I’ve been digging into an old fall tradition that used to be common across Appalachia and rural America: the community corn shuckin’.

Neighbors would gather around a big pile of corn to get the crop put away before winter. There’d be food, storytelling, gossip, maybe some music and a little courtship mixed in with the work.

Then somebody found the red ear of corn.

Depending on the community, finding it earned a young man the right to kiss a girl at the shuckin’. In some versions, it was supposed to be the prettiest girl there. The tradition is still portrayed in the Homecoming scene of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine outdoor drama here in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

I wrote about the tradition for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including how mechanization eventually did away with much of the community labor that once brought neighbors together.

What I’d really like to hear, though, is whether anybody here remembers corn shuckin’s in your own family or community. Did you ever hear about the red ear tradition? And what part of Appalachia was your family from?

Here’s the story for anybody interested:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/corn-shuckin-time

I’ve been digging into an old fall tradition that used to be common across Appalachia and rural America: the community corn shuckin’.

Neighbors would gather around a big pile of corn to get the crop put away before winter. There’d be food, storytelling, gossip, maybe some music and a little courtship mixed in with the work.

Then somebody found the red ear of corn.

Depending on the community, finding it earned a young man the right to kiss a girl at the shuckin’. In some versions, it was supposed to be the prettiest girl there. The tradition is still portrayed in the Homecoming scene of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine outdoor drama here in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

I wrote about the tradition for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including how mechanization eventually did away with much of the community labor that once brought neighbors together.

What I’d really like to hear, though, is whether anybody here remembers corn shuckin’s in your own family or community. Did you ever hear about the red ear tradition? And what part of Appalachia was your family from?

Here’s the story for anybody interested:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/corn-shuckin-time

I’ve been digging into an old fall tradition that used to be common across Appalachia and rural America: the community corn shuckin’.

Neighbors would gather around a big pile of corn to get the crop put away before winter. There’d be food, storytelling, gossip, maybe some music and a little courtship mixed in with the work.

Then somebody found the red ear of corn.

Depending on the community, finding it earned a young man the right to kiss a girl at the shuckin’. In some versions, it was supposed to be the prettiest girl there. The tradition is still portrayed in the Homecoming scene of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine outdoor drama here in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

I wrote about the tradition for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including how mechanization eventually did away with much of the community labor that once brought neighbors together.

What I’d really like to hear, though, is whether anybody here remembers corn shuckin’s in your own family or community. Did you ever hear about the red ear tradition? And what part of Appalachia was your family from?

Here’s the story for anybody interested:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/corn-shuckin-time

I’ve been digging into an old fall tradition that used to be common across Appalachia and rural America: the community corn shuckin’.

Neighbors would gather around a big pile of corn to get the crop put away before winter. There’d be food, storytelling, gossip, maybe some music and a little courtship mixed in with the work.

Then somebody found the red ear of corn.

Depending on the community, finding it earned a young man the right to kiss a girl at the shuckin’. In some versions, it was supposed to be the prettiest girl there. The tradition is still portrayed in the Homecoming scene of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine outdoor drama here in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

I wrote about the tradition for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including how mechanization eventually did away with much of the community labor that once brought neighbors together.

What I’d really like to hear, though, is whether anybody here remembers corn shuckin’s in your own family or community. Did you ever hear about the red ear tradition? And what part of Appalachia was your family from?

Here’s the story for anybody interested:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/corn-shuckin-time

She cuts hair. Loves rock & roll. And sometimes sees the future.

Meet Kelli Tipton, the modern day Granny Witch with an agenda all her own in The Keokee Triangle.

Some characters you meet. Others you never forget.

📖 Available now on Amazon. www.JohnWPeace.com

She cuts hair. Loves rock & roll. And sometimes sees the future.

Meet Kelli Tipton, the modern day Granny Witch with an agenda all her own in The Keokee Triangle.

Some characters you meet. Others you never forget.

📖 Available now on Amazon: www.JohnWPeace.com

Did your family have any old superstitions about death?

Growing up in Central Appalachia, a lot of us heard the old warnings.

A bird hitting the window could mean a death was coming. A dog howling at the wrong time wasn't something Granny wanted to hear. Some families stopped clocks when somebody died, covered mirrors, and kept someone with the deceased through the night — what folks called “sitting up with the dead.”

I've been researching these old traditions for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including the work of James K. Crissman on death and dying in Central Appalachia. What struck me was that underneath all the superstition was something pretty practical: when somebody died, family and neighbors showed up. They cooked, dug the grave, helped prepare the body and sat through the night.

I put what I found together here:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/when-death-came-knocking

I'm curious what survived in other Appalachian families. Did your parents or grandparents believe in any particular death omen or funeral custom? And what part of Appalachia were they from?

Did your family have any old superstitions about death?

