The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com.
This interview starts with Jim Montgomery telling stories about Magic Hill in Manchester, Georgia. This first is about a travelling salesman, also known as a drummer, driving a Model-T Ford into the bottom of the hill because of a flat tire in the early 1920s. The car failed to restart and mysteriously rolled up the hill, after which the hill became a local attraction. Montgomery next tells a mythical story about Hamilton Well, located on a mountain near Warm Springs, Georgia, that was dug by enslaved people during the Civil War. 4:31: At this point, Frances Montgomery explains a superstition she learned from her Black nurse who, when she was a child, eased the burning from red peppers by covering her with sweet cream and instructing her to sit in the chicken house. Upon Barretts request for additional African American superstitions, Montgomery describes the belief that sweeping underneath someone's feet causes them to remain unmarried. Mongtomery then tells a story about a train cutting off the legs of a man riding the switch track, causing him to become a gambler, and later "out run" a police raid. 9:14: Continuing the topic of Negro superstitions, Montgomery says removing suspenders wards off owls. In another, if a man looks into the pot when making soap, it will never thicken. Her grandfather also said that if you were caught stealing hogs in South Carolina, you would get your ear cut off, which is why he avoided families who only displayed profile portraits.
No biographical information about Jim and Frances Montgomery has been determined.
Family history
CharIes Barrett Could you tell me the one first about the Magic Hill? Jim Montgomerv This is a true story of how the magic hill at Manchester, Georgia was discovered. These two drummers were approaching Manchester from the south. A drummer was what is known as a traveling salesman now. Ant at the foot of the mountain they had a flat tire. They were driving a Tmodel Ford ant this was along about 1921 or 22. they got ready to repair the tire, one of the drummers, be- fore he jacked the car up, asked the other one to put a rock behind the wheel where it wouldn't roll off the jack. He put the rock under the wheel an' on the downhill side, an' the other drummer attempted t' jack the car up. It rolled An' of course, they bein' frightened, they took off' an' ran about a mile an' a haf' across the mountain to Manchester. Upon arriving in Manchester they discovered the night policeman, who was Uncle Jimmy Kelham, an' told him the story. Uncle Jim could see they were slightly under the wea ther, so, for safe keepin', he just placed them In the cala- boose f til day. the next mornin', they turned em out of the calaboose an' they tol' the story to a group of people, an' they went over to check the story out, an' got over, ant they attempted to jack the car up, an' when it did it rolled up the hill also. So, after several years of it bein' known in the commu nity there, the Atlanta newspapers picked it up an' published it in the paper, an' it become quite a attraction. Some say it's an optical illusion, but if you don't believe it's a true story, you ask any of the ol' settlers around Manchester an' they will verify the fact. The following tale concerns another local wonder, "Ham ilton Well." This tale has remained in the oral tradition of the community since midnine teenth. century. Motif F 940, "Extra ordinary Underground Disappearance is present . Charles Barrett Yow about that one you told me about Hamilton Well? Could you tell me that one? Jim Montgomery Also, it's another story about a well over on the mountain at Warm Springs, which is just five miles from Manchester . The story goes, an' this well is located about a haf' mile from the present site of the Little White House up on the side of the mountain. As the story goes, back during the Civil War, this plan'ation owner wanted to build a sum mer cottage on the side of the mountain, an' he attempted to dig a well with slave labor. After th' well got to be about a hundred an' fifty or two hundred feet deep, there were two slaves in the bottom of the well dlggin' one day, an' they sent a bucket down for 'em to send up the rocks an' stuff from it an' they never came back, ant they let the bucket on down further, an discovered that th' well didn't have a bottom. So, the story goes that this well has no bottom an' I have been there myself an' thrown huge rocks into the well an' you hear 'em fall, seemingly for five minutes an' never would stop fallin' This a true story an' also can be verified by th' old settlers at Manchester. Charles Barrett- You said that this story just cir- culated around the community. You can't remember any speci- fic person who told it to you? It was just a general story around the community, is that right? Jim Montgomery That's right. It was just a general story tol' by ever'body, an' moreless for conversation. Frances Montgomery Oh, about the time, uh, our mother had left us with our nigra nurse, "Mammy" to us, and we were playing with the mud pies. So we thought the cakes would look real pretty decorated with red peppers from the garden. So we decorated 'em, and In th' process we got red peppers in our mouths an' eyes, an' we