Front page story

A Strange Animal

Joe Foley, Jr., Ralph Tate and Otto Kessel, while hunting coon near Lahmansville one night last week, treed what they first thought was a coon. One of the boys climbed the tree to shake it out and found a new species of animal for this country. They got a gun and shot it.

Will Veach, who has been handling furs for years says he never before saw anything like it, nor have any of our old hunters. It was about the size of a gray fox. Its mouth had no teeth other than two tusks above and two below. The outer fur was a dark mahogany and near the flesh it was white. The fur, of fine quality, was about one inch long. It has a foot something like a fox, but has only four claws. It also has a head resembling a fox. It can be seen at Joe Foley’s home.

Superstitions

Growing up on the mountain, superstitions played an important role in how we were raised. Some or most of these superstitions have been handed down for generations from my ancestors who came from the old country. I know some of them are from my German ancestors, but probably some of them came from my ancestors from Scotland as well. I remember us kids listened intently as we were told this and that, and how we’d better do these things or else some sort of misfortune would befall us. My grandmaw Mary was adamant in her belief in these old superstitions. In keeping with the season, here is a short list of superstitions that I remember about ghosts and death.

When two people of the same name live in a house, ghosts will stay away.

Never carry an axe or hoe into a house, it means death.

Ghosts hate new things. If you have a persistent ghost, hang something new over your door.

A baby born at midnight will have the power to see and talk to ghosts.

If a rooster crows after dark, it is a sure sign that death is in the neighborhood.

Death always travels in three’s—if a person dies in your community, there will soon be two more to follow.

A ghost will beat on the wall of a house if someone therein is about to die.

Ghosts enjoy hearing people sing and will gather from afar to listen.

Christmas Eve is a favorite time for ghosts to walk the Earth.

Wind chimes will call up the dead.

Horses and Pigs can see death and ghosts.

If a bird comes inside your house, it is a sign that death will soon befall the household.

If someone see’s a ghost, look over their left shoulder and you will be able to see that ghost too.

Never let a swing stop on its own. Stop it yourself or someone you care about will die.

After someone dies, their pictures begin to fade.

If a dog howls while looking at the ground, he senses death is very near.

If three people look in the same mirror at the same time, the youngest of the three will soon die.

Graveyards at night are peaceful places to visit at night if you are quiet. But if you talk, you will be haunted for a week.

Don’t walk on someone’s grave or else you will be haunted by their ghost.

Don’t pick up a broom that is laid over a doorway. If you do, it is a sign that you are a witch or that you have been witched.

Bury your hair after you cut it, if you don’t and the birds pick it up, you will have headaches for months afterward. You can also be witched if your hair falls into the wrong hands.

A Star Quilt on your bed will protect you from evil spirits.

Clocks in a house will stop at the exact moment of death of someone in that household. If clocks do not stop, you must stop them or else the spirit will remain in that house.

I’m sure there are many more of these superstitions that I am just not thinking of at the moment. Do any of you all out there know of any other superstitions? I’d love to hear them.

The Snallygaster

Below is an essay written by my brother, Jason Burns, about the Snallygaster. I assisted Jason in researching this topic. I kept finding mention of the Snollygaster/Snallygaster/Snoligaster whenever I looked through old local news items in The Pendleton Times newspaper. Growing up, I'd always heard about the Snollygaster but never did pay much attention to it, so I kept telling Jason about these stories I was finding in the old newspapers. He took it upon himself to do alot of research and then he wrote the following essay on The Snallygaster.

My brother, Jason, is a member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild who specializes in ghost stories, monsters and supernatural legends of West Virginia & Appalachia. He has collected & documented a ghost story from every county in WV, and has several dozen monsters from around the state as well. If anyone is interested, Jason is now booking speaking engagements/parties for 2009. In 2008, he was a finalist for the "Governor's Arts Award for Appalachian Folklore", given annually by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. You can find out more about him on his website, West Virginia Spectral Heritage.

The Snallygaster by R. Jason Burns

The Snallygaster is a monstrous beast whose rampages were recorded in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia starting in 1735. The reports of a bloodsucking dragon-like beast with wings, claws, tentacles, fur, horns, and a long reptilian tail continued into the mid 1970s. In addition, the Snallygaster had only one eye in the middle of its head and had a horrible sulfuric smell. A group of lumberjacks also claimed to have come upon the Snallygaster’s nest, which was perched on a high cliff and contained an egg “big enough to hatch a horse”. Often accompanied by its signature bloodcurdling roar, the beast attacked people, pets, and livestock in the aforementioned states. The Snallygaster’s rampage was so prolific and terrifying that it attracted the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who allegedly planned to kill and mount the beast for display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.