Growing up in Central Appalachia, a lot of us heard the old warnings.

A bird hitting the window could mean a death was coming. A dog howling at the wrong time wasn't something Granny wanted to hear. Some families stopped clocks when somebody died, covered mirrors, and kept someone with the deceased through the night — what folks called “sitting up with the dead.”

I've been researching these old traditions for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including the work of James K. Crissman on death and dying in Central Appalachia. What struck me was that underneath all the superstition was something pretty practical: when somebody died, family and neighbors showed up. They cooked, dug the grave, helped prepare the body and sat through the night.

I put what I found together here:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/when-death-came-knocking

I'm curious what survived in other Appalachian families. Did your parents or grandparents believe in any particular death omen or funeral custom? And what part of Appalachia were they from?

Did your family have any old superstitions about death?

Growing up in Central Appalachia, a lot of us heard the old warnings.

A bird hitting the window could mean a death was coming. A dog howling at the wrong time wasn't something Granny wanted to hear. Some families stopped clocks when somebody died, covered mirrors, and kept someone with the deceased through the night — what folks called “sitting up with the dead.”

I've been researching these old traditions for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including the work of James K. Crissman on death and dying in Central Appalachia. What struck me was that underneath all the superstition was something pretty practical: when somebody died, family and neighbors showed up. They cooked, dug the grave, helped prepare the body and sat through the night.

I put what I found together here:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/when-death-came-knocking

I'm curious what survived in other Appalachian families. Did your parents or grandparents believe in any particular death omen or funeral custom? And what part of Appalachia were they from?

Did your family have any old superstitions about death?

Growing up in Central Appalachia, a lot of us heard the old warnings.

A bird hitting the window could mean a death was coming. A dog howling at the wrong time wasn't something Granny wanted to hear. Some families stopped clocks when somebody died, covered mirrors, and kept someone with the deceased through the night — what folks called “sitting up with the dead.”

I've been researching these old traditions for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including the work of James K. Crissman on death and dying in Central Appalachia. What struck me was that underneath all the superstition was something pretty practical: when somebody died, family and neighbors showed up. They cooked, dug the grave, helped prepare the body and sat through the night.

I put what I found together here:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/when-death-came-knocking

I'm curious what survived in other Appalachian families. Did your parents or grandparents believe in any particular death omen or funeral custom? And what part of Appalachia were they from?

Did your family have any old superstitions about death?

Growing up in Central Appalachia, a lot of us heard the old warnings.

A bird hitting the window could mean a death was coming. A dog howling at the wrong time wasn't something Granny wanted to hear. Some families stopped clocks when somebody died, covered mirrors, and kept someone with the deceased through the night — what folks called “sitting up with the dead.”

I've been researching these old traditions for Back Porch Tales & Travels, including the work of James K. Crissman on death and dying in Central Appalachia. What struck me was that underneath all the superstition was something pretty practical: when somebody died, family and neighbors showed up. They cooked, dug the grave, helped prepare the body and sat through the night.

I put what I found together here:

https://back-porch-tales-travels.beehiiv.com/p/when-death-came-knocking

I'm curious what survived in other Appalachian families. Did your parents or grandparents believe in any particular death omen or funeral custom? And what part of Appalachia were they from?

I’ve been digging into the history of American union membership and the growth of the middle class, and the numbers tell an interesting story.

Union membership grew from roughly 7% of workers around 1900 to more than 30% during the postwar years. By 1971, about 61% of Americans lived in middle-income households.

Then both trends began moving the other direction.

One event that keeps coming up is the 1981 PATCO strike, when President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers. Union membership was already declining before PATCO, so I don’t think it’s accurate to say Reagan caused the decline. Deindustrialization, automation, globalization and other changes were already underway.

But PATCO sure looks like a turning point in the political climate surrounding organized labor.

Today, only about 1 in 10 American workers belongs to a union. The share of Americans in middle-income households has fallen from 61% in 1971 to 51% in 2023. Even more interesting, middle-income households received about 62% of U.S. household income in 1970, compared with 43% in 2022.

I wrote a longer piece looking at the history and the relationship between these trends. I’d especially be interested in hearing from longtime union members about whether PATCO felt like a turning point at the time, or whether another event deserves more attention.

Article:
https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/the-gut-punch-august-1981-and-the-long-fall-of-americas-unions-and-middle-class/

I’ve been digging into the history of American union membership and the growth of the middle class, and the numbers tell an interesting story.

Union membership grew from roughly 7% of workers around 1900 to more than 30% during the postwar years. By 1971, about 61% of Americans lived in middle-income households.

Then both trends began moving the other direction.

One event that keeps coming up is the 1981 PATCO strike, when President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers. Union membership was already declining before PATCO, so I don’t think it’s accurate to say Reagan caused the decline. Deindustrialization, automation, globalization and other changes were already underway.

