Donna Hall interview with Reverend, Minnie Lula Hall, and Plato Hall

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. In this interview, Reverend L.W. and Mrs. L.W. Hall retell six folk stories. Included are two similar stories about someone pulling over their wagon to make room for a passing wagon that never drives around. In the second, more modern version, it is a Model T. Ford and a passing car. The couple tell three ghost stories: one about people vanishing into a shadow place after passing a haunted house, one where a general store is haunted by a woman and man who passed through town, and lastly one about a haunted house that made noises like a sheep at night. The Reverend talks about the first time he saw a woman drunk during an overnight stay at a farmhouse where he was working with his father. Reverend Lewis Woodville Hall (1892-1973) was born in Madison County, North Carolina, to Joseph Woodville Hall (1868-1951) and Catherine Minerva English (1866-1918). His family moved to Mars Hill, North Carolina (later located in Avery County, which was formed in 1911). Minnie Lula Johnson (1894-1974) was born in the Hughes settlement in Avery County, North Carolina. Hall and Johnson married in 1914 and had three children: Donald E. Hall (1918-?), Plato Arthur Hall (1920-1983), and Albert Wesly Hall (1927-2013). L.W. Hall became an ordained as a minister in approximately 1913 and practiced in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Haunted houses About 30 years ago, I was goin' over arnountain road, kn01o/Il as the Spanish Oak and suddenly I sal. a car appear in the bend and I pulled out because there wasn!t enough room for tw cars to pass, and stopped my car. And my wife was l-lith me in the front seat of the car, old model-T Ford. And I kept waitin' and waitin', no car didn't come. My wife said to me, " \-Ihat'd ya stop for?" Well, I said, " I saw a car comin' right there." And so the car never did appear and I never.(l.ave seen it from that day 'til this. Donna: . Okay. Do you remember, let's see, what else did you tell me last night? Rev. L. W. Hall: About the man. About meetin' the man in the road. Donna: Yeah, yeah. Tell me that one. Rev. L. W. Hall: In 19 and ten over in Yancey County, I'd been to tie up.some fodder that 'We had cut. And my father had rented a place away from home and my brother. who is now in Wyoming, was liith me and. 1;\3 'Were 1.ralkin' along just at dusk and lole passed a house that was said to be haunted. And while 'We were comin' along, 'We both saw someone comint dolo/Il meetin 'us, 1.ralkin' , and 101e were .Ialkin' too. And they walked up 'til close enough until SUddenly the one that was comin' towards us turned and l-Talked into a shadow place, 2. above the road, right at this old house and then, I spoke. I said, "You needn't try to fool us, because ,~ seen ya go in there." And so we could see the skyline above the place, the skyline. It wasn't so dark but what we coulda seen anything and nothin I moved and we went and even got down on our knees and felt around in this shadowy place. And we do not know from that day 'til this what happened. Donna Hall: .....Oli>ay. Do you remember any more of the stories? There .laS one, let's ". see, one last night about the house that was haunted. SomebodY'ffis hearin I people flippin I through ledger books, and stuff like this. [Mr. Don Hall and Rev. L. if. Hall,rere saying that it .laS Hrs. L. W. Hall's story and called her to come and tell it. ] Donna Hall: Very well. Grandma, have you got a minute to tell me that story that you told last night about the people here-- Nrs. L. W. Hall: At Lineback? Donna Hall: Yeah, at Lineback. JI'S. L. if. Hall: \\'hich do you .mnt? (Referring to hOvT I wanted her to hold the microphone. ) , ,. l~- Donna Hall: Do you "ant me to hold that? (She declined). 11rs. L. v!. Hall: "lell, ,mat do you lfant me to tell you, about the year it lIaS and all? Donna Hall: Hell, yeah. Just say it as a story. Mrs. L. vI. Hall: \o1ell, in 17 and about 86, I guess, they was t,fO, a YIOIllan and a man, and a little girl lIaS passing through here and they cla:im they had a sack o'money and they never did get any further than Lineback. And after that, Brown Hughes held a store, a general store up there and ,mile he was a-runnin' ."his store, ev Iry night, llhenever he'd go to bed he'd hear, uh, he'd go upstairs and go to bed, he'd hear somethin' a-goin' through his ledger a.'1d just turnin' from page to page and then the next mornin I he'd get up there and he'd go and he'd look and his book was just like he'd left it the day before. And. then they lfaS some feller, somethin' come and got a feller from there and said that, "I'll show you were that money is, "is buried, if you'll go lr.Lth me." So he .took him and he stuck a bush up there llhere the money was buried and this feller, he got scared so bad he run back J / home and he never would--he went back and seen where the bush lIaS stickin I there but he never would go back and dig fer the money. And then my brother and his l,1.i'e, after Brown Hughes quit sellinI goods there, they moved, there in the old storehouse and ev'ry night, there'd somethi.l1.' get upstairs and just dance and dance and dance and my sister-in-law, she'd say, ir~Jell, now if you 1-rant to dance, come down h'3re and I'll dance with ya." And then it'd just scratch the wall just like: it gonna scratch it d01ID. And then one t:i111e somebody tole her, said, "If you'll say to that ghost,IHhat in the name of the Lord do you want?', said, 'he 'll tell ya." And said the next time he appeared she thought he appeared in front of her bed and she said that and she said just right up over her upstairs, seemed like they was just a 1mole sack 0' corn poured out in the middle of the floor and it just 1rent all over the floor. And she never could see or hear tell of h:i111 anymore. , Donna Hall: lvell, 1mat about---? Didn't you tell me one about a w'agon? }frs. 1. H. Hall: Well, d 'you want me to say it 1ffiS roy daddy or just---? Donna Hall: No, however you neard the story. Mrs L. \-1. Hall: Well, I'll just tell ya it was Bill Johnson 1.;aS haulin' goods fer N. B. Hughes from Johnson City_wagon, a horse team and he was comin' along, it Has a narrer road and he seen another wagon comin ' and he pulled out fer that Hagon to pass and so he 1-raited and he waited and they never did no 1-lagon l;"ome and he' ,rent on and then they i\'asnI t no l-Tagon on the road n01meres. Donna Hall: Okay, Daddy. do either of ya' ll---? ;-Jell do you remember any more stories? 