The Old Homestead (Cherokee Village, Arkansas)
By Laurene Gilleland Day

Note: These memories of rural life in Depression-era Arkansas were written down by my father's sister, Laurene Gilleland Day (Aunt Laurie), in April, 1984. After the divorce of her parents, Aunt Laurie stayed for a time with her mother (remarried to Fred Boehl) on a farm near Hardy, Arkansas. This was obviously a difficult and unwelcome change of circumstances for my aunt, who was accustomed to a comfortable life in China with her father (employed there by Anderson Brothers). Michael Gilleland

The first time I saw the Boehl farm, consisting of 120 acres, was shortly after spending 6 years in China. To say that I was appalled is putting it mildly. I had never lived on a farm (and hopefully never will), but what was probably commonplace to farmers in the area, was poverty in its most extreme form to me. This was in 1932, coming out of the Great Depression.

We left Hardy, Arkansas, down a main farm-to-market road, and turned off about 8 miles, which took us down a lane with trees on both sides. A rock fence extended for some distance as we approached the farm gate.

The exterior of the house is native rock with a tin roof. As I recall, a giant catalpa tree grew at the kitchen entrance. The kitchen had windows and screens on three sides.

The kitchen floor was of flat rock, as was the living great room. There were huge beams the length of the kitchen, and screens with fruit were placed on the beams to dry at harvest time, then stacked for winter use, for fried apple pies, etc. The only heat was the huge range that burned wood, at the end of the kitchen, and a warming oven above, for setting bread to rise, an oven for baking, and a reservoir for hot water.

All bread, butter, buttermilk, apple butter, peach butter, mincemeat, eggs, pork, milk, cream, lard, and molasses were produced on the farm. Only flour, coffee, and staples were purchased. A huge garden produced potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, onions, pumpkins, (canned for pies), tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, corn, etc. Butter and milk were lowered in a bucket down into a well where they were kept cool. A "yeast starter" was kept in a jar for breads, usually 4 to 6 loaves baked at a time.

Cornbread or biscuits were made every day. They also had their own bees for honey. Fish were caught out of the Spring River when time permitted. Fried rabbit and stewed squirrel with dumplings (the Civil War flat type) were often on the menu. My mother made her own cottage cheese, and they had their own salt pork and fresh bacon.

Many times we would have what we called "dough balls," which were actually English muffins, fried on top of the range. Pork chops, cream gravy, and hot biscuits with fried potatoes were not uncommon for breakfast, as well as fried chicken.

Of course, gooseberry jelly, strawberry, peach, and blackberry jams were always put up in summers along with canned vegetables, peaches, pears, plums, and grape jelly. The orchard produced beautiful fruit, and the select peaches etc. were sold to tourists from Memphis.

The fireplace was huge and would hold a log long enough to last all night. Kerosene lamps were used. During the long winter months, quilts were pieced and quilted, tea towels from flour and sugar sacks were embroidered, rugs braided, and my mother crocheted a lot.

Trips to town for tobacco for Fred and staples were made by wagon and team. Popcorn was grown on the farm, and Fred made wine from blackberries, etc.

Bedrooms were in the loft, and later Eugene, my brother, put a large room off the kitchen, from native lumber, for additional sleeping area when we visited.

There was a nice creek or spring where all the kids learned to swim. Clothes were washed outside, where water was heated on an open fire in a large kettle. Homemade lye soap was used, with a wash tub and was board. Irons were heated on the range. A tin or enamel basin, with a pail of water on a bence and a roller huck towel, were used for "washing up." We sat in a tub of hot water in the kitchen for baths.

A big tea kettle was always hissing on the back of the range, as well as hot water from the reservoir. Fred was a German from Iowa and preferred coffee to tea.

My mother made dill pickles, sweet pickles, kraut, green tomato pickles, relishes, and catsup. They grew peanuts and made their own peanut butter. There was also an abundance of various kinds of nuts on the farm.

How we strive to preserve the old times, which was hard work and "living off the land" back then. Always a lonely life, it seemed to me -- unbearable!! So now all that remains is what you see -- the orchard is gone and only a shell remains of the old homestead. I guess farmers are born, not made! So much for homesteading in the Ozarks.