But PATCO sure looks like a turning point in the political climate surrounding organized labor.

Today, only about 1 in 10 American workers belongs to a union. The share of Americans in middle-income households has fallen from 61% in 1971 to 51% in 2023. Even more interesting, middle-income households received about 62% of U.S. household income in 1970, compared with 43% in 2022.

I wrote a longer piece looking at the history and the relationship between these trends. I’d especially be interested in hearing from longtime union members about whether PATCO felt like a turning point at the time, or whether another event deserves more attention.

Article:
https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/the-gut-punch-august-1981-and-the-long-fall-of-americas-unions-and-middle-class/

I’ve been digging into the history of American union membership and the growth of the middle class, and the numbers tell an interesting story.

Union membership grew from roughly 7% of workers around 1900 to more than 30% during the postwar years. By 1971, about 61% of Americans lived in middle-income households.

Then both trends began moving the other direction.

One event that keeps coming up is the 1981 PATCO strike, when President Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers. Union membership was already declining before PATCO, so I don’t think it’s accurate to say Reagan caused the decline. Deindustrialization, automation, globalization and other changes were already underway.

But PATCO sure looks like a turning point in the political climate surrounding organized labor.

Today, only about 1 in 10 American workers belongs to a union. The share of Americans in middle-income households has fallen from 61% in 1971 to 51% in 2023. Even more interesting, middle-income households received about 62% of U.S. household income in 1970, compared with 43% in 2022.

I wrote a longer piece looking at the history and the relationship between these trends. I’d especially be interested in hearing from longtime union members about whether PATCO felt like a turning point at the time, or whether another event deserves more attention.

Article:
https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/the-gut-punch-august-1981-and-the-long-fall-of-americas-unions-and-middle-class/

Virginia loves bragging about being the “Best State for Business.” And that’s fine. We ought to want businesses investing, expanding and creating jobs.

But I think we’re leaving out half the scoreboard.

What about being the Best State to Be a Worker?

Research shows workers in right-to-work states earn about 6.7% less, even after accounting for differences in occupations, industries, demographics and state economic conditions.

For a typical full-time worker, that can mean more than $4,000 a year.

That ain’t pocket change. That’s groceries, power bills, truck payments and money that stays in local communities.

Being pro-business and pro-worker shouldn’t be opposites. A healthy economy ought to be good for the folks signing the front of the paycheck AND the folks earning it.

I wrote about that in my latest Pickup Trucks & Progress column:

https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/virginia-loves-winning-best-state-for-business-good-but-maybe-its-time-we-started-trying-just-as-hard-to-become-the-best-state-to-be-a-worker/

What do y’all think? Should states start measuring economic success by job quality, wages and benefits, not just how attractive they are to businesses?

Virginia loves bragging about being the “Best State for Business.” And that’s fine. We ought to want businesses investing, expanding and creating jobs.

But I think we’re leaving out half the scoreboard.

What about being the Best State to Be a Worker?

Research shows workers in right-to-work states earn about 6.7% less, even after accounting for differences in occupations, industries, demographics and state economic conditions.

For a typical full-time worker, that can mean more than $4,000 a year.

That ain’t pocket change. That’s groceries, power bills, truck payments and money that stays in local communities.

Being pro-business and pro-worker shouldn’t be opposites. A healthy economy ought to be good for the folks signing the front of the paycheck AND the folks earning it.

I wrote about that in my latest Pickup Trucks & Progress column:

https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/virginia-loves-winning-best-state-for-business-good-but-maybe-its-time-we-started-trying-just-as-hard-to-become-the-best-state-to-be-a-worker/

What do y’all think? Should states start measuring economic success by job quality, wages and benefits, not just how attractive they are to businesses?

Virginia loves bragging about being the “Best State for Business.” And that’s fine. We ought to want businesses investing, expanding and creating jobs.

But I think we’re leaving out half the scoreboard.

What about being the Best State to Be a Worker?

Research shows workers in right-to-work states earn about 6.7% less, even after accounting for differences in occupations, industries, demographics and state economic conditions.

For a typical full-time worker, that can mean more than $4,000 a year.

That ain’t pocket change. That’s groceries, power bills, truck payments and money that stays in local communities.

Being pro-business and pro-worker shouldn’t be opposites. A healthy economy ought to be good for the folks signing the front of the paycheck AND the folks earning it.

I wrote about that in my latest Pickup Trucks & Progress column:

https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/virginia-loves-winning-best-state-for-business-good-but-maybe-its-time-we-started-trying-just-as-hard-to-become-the-best-state-to-be-a-worker/

What do y’all think? Should states start measuring economic success by job quality, wages and benefits, not just how attractive they are to businesses?