“Dem bricklayers made all de bricks out of de red clay what dey had right dar on most all de plantations, and de blacksmith he had to make all de iron bars and cranes for de chimblies and fireplaces.  He had to make de plow points too and keep de farm tools all fixed up.  Sometimes at night dey slipped off de place to go out and wuk for money, a-fixin’ chimblies and buildin’ things, but dey better not let demselves git cotched.

“Mammy wove de cloth for our clothes and de white folkses had ’em made up.  Quilts and all de bed-clothes wuz made out of homespun cloth.

“De fus’ Sadday atter Easter wuz allus a holiday for de slaves.  Us wuz proud of dat day ‘cause dat wuz de onlies’ day in de year a Nigger could do ‘zactly what he pleased.  Dey could go huntin’, fishin’ or visitin’, but most of ’em used it to put in a good days wuk on de land what Marster ’lowed ’em to use for deyselves.  Some of ’em come to Athens and help lay bricks on a new buildin’ goin’ up on Jackson Street.  No Ma’am, I done forgot what buildin’ it wuz.

“Us Niggers went to de white folkses churches.  Mr. Louis Williams preached at de Baptist Church on de fust Sundays, and Meferdiss (Methodist) meetin’s wuz on de second Sundays.  Mr. Andy Bowden and Mr. Scott Cowan wuz two of de Meferdiss preachers.  Me and pa jined de Baptis’ Church.  Ma wuz jes’ a Meferdiss, but us all went to church together.  Dey had de baptizin’s at de pool and dere wuz sho’ a lot of prayin’ and shoutin’ and singin’ goin’ on while de preacher done de dippin’ of ’em.  De onliest one of dem baptizin’ songs I can ricollect now is, Whar de Healin’ Water Flows.  Dey waited ’til dey had a crowd ready to be baptized and den dey tuk a whole Sunday for it and had a big dinner on de ground at de church.

“De sho’ ‘nough big days wuz dem camp meetin’ days.  White folkses and Niggers all went to de same camp meetin’s, and dey brung plenty ’long to eat—­big old loafs of light bread what had been baked in de skillets.  De night before dey sot it in de ovens to rise and by mawnin’ it had done riz most to de top of de deep old pans.  Dey piled red coals all ’round de ovens and when dat bread got done it wuz good ’nough for anybody.  De tables wuz loaded wid barbecued pigs and lambs and all de fried chicken folkses could eat, and all sorts of pies and cakes wuz spread out wid de other goodies.

“Evvy plantation gen’ally had a barbecue and big dinner for Fourth of July, and when sev’ral white famblies went in together, dey did have high old times tryin’ to see which one of ’em could git deir barbecue done and ready to eat fust.  Dey jus’ et and drunk all day.  No Ma’am, us didn’t know nuffin’ ‘bout what dey wuz celebratin’ on Fourth of July, ’cept a big dinner and a good time.