It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
I was out choppin’ cotton, and my brother was balin’ hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And mama hollered out the back door, y’all, remember to wipe your feet…
So begins “Ode to Billie Joe” by Mississippi’s own Bobbie Genry
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog on Trials of the Earth: The True Story of a Pioneer Woman by Mary Mann Hamilton. This nonfiction book recounted one woman’s journey of pioneering the Mississippi Delta. One regret I have always had was not talking to my grandmother (my mom’s mom) who was a young child during Germany during Hitler’s occupation, asking her what fears she had, what it was like, and so on. She didn’t talk at all about it. I didn’t ask. I knew, after reading Hamilton’s book, that I didn’t want my grandmother’s Delta stories to go untold (my dad’s mom). My grandmother was thrilled to take this Delta trip, so on June 6, we loaded up and headed to the Delta. This is our trip and my Mamaw Nuchi’s story…
Itinerary:
Stop #1: a visit with my grandmother’s 96 year old aunt in Grenada. My girls could not believe they had a great-great-great aunt. (update: one week after we visited my my grandmother’s aunt, she passed away. If this teaches us anything, it is to visit and relish the time you have with family because you never know when it may be your last. My grandmother wished we would have gotten a picture of her with her aunt. We just didn’t think about it.)
Stop #2: Cascilla, MS where all my Kendall relatives either still live or are buried…Cascilla is in Tallahatchie County. This community is basically situated in the hills that border the Delta. We stopped by where my great-grandfather is buried.
Stop #3: finding the home my grandmother was born in…my dad thought she would not be able to remember where the home was but she did. I had to drive very slowly down the road so she could look and think. Thankful the roads were basically vacant so no one would get mad with a “30 mph driving” car. We were not able to get to the house due to weeds and briars. She also reminded her great-granddaughters that this was “rattlesnake” country so better to stay out. We decided to wait until the winter to try and walk to the house.
Stop #4: my great-grandfather’s home for around 25 years before he died…this is the home I remember going to on Christmas Day and in the summer for his birthday celebration (aka – big family reunion). There are so many memories I have of this home. This home is now, it seems, a deer camp for the present owner (whom my mom and mamaw do know). It was getting lunch time, so we decided to have our picnic on the front porch of the old home.
Stop #5: a quick visit to my mamaw’s other living aunt who lives right down the road. My girls were amazed that they had two great-great-great aunts still living. While visiting, my mamaw’s aunt told her how to get to the cemetery of my great-great-great grandparents (my mamaw’s grandparents). The directions consisted of “turn left here, then turn left, then turn left, then go up the hill.” Shockingly, it was rather easy to get to and definitely in the middle of no where. What is amazing is the gate going into the cemetery – GORGEOUS! Also, you may notice all the cemeteries we visited are very well groomed. We believe this was due to the memorials recently held. No, not Memorial Day! At many cemeteries in the South, memorials are held where people put flowers on gravesites and visit with other loved ones (I usually say it is a family reunion of sorts). Donation boxes are usually placed on this day with the money used to help upkeep the cemetery.
Stop #6: the Delta… my grandmother and her family were sharecroppers, moving where the work was and, as she said, who paid the best. While making our way to the Delta, we had to leave the hills. As we descended down the steep hill to Hwy 32 (hills on one side and the Delta on the other side), she told us a story of when she was a child and was on the school bus. As the bus was going up the steep hill, the breaks went out and they started rolling backwards. She said she was scared to death. If you see the steep, curvy hill, you would see why she was scared. Before going to Webb, MS, we stopped at the old Tallahatchie Bridge (there are many, by the way) by one of her old home places where she lived. She said she and her sisters would put their good clothes in a bag, get in a boat, row across the river, walk to a shed, change into their good clothes, walk to the road to catch the school bus to her grandparent’s house (which was closer to Cascilla). There was a newer bridge that was built. The one from her childhood days was closed, so we had to park and walk to it.
This is where my grandmother pointed when she told us the story of her crossing the river.
Stop #7: Brazil, MS… I didn’t take any pictures because it was basically just farm land. However, as we rode, mamaw was constantly pointing to all the home places they lived (“over there by that light line,” “over there,” “over there”). All the places have been demolished. She took us down one road to show us a place they lived for about two weeks. When I asked why two weeks, she said her dad found another person who had a better offer. She showed us a place where the fair would always come (across the railroad tracks). She said her dad wanted her to wait a week to get married because the fair was in town (with bears and such 😂) but she didn’t. That story coming up later.
Stop #8: Webb, MS (a few miles down the road)… we visited where her sister used to live in Webb. I also had to take a picture of the old train depot.
Stop #9: Sumner, MS (about two miles from Webb)… as we were driving from Webb to Sumner, we passed by mamaw’s old high school. When she pointed out she went to school there, I quickly turned in. Once we left West Tallahatchie High School, we went to the town square so she could show us where she went to get married. Every town square is different. Sumner’s town square was very nice but had no signs or lines to show where to drive. I thought, for a moment, I was going the wrong way. I pulled over in front of, what I found out later, was the Courthouse (mainly to let a truck pass me and to make sure I was driving the right way). Mamaw pointed across the street to what used to be a little store (maybe print shop? can’t remember). She said her sister and husband went in there with her and my grandfather to witness their marriage. Her other sister and soon-to-be husband were waiting for them in the car. Afterwards, she showed us where a little eating place used to be where they went to eat afterwards (my grandfather a hamburger but she couldn’t remember what she ate). Also, remember the fair story earlier? 😊 My grandparents never had any wedding photos but this is their 25th anniversary photo. I love that they didn’t need a fancy wedding that so many believe is a must today. I always tell my girls that no one will remember the wedding ten years later but hopefully they will remember why y’all married.
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| Cemetery where my great-aunt is buried |
Stop #10: After nearly eight hours of driving, we headed home (with a little stop at Spencer’s in Grenada, a place that my mamaw has been going to since she was married). I was able to get a shot of the border between the Delta and the hills (as mentioned earlier).
William Faulkner, the great Mississippian writer, once said, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” There are few places where you will find communities of relatives still living together – the same home for many, many years. Doors are always open. Food is always offered. Memories are always made. My mamaw is 85 years young. I pray my girls will cherish this time they have with her – her dumplings, her homemade pickles, her peanut butter cakes, and her arms wrapped around them with love.
Side note: I was googling which Tallahatchie Bridge was believed to be the one mentioned in “Ode to Billie Joe.” Little did I know that Choctaw Ridge, mentioned in the song, is in Webster County, my birthplace. Here is a great article by Walt Grayson.
https://www.wlbt.com/story/38331656/3-on-the-road-the-3rd-of-june/
September 18, 2020 update: My grandmother’s aunt (the first aunt we visited) passed away one week after this visit. A few days ago, my grandmother’s last remaining aunt (whom we visited on this trip) passed away. Spending time with family is so important!