5. The telephone rang, and after this, there was some discussion (in the background) between Mr. George '-.fright and Rev. Hall about the water pipes mich were frozen. Shirley Jones: (Asked Mrs. Hall if she kne1, the story il.bout the old Snyder place. ) l-'.rs. Hall: Oh, yeah. There's a house here on Squirrel Creek that was always haunted. And they was Lottie Johnson lived there, no, Robert Schoupe first lived there and he'd hear something every night. Every single night he 1 d hear something and he had a:jl old sheep; old p~t sheep and he thought it was him and he killed the sheep and then he could hear it just a-bumpin', just like it was a-bumpin' the house every night. and he'd go and he'd look and he t d hunt and he never could find no;\;\1ing. :hJ,/~ And then after(a,~e,dth~Johnson~ moved there, my viiley ,rould get up and he'd hunt and he I d hunt and he'd see, see the shad01' of somethin I but he never could see. never could find it. So, It 1fa5 everybody that lived there, they seen or heared something all the time. And it was just what 1,as called a haunted house. Donna Hall: Thank ycm. Rev. L. W. Hall: I 1fa5 born in Hadison County and 75 years ago, I remember seein' my first drunk 1-roman. I was 8 years old at that time and I'd been hoe in I , 6. corn lnth nw father on a farm right belol, where 're lived close to the Tennessee line. And Ire came in from liOrk that evening and nw father said, "I'll go on home and you can spend the night." And so, there was a girl stayin' there, doin, the cooking by the name of Corey Metcalf and Mrs. Thomas said to me, she said, "Lordy !'lercy" she said, "Corey's drunk and I'm gonna'hafta get supper." And about that time Corey passed on over and she passed me and (laugh) put her fi.l1gers under my chin and she said, "Honey, you're sweet." and then she went in there and at that 'time, they kindled a fire by takin' a knife and shaving some spears off Of wood and tyin r rem together and we didn It have many matches at that time so they had to start generally lnth fire but that's thel-roy they started it. She ,rent in there and began to split those spears off lnth the point of her knife, ran it up and do.m and liObblin' around and finally 11rs. Thomas canie in and said, "Corey, you go in there and go to bed." So she lrent in and ,rent to bed. And Mrs. Thomas came in there and said to me, "I'll go in there and get us a little supper. I knOl' you're tired." She said, "She got a hold of Sam's Nhiskey bottle and drank it and. nOlo] in a few minutes she' 0. s~ before she went to bed,' 'I just took three little sups. I rr I thought it was the most terrible " thing that r d. ever happened in the lrorld. And I still think it is to see either a mm or a lroman drunk. Rev. L.W. Hall: (on his personal history) I lms born in Madison county on the first d~ of April 18 and 92'. And during .my childhood, I had to lo1alk :3 miles to a :3 month school and the first phonograph that I ever heard IoTas when I Has about 10 years old and a feller came from Hars Hill which is nOH the site of one of the 7. largest Baptist junior colleges in '...estern North Carol:i!..'la. He came over and taught our school and at the end of the school I heard the first record I'd ever heard on recording that 1faS made by Edison on one of the first phonographs he ever made and it had one of the large tin horns on it and I thought it the most 1ronderful thing in the world. Then r"l after I greH up, we finally.lloved to Mars Hill and I spent part of my boyhood at Mars Hill then after that I came to Avery County and Avery <;ounty HaS formed in 1911. Before it HaS formed, I came up here on a visit and met the future I-frs. Hall 1;110 was reared in what vlaS knovm as the Hughes settlement in Avery County. I met her onlY casuallly at that time and then three years later, after I had assisted in teaching the first high school that vlaS ever taught in our county after it HaS formed, and it's the newest county of the hundred counties of \1estern--- of the state of North Carolina. And, I have been acquainted personally with the history of this county ever since it 1..as formed and even attended the picnic Hhich vlaS held at the old Field I s Store, 1,>I1ich is now the " site of VielTland, the highest---which has the highest county seat east of the Mississippi River. Donna Hall: HOvT long have you been a preacher? Rev. Hall: And I have been preaching 54 years. Dur:j.ng .that:.Jime my ministry has carried me into four states: Georgy, Virginy, North Carolina and Tennessee. The furthest I ever preached North ,Tas at BiL'1lare, N. J. and the furthest South was at Augusta, Georgy. And during all that time I've seen many people saved and I hope I have accomplished something. HI's. Plato Hall: This church Has haunted, so one stormy night, a feller went in out of the storm and he sal, this woman all dressed in white and he said, "\-Ihat in the devil are you a-doin I here?" and she said, "Yeah and waht in the devil are y'ou a-doin here?" So he run out, he thought' it ,Tas a ghost, ypu lmoi', he run out a11(Llater on he found out it was this old crazy woman that i'iBnt t11ere of the night. Donna Hall: Hell, ck, you reinember anymore? Do you know any other stories like that? [No one knei, any other stories so the session ended] A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. 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. 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