The 100-year-old story of Mamaw Nellie is still being told
Last week, over 100 third grade students from Good Pine Middle School were able to travel back in time to the “old days” of the early 1900s during a visit to the Centennial Cultural Center located in downtown Olla. This special event is held each December around Christmas and is hosted by Fern McKeithen, who has been sharing this rich history for over 20 years.
Fern took on the character of her own mother-in-law “Mamaw Nellie,” and she and others who took part in the program were dressed in authentic pioneer clothing.
During the visit, students enjoyed several different stations all with the purpose of bringing history to life. Trish Taylor, who was also donned in a dress and apron from Mamaw Nellie’s time, told the students stories about traditions and the rituals of daily life some 100 years ago, such as using a kerosene lamp, sharecropping and cooking over a wood-burning stove.
Taylor also shared that due to limited access to doctors and hospitals, people practiced preventative medicine to stay healthy, like wearing an asphidity bag to ward off diseases and those that may carry them. Students were even able to see and sniff a replica asphidity bag, complete with the smell of the pungent asafetida herbs.
While Taylor spoke, the children were able to see the century-old appliance put into practice as homemade gingerbread baked in the wood-burning stove, filling the center with a much more pleasant and mouth-watering aroma.
Present to demonstrate to the students what work and play looked like during this time was R.V. Couch. Couch described the laborious work of doing the laundry, showing the students a real wash tub, the wooden stick to stir the laundry and a washboard used for tough stains. Then, Couch demonstrated a few ways that children played, like with a wooden stick used for a stick horse, a hand-carved wooden truck pulled by a string and a handmade paper doll enjoyed by the girls.
The students also enjoyed hearing several stories, including the folktale “The Tale of the Three Trees.” After the reading, Fern read the story of Jesus’ birth found in the book of Luke in the Bible and was sure to explain that this story is important to the Christmas season.
Fern shared about the art of storytelling and how it has been used to hand down family histories. She told them the true story of her late mother-in-law Nellie, and used the story of Nellie’s sad and disappointing Christmas to encourage the students to be thankful for the things that their own parents provide for them each Christmas.
To end their visit to the “days of old,” the children enjoyed homemade tea cakes and the gingerbread baked in the wood-burning stove. Each student also took home a present, a brown paper bag with a few pieces of candy and a piece of fruit, just like Mamaw Nellie received when she was a little girl.
This group of third graders from Good Pine Middle School is one of many who has left the Centennial Cultural Center with stories of old that are both educational and entertaining. “Mamaw Nellie” has shared her wisdom and history for more than two decades and she hopes to continue sharing to generations to come.
Ms. Fern, CCC Director Donna Lindsey and the CCC Board thank the community for their support of programs like “Mamaw Nellie,” and ask for continued support in the coming years.
Photos from the event:
