Foxfire Americana Library - Boogers, witches, and haints: Appalachian ghost stories

FIRST ANCHOR BOOKS EDITION, APRIL 2011

Copyright 1973, 1977, 2011

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Anchor Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Boogers Witches and Haints originally appeared in Foxfire 2, 1973 by the Southern Highlands Literary Fund, Inc. and Brooks Eliot Wigginton. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

Haint Tales and Other Scary Stories originally appeared in Foxfire 9 1977 by The Foxfire Fund, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

Barbara Allen and Other Ghost Stories and You May Not Believe This, But They Say originally appeared in The 45th Anniversary Foxfire Book, 2011 by The Foxfire Fund, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-94824-3

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For almost half a century, high school students in the Foxfire program in Rabun County, Georgia, have collected oral histories of their elders from the southern Appalachian region in an attempt to preserve a part of the rapidly vanishing heritage and dialect. The Foxfire Fund, Inc., has brought that philosophy of simple living to millions of readers, starting with the bestselling success of The Foxfire Book in the early 1970s. Their series of fifteen books and counting has taught creative self-sufficiency and has preserved the stories, crafts, and customs of the unique Appalachian culture for future generations.

Traditionally, books in the Foxfire series have included a little something for everyone in each and every volume. For the first time ever, through the creation of The Foxfire Americana Library, this forty-five-year collection of knowledge has been organized by subject. Whether down-home recipes or simple tips for both your household and garden, each book holds a wealth of tried-and-true information, all passed down by unforgettable people with unforgettable voices.

P robably my earliest memories are of the times when the power would go out and we would have to get down the kerosine lamps. My grandmother always used these times to the best advantage by telling ghost storiesor booger tales. I dont remember the tales as such, but I can remember the lamp that lighted only her face as she recalled the choicest horrors of her childhood.

That the people of these mountains should have a rich supply of haint tales is not at all surprising. They had conquered the landbut only in a small area around their doors. No matter how friendly the woods seemed in daylight, there were noises and mysterious lights there at night that were hard to ignore if you were out there all alone.

We tape-recorded the following stories in an attempt to let you share a singular mountain experiencea night of ghost tales by a slowly dying fire.

DAVID WILSON

To be absolutely truthful, most of the people we talked with did not believe in ghosts or witches or anything of the sort. They had either seen their fears proved false (a white dog, a flapping sheet, natural gas, or the like), or they simply had never had to have them proved falsethey just never believed. We met many of them in the course of our wanderings. Here are some of the best of their comments.

MRS. E. H. BROWN: Oh, Ive heard a number of ghost stories. They come in here and they went out here and I didnt pay any tention. I never have been hainted. I didnt think Id ever done anybody any harm that theyd bother me.

I moved tHighlands and theyuz some people come in tryin ttell me how terrible thold Methodist Church was haunted there at Scaly there where I lived. Well, Iuz raised there. I letem tell their tales. They said that you just couldnt go in that church at nighttheyuz thawfullest thing they ever were in there.

I letem tell their story, and I laughed atem. I says, Well, Ive been in that church after dark by myself and I didnt hear a thing. I said, I wasnt a bit afraid.

Thereuz a boy thatd been murdered thats grew up with me was buried out there, but I never done thboy no harm, and I didnt spect him tmake any noise and bother me.

And then they thought they would get me. Said, Just as sure as you pass thschool house about midnight, youll see a little girl and a little boy walkin that rock walk.

Well, I said, Ive passed there alone many nights about midnight and I never did see anything. That was just a fancy someone had told. Why, I passed that place numbers of nights. I didnt see nothin. I believe most athat is imagination. I say imagination, or maybe a guilty conscience. Then you might see somethin. I wouldnt be surprised. If youd done some dirty deed or murdered somebody or something, why I wouldnt be surprised if they wouldnt imagine they saw something.

But I never experienced no such thing. Only thing I was ever afraid of was a dog or a snake.

DANIEL MANOUS: No, I dont think theres anything like that. Do you? I dont think so. I think thats thimagination. You think on a thing till you think its real.

I used to hear my grandfather tell one about when heuz a boy. Theyuz a cemetery right close to where he lived, and he could hear a baby cryin every night over at thcemetery.

Heuz scared and didnt know what tthink about it and told one of thneighbors. Said, I heard a baby cry over yonder at thcemetery every night. I didnt go about it. Said, Im afraid to. Are you afraid to go over there?

He said, No, Im not afraid to go over there.

Grandpa says, You come over tmy house tonight. If that baby cries, if youll go over there and see what it is, Ill give you ten dollars.

So he came over then that night, yknow, and waited till seven oclock. Said, All right. If youre not fraid tgo, nows thtime tgo.

That man just took off and went over there, and theyuz a big basket sittin on top athtombstone, and theyuz a baby in it. Little baby boy. He just went and picked up thbasket, went on back and took it to him and said, Its a baby.

Hed been ahearin thbaby for several nights he claimed. He kept that baby and raised it, and it went by thname a Billy Tombsafter thtombstone. That was actually thtruth. Ive heard my grandpa say that hed seen thboy a many a time. Billy Tombs.

The Bible preaches that thdead dont know anything at all. After any person dies, why they dont know anything. They dont have any thoughts, dont know a thing in thworld.

Well, they couldnt come back here. They couldnt come back and cause trouble and bother thlivin because they cant get back. Theyre dead. They dont know anything.

If you dont believe thBible, you just as well not believe nothin. If it didnt teach that, ymight have somethin tbase it on, ysee. But since they dont know anything, how could they come back? Cause theyd have tbe doin a little thinkinrsomethinrnother before they could get back and trouble anybodyranything.

Theys mediums that say they could talk tthdead and all that. I dont believe that. Thats just a evil spirit. Really, I dont believe inem. Theys nothin tbase it on. Theys no foundation. Caint build a house without no foundation. ThBible destroys all thfoundation. If somethin dies, its gonedont know a thing in thworld. You kin find thstories, but there aint no foundation forem. Thats what I call a myth. Just not reality.