Approximately
two and a half miles east of the town of Holliday is a
territory which has been named Shake Rag. It used to be well
inhabited by negroes. They had a negro school where all the
children attended. The old negroes church was torn down
recently. Bishop Mac was the minister and his best liked
sermon was “The Speckled Bird”. The negroes thought be
was the grandest man the Lord ever produced.
The
negro-women have played a very important part in the rearing
of some of the middle aged people of this town. They would
come from Shake Rag two or three times a week and wash, iron
or do anything that was desired for them to do. Sometimes
they would be seen coming up the track with a very heavy
load on their heads. They could carry very heavy loads in
this manner. If they saw anyone they would remove the load
and carry it in their arms. Once in a while they would bring
their children with them, and during the day the white and
black children would have a good time playing together.
Some
of the prominent negroes of the older day were Sally, who
made her home with Greg Glascock, Crawford, Judy and Taylor
Galbert. Others are: John Williams, Aunt Ellen, Jim
Calloway, Cora Heathman. There are only five negroes left in
the settlement. They are Judy Hawker, Sherman Galbert and
Myrtle Galbert.
Northwest
of Art Hemmings’s garden they would have big meetings
every summer. Some of the negroes were the Bassetts, and the
Pettis.
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