ran to our mammy an' told the nigra mammy to do something quick. An' she immediately covers us with sweet cream an' tells us to sit in the chicken house, that that would stop the peppers from burning. So when my mother came home she found us sitting up in the chicken house Charles Barrett Was this a superstition that the Ne- groes down there had? What was the belief they had about this; that by putting this (sweet cream) on end sitting on top of the chicken house, or in the chicken house, rather, that it would stop burning? What do you think about this? Do you think it was just superstition, or that it was based on any fact at all? Frances Montgomery- For some reason it stopped burnin' maybe the fact that she washed It away. But it stopped burnin'. Maybe the fact that she washed it away, an' the cream, of course, in it was a form of grease that helped the burn . Charles Barrett How about the one about sweeping? What was the superstition that they (the Negroes) held about sweeping? Frances Montgomery - When she started to sweep, she (the "Mammy') would always tell me to go away and leave her because she didn't want to sweep under my feet. If she swept under my feet, I'd never get married. Charles Barrett - What do you think about this super stition? Do you think it's still pretty widespread among the Negroes? Frances Montgomery- Well, maybe I always left the room, because I got married. Charles Barrett- You were telling me that one before about the man who had his legs cut off. Could you tell me about that one again? Frances Montgomery Oh, we had this nigra boy who lost his legs riding the train on th' switch track, and as he grew up, he developed his shoulder muscles to take care of making a livin'. An', but he was also a very shrewd gambler, an' the nigras didn't call it gamblin', they called it "skinning", and, naturally, on pay day, they would congregate down in the wood an' have a gamblin' session. An' it was usually to th' advantage of the village law to break it up before one or two got all th' money. So they went down to break it up one night, and of course they all ran, two or three of 'em, and among 'em was our houseboy, who told the story to us, that he felt sorry for the little nigra who had only the little knubby lees, because he was afraid he was gonna be captured . when they got on down a good many yards in the woods, they discovered that he was there first . An', he didn't run, he would leap, by using his hands and those little knubs every time, he would make a leap of about ten or twelve feet, and this really happened, an' he was quite a good farmer, an' he was able, by his intelligence, shall I say, not only to, uh, reason a way for doin' everything; an' he wore his shoes, an' they were boots an' they were usually laced around the tops of his legs, an' the heels of 'em were placed at his knees. Charles Barrett And what was the houseboy's name that told you this story? Frances Montgomery - George Albright. He started polish- ing my daddy's shoes when he was a little boy an' lived with his grandmother. His grandmother worked at the house, an' George started followin' granny up to the house an' polished daddy's shoes an' saddled his horse. And he worked in the house until. . .In fact, he packed my wedding presents when I married. Charles Barrett Could you tell me that one again about taking off the suspenders to scare the owl away? Frances Montgomery Uh, living in the country, where there were lots of outbuildings, and what, there were natu rally hootowls and barn owls. And if you heard one hooting In the night, you would drop your suspender off your shoulder, or if you would put the broom in the corner, it would choke the owl an' he couldn't hoot any more. Charles Barrett And who told you about this super stition? Frances Montgomery- I guess the nigras that worked around the house . Charles Barrett Could you tell me the one about making the soap, and the belief the Negroes had concerning this? Frances Montgomery- Well, Aunt Lindy always made soap that she used for the laundry, an' when she made it, it was just as white an' pretty as the Ivory soap we have now. But she believed that if a man came an' looked in the pot, the soap would not congeal an' get hard; that you could not let a man stir in the pot. Charles Barrett What do you think about this one? Do you think this had any basis in fact? Frances Montgomery No. Charles Barrett None at all? Frances Montgomery None. Charles Barrett Could you tell me the one again about the pierced ears, that you heard; not about the pierced ears, but about the ears being cut off for stealing. Frances Montgomery Well, my grandfather always said beware of a family who had only profile portraits of' their ancestors. Because in South Carolina, if you were caught stealing hogs, or stealing anything for a matter, they would cut your ear off. So a family that only had profile portraits had had a thief in the family. Charles Barrett What do you think about this belief? Do you think this had any fact at all behind It? Frances Montgomery I don't know if any old law of South Carolina ever carried this, or not.
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Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions.
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