The beast got its name from German immigrants who settled in the region. “Snallygaster” is a corruption of the German word “schnellgeiste” which means “quick spirit”. The Snallygaster evidently had many frightening attributes, which included its dragon wings, poison breath, toothy beak, tentacles, and its penchant for sucking blood. The monster is said to have been one of the reasons behind the “seven pointed stars” and hex signs that were painted on barns and houses in the area. Apparently these worked as magical charms that kept the Snallygaster away.

In Pendleton County, WV, the beast’s rampage lasted from 1935 to 1941. Its first appearance was reported in the Hopewell section of the Pendleton Times newspaper in March of 1935. Hopewell is a tiny community near the Bland Hills in the North Fork area of the Germany Valley, near a holler named Monkeytown. According to the newspaper article, the Snallygaster was terrorizing the family of Kennie Bland on March 1, 1935. Bland was “left high in the air” by the monster, presumably referring to Bland being treed by the beast.

Two months later the Snallygaster was again noticed in Hopewell. This time the beast reportedly roared and “snarled” on May 10, 1935. That day being Sunday, the locals stated that the beast was attempting to prey upon those who were less than pious. The Snallygaster also allegedly spewed forth a “poison vapor” wherever it went. However, it did not attack anyone that night, because all those who witnessed it stayed inside their homes until it departed.

Following these two occurrences, the Snallygaster was not seen in Hopewell for nearly six years. Presumably it had moved into another area of the country, probably terrorizing people in Maryland or Pennsylvania. However, the beast returned to the Hopewell community on St. Valentine’s Day, 1941. Apparently the beast had been spotted in the area prior to that report. “Old Dog Blue”, a hound that had been paralyzed through a previous battle with the Snallygaster, first noticed the beast in the area and set up a howling chorus to warn the neighborhood of its approach. The people of the town escaped to the safety of their homes, but not before they witnessed the Snallygaster’s large “fiery” eyes, large tail, and monstrous-sized teeth.

The beast’s last recorded appearance in the Hopewell community was recorded on July 11, 1941. Apparently it came upon the town rather quickly, surprising the populous and causing them to run for any safety they could find. The people were able to find shelter in homes and other places, and all of them survived except for Old Dog Blue, who was last seen trying to evade the Snallygaster.

The Snoligaster was not reported until June the next year. On June 29, 1945, the Pendleton Times reported “the howl of the dreadful Snoligaster” was heard in the Hopewell community again. The dogs of the area, hearing its scream, hid from the beast in any place they could. One dog was deaf, however, and was killed by the Snoligaster because he did not hear it. Some local women hid in their attic to get away from the Snoligaster, but one lady was so scared that she fell into the slop barrel. She was rescued by her husband and they sought safety together. Then suddenly the Snoligaster tale took a turn. It seemed to be breeding.

In April, 1946, a coon hunter in Doddridge County found what was thought to be a Snoligaster cub. The hunter dug it out of a hole in the ground after seeing his dog retreat from it. The animal, still living, was examined by a group that included two Salem College professors and a representative from the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The Snallygaster cub was about the size of a half-grown rat, and it was colored light blue with a light yellow face. Its eyes were close together and near the end of the nose, its ears were attached low on its head near the jaw line, and it had cat-like claws. In addition, it was covered in a fine-textured fur. The group decided to raise the cub to see what it turned out to be, but whether or not they succeeded is unknown. Later that same month, the Pendleton Times reported that the towns of Hopewell and Monkeytown were in the process of installing electric lights, and when that occurred the Snoligaster would probably “wind his way into darker corners” in order to prey upon the area’s population. Whether it was the electric lights or not, the Snoligaster was not reported in the area news again.

Events related to the life of the Snallygaster continued, however. In the 1960s, the Pepsi Company paid tribute to the beast when it introduced a drink named “The Snallygaster”, which was composed of Mountain Dew and vanilla ice cream. The last event in the long, frightening history of the Snallygaster was in 1976, when the Washington Post funded an expedition to find the beast. Nothing was ever found – no eggs, tracks, or any other evidence. Despite this, the state of Maryland placed the Snallygaster on the Endangered Species list in 1982.

Bibliography:

Wikipedia Online. 2006 Edition.

The Pendleton Times, Franklin, WV. March 1, 1935; May 10, 1935; February 14, 1941; July 11, 1941; and April 5 & 12, 1946.

Timothy L. Cannon and Nancy F. Whitmore, Ghosts and Legends of Frederick County. Sept 1979.

Hooper, Anne B. (1974). Braddock Heights: A Glance Backward. Great Southern Printing Co. p. 71-72.

