Mary Wright: 

Mary Wright, 204 W. Fourth St., Born August 1, 1865.

“I was born at Gracey, Kentucky on Mr. James Colemans far, in a log cabin wid a dirt floor en a stick chimney.

“Folks uster weat wat dey calls a “Polanaise”.  Hid wat kinder like a wrapper made of calico made wid tight in de waist en wide in de bottom.  Den I’ve remembers de basque waist on de over skirts dese war made real tight waists wid a point in de back en ober de stomach.  De skirt wer real full dem a skirt ober dis ter de knees wid a big pucker on de hips.”

“My Mammy bound me out to Miss Puss Graham ter learn ter work, foh my vittals en cloes.  Miss Puss gave me a pair of red morocco shoes en I was made so happy, I’se neber fohgot dese shoes.

“I heard my Mammy talk of “De Nigger Risin”.  De Klu Klux uster stick de niggers head on er stake alongside de Cadiz road en dar de buzzards would eat them till nuthin’ was left but de bones.  Dar war a sign on dis stake dat said “Look out Nigger You are next”.  Us chilluns would not go far way from dat cabin.  I’se tells you dat is so.  I jes knowed dat dis Ku Klux would do dat to us sho if weuns had been catched.

“I remember wen Hopkinsville had jest a few stores en ole jew by name of Shyer bought bones an iron en rags.  Once us chilluns found some bones on de creek bank en took dem things and wanted ter sell dem to Mr. Shyer en he said ’take dem things way dey stink, dey aint cured up yet.  Bury dem things den bring dem back to me.  Us Chilluns bed a hard time gittin home cause we stunk so bad.’

“I remember wen we uster hev big time quilting on dem days we sho had a big time fore we start in de morning wid a water melon feast, den weuns quilt erwhile den a big dinner war spread out den after dinner we’d quilt in the evening den supper and a big dance dat night, wid de banjo a humming en us niggers a dancing, “Oh, Lawdy wat good days dem war.”

“Wen we were young we uster hev parties called “Dideoos”, de banjo would play en den de girls would line up on one side of de cabin en de boys on de tother side while the folks war a clappin en er playing why de boys en girls wuld choose dar parrners den weuns sing: 

  “Ole Brer Rabbit,
  Shake it, shake it,
  How I love you,
  Shake it, shake it.

I’d ruther play dat game dan to eat.”

“We uster tap maple trees en hev big gathering foh ter make maple sugar dat war while I lived at Gracey.

“De stage coach day war big days, wen de stage coach war a comin thru why us little niggers would try ter keep up wid de horses en run erlong side de coach en sometimes a man or woman would drop us a penny den dar was sho a scramble.”

“I remember wen we uster wash cloes wid a paddle.  You wet dese cloes en put soft soap in dem, the soap war made outer ash lye en grease den dese cloes war spread on a smooth stump an beat wid paddles till dey war clean.  Den come de wooden wash board, hit war jes a piece of wood wid rough places or ridges chiseled in hit.  Wen we uster wash quilts we uster cyt a nikasses varrek ubter eb dat made de tub deb my Mammy would put water in dese tubs den soft soap de quilts den us chilluns would git in de tubs in our Bare foots en tromp de dirt out.”