Family things…

My Uncle Riley drew these in 1989, based on his memories of growing up on the ‘home place’ in Louisiana in the 1910s and 20sa…

I remember the old home place, it was what was known as a ‘dog run’ house, with a big central hall that ran front to back. That was the ‘cooling’ in the summer, open the doors and windows, and let the breezes blow through. And feather beds. It was a four bedroom house, with a kitchen and bathroom added on the back. Sadly it burned down back in the 1970s. Of the original three houses, sadly today only one is left.

The cotton gin was turned into a sawmill by Uncle Alvin who took over the home place, and he used it to make a living for a number of years as a finished carpenter (he built beautiful cabinetry out of Cypress). The Edward Curtis store was still standing in the early 1970s, but no longer used.

Seeing these brought back a lot of memories… Playing with the cousins at the reunions, butchering hogs and cattle, making sausages, eating all kinds of GOOD food, catching fish in the river, and the women making quilts. And home made ice cream… Oh yeah!!!