The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-12-11
Evening Chat

! talked to very interesting woman
this week who can remember very we'll
when linen was made In Winfield dis
trict near here In those days flax
pullings were held and the neighbors
from the country around came to spend
the day and went out into the field OF
flax and pulled tit was not cut. They
laid 1t along the ground in rows where
It stayed until 1t rained. Then 1t was
turned over and when sufficiently rot
ted was taken into the barn where
three different machines run by hand
worked on it.
There are a number who will re-
member the good time enjoyed at such
parties. I am told they served won
derful things to eat-such things that
would make the food conservation
workers gasp-chicken pot pie, hot
fried cabbage, mashed potatoes, about
six different kinds of pies. jellies.
doughnuts, pickles, chestnuts, apples.
cider and number Of other things
that escape my thought and magma
ton. They played such games as puss.
iE-the-corner, peel the willow, much
like the square dance-a violin played
the music. There were no organs then
an dthe woman who told me about 1t
all said she saw her first piano, when
grown, at Governor Pierpont's house
scross from the old first Normal school
here. 1t was a square piano.
The flax ready for THE breaker"
tho "swingel" and the "hackel" in Win.
fields early days was broken up, the
outside bark removed and anything
olse left clfnging to 1t rlaking It
smooth and ready for spinning.
She remembers very well when
everyone spun their own linen. In
those days linen was all jinen as wool
was all wool. They made their own
thread-they made socks out of linen
think Of it-knit them after making
the thread for it. They made sheets,
plllowcases, table cloths, towels, mems
shifting. and material for overalls.
They usually wove from ten to thirty
yards at a time and If they wanted it
bleached, 1t was wet and spread over
the fields in the sun and kept wet un-
til Of .the proper wilderness. They
bought fine Irish linen for Sunday
shirts and made every day ones iof
homemade linen. In winter they wore
all wool shirts also woven and made
by them. And the jeans-they must
rave been work of art. She says
they were woven on cotton or wool
end looked a little like velvet and were
of a quality Of niceness few remember
anything about nowadays. They were
only worn on Sunday. -
She remembers when many took
care of their own wool. She has
SHARED many a sheep herself. She
says they caught them and washec
them until they were very pretty. Then
they were tied and laid on boards.
Often the children stood and laid a
hand on heads of the young frightened
ones. Winfield people at that time
were very painstaking with the wool.
They sat and picked 1t apart, remoy.
ing all burrs. They gathered it togeth.
er.in blanket and pinned the blanket
with thorns-these being better than
pins. She has often taken her wool
to the Evansville Wooden Mills, some.
times selling it for twenty-five cents a
bound and oftener having it carded to
take home to weave unto whatever the
family needed-blankets, socks. ano
clothes of all kinds. Those were busy
days but days Of all wool and all linen
even to sheets. They were days of nm.
earpeted floors but floors which shone
with whiteness. Do you know what
kind OF brooms they used both for
sweeping ard scrubbing? Hickory sap.
l:ngs were cut and smoothed. Down
at the end where the brush was. tfnv
shaviugs were started and one by one
laid back until tristly end was made
answering tho purpose. They say a
finer scrubber could not be had. Per.
haps few will remember Old Black
Wat, one of>the city's old Characters
who used to go to Winfield-make nm
these brooms and return tc the city to
sell them. ~
Big Line of Kid Gloves at Hart.
l-S