Harlan girls probably spent as much time dressing and looking pretty in the "good old days" as they do today. Dresses required yards and yards of material and one was incomplete without a frilly neckline and puffed sleeves. The ruffling off taffeta skirts could be heard in the distance when milady walked. Hats were very fashionable with colored"plumes". General store managers haven't forgotten the yards and yards of "brush binding" they used to measure off and sell to face the long, full skirts to keep the edges from wearing out as they sweep the ground. Before the "bought on" material was sold in the stores, the early pioneers made their own cloth. Most any pioneer home was typical with a large spinning wheel in the parlor. Old timers tell how they sheered the sheep and carded the wool. Relatives of Mrs. Jane Kelly remember her spinning wheel at her home at the mouth of Bailey's Creek before she moved to town. The carded was 8 to 10 inches long and looked like a wire comb. Before the wool was spun it had to be combed.

Leaves Make Dye

The children liked the task of winding it into a ball. Everybody made "linsey" as it was called, for quilts, blankets and almost every use. After the yarn was ready to spin it had to be dyed. Cooked walnut leaves made a good dark brown dye for material. An outfit would not have been complete without knit stockings. "Jenes" for the men and boys was also made from the wool. The girls wore brass tips on their shoes. My, they were fancy! The boys wore brogans. In later years when material was a little more plentiful, those who could afford them ordered samples and picked out their own material. It was very fashionable for Mrs. Maggie Green to 'take down measurements' and send the material to Mrs Dailey in Morristown to have them made. "We were very proud of our bustles and hoop skirts," said an old timer. She told how the girls learned to carry their skirts along the plank walks to someone's home for a "social" or square dance. None of the "socials" were held in public places. all of the gatherings were held at someone's home. The late Hamp Howard was "awfully good" at calling the "sets", as they danced to the tune of "Skip to my Lou." A banjo or a fiddle furnished the music. when one of the "callers" lost his voice, another one would take over Jim Skidmore was known to have called many a "set".

Saturday Song Fests

On Sunday afternoons groups would gather in the parlor of a neighbor and sing their favorite songs, while one of the girls played the organ or sometimes an according. Mrs. R.A. Bowling, of Bardo, discovered a faded clipping in her Bible which was written by S.W. Gilliam, concerning the precise lady of yesterday. I saw her go shopping in stylish attire; And she felt Of her belt At the back. Her walk was as free as a springy steel wire. And many a rubberneck turned to admire. As she felt Of her belt At her back. she wondered if all the contraptions back there Were fastened just right It was an unceasing care. So she felt Of her belt At the back. I saw her at church, as she enjoyed her pew;

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