The Valley Register, Middletown, MD. February 12—March 5, 1909

An Award

Today, this blog received a Fabulous Fall Decor Award given by Marie, the Tile Lady over at the "A Colorful World" blog. I'm just tickled pink that someone likes this blog enough to think of it when they are giving out awards. That means a lot to me.

When I first started this blog a few months ago, I had the hope that folks out there would find my stories of interest. I really didn't know what to expect, I had never written anything before, but everyone I talked to kept saying they loved my stories. Finally, one day after reading the Granny Sue's News & Reviews blog, I was inspired to start my own blog. Since that time, I've met many good people out there in cyberland, and I treasure each and every one of you. I especially appreciate those of you who make regular stops by this blog to sit a spell and to chew the fat with me. I've learned a lot about myself too, while blogging with y'all. I've discovered that I like poetry...reading it, writing it...I never would have guessed it.

I always like to see how different folks react to my stories, your comments and feedback really give me a reason to continue this blog. Like a conversation with an old friend, you never know what may come up in conversation. Countless are the times a comment of left on here has triggered another story that was buried in the recesses of my mind.

If I were to choose a few blogs that I'd like to receive this award (as I'm told is the custom when you receive this award), I'd be hard to narrow it down. So many of y'all out there are just so darn good at this blogging thing. I reckon if I had to here's who & why I would give this award:

1- Granny Sue's News & Reviews--This blog started it all for me. The Granny always has something cookin' over at The Review. You just gotta love the Granny.

2-Chickens in the Road--I just find this blog hilarious. Read about how Clover the Goat seems to stay aloof of the petty squabbles (most of which are caused by Clover) on Suzanne's farmstead. It get's pretty funny, especially when Clover is forced to wear a bonnet.

3-The Blind Pig & The Acorn--This absolutely fantastic blog is complete with mountain music, life and family and it is a daily destination for me. Stop by and become one of Tipper's acorns.

4-Writing In The Blackberry Patch--Even the name of this blog conjures up visions of a summer afternoon in the berry patch. Janet always has something interesting on this blog. Also a daily favorite of mine.

5-From the Mind of Jason--Kind of obligated with this one, it is my brother's blog. Can you sense the sibling rivalry? (laughs). Seriously though, Jason does a really good job with this blog, and I like seeing his take on many of the same memories that I have. Jason just bought a house so he's been occupied elsewhere recently, but there are many stories on his blog that you all may like.

So Thank You, The Tile Lady, for giving me this award. I'll do my best to keep this blog new and fresh, and to conjure up unique visions of lifestyles in Appalachia.

UFO's Over Pendleton County

The Pendleton Times,

Thursday, February 16, 1967

Are They Flying Saucers?
Unidentified Flying Objects Sighted Over Pendleton

Two unidentified flying objects were observed in the sky over the Reeds Creek area of Pendleton County approximately 12 miles north of Franklin Monday afternoon.

The two objects were observed by Mr. and Mrs. Carson Waggy of Reeds Creek for several minutes, and one of the objects was sighted by Mrs. Reed Waggy, also of Reeds Creek, just before it disappeared from sight.

Mr. and Mrs. Waggy described one of the objects as having a conical shape similar to an ice cream cone or a dunce’s cap. It was circular and tapered up to a point and was flat on the bottom. The other object was shaped like a dinner plate with a section broken out of it. It was circular around about three-quarters of its circumference with an indention in one side of it.

The objects were described as having an aluminum color and being very bright in the sunshine. They made no noise.

Carson Waggy said he sighted the objects when he looked up into an apple tree on his Reeds Creek farm which he had just finished pruning to make sure he had not overlooked any limbs that needed trimming. It was about 4:15 p.m.

He called to his wife who was at a nearby barn milking a cow and directed her attention to the objects. She glanced up and sighting the objects, she said, “Why are they hanging over our alfalfa field?”

Mr. Waggy said the conically shaped object appeared to be hovering in pretty much the same position. He said the odd-shaped object was spinning around and it would move away from the other object and then return to it. He said it did this three or four times while he and his wife watched them.

[Illegible due to sticker]

Mrs. Waggy said that when the conically shaped object would turn over on its side they could see that it tapered up to a point. She said it reminded her somewhat of a gourd with an elongated stem.

Mr. and Mrs. Waggy watched the objects for several minutes and then Mr. Waggy jumped into his pickup truck and drove down the road to his brother’s house a half-mile away to inform him of the strange craft. Upon informing his sister-in-law, Mrs. Reed Waggy, of the objects, she ran into the house to get a pair of binoculars. She returned just in time to get a glimpse of the conically shaped object as it disappeared over the mountain.

Mr. Waggy said one of the most amazing things about the objects was the speed at which they left. He said they hovered around in a relatively fixed position for several minutes, and then they left in a terrific burst of speed in an easterly direction.