Mel Bay Log Cabin Pioneers: Stories, Songs and Sayings

by Wayne Erbsen

Step inside the door of Log Cabin Pioneers as Wayne Erbsen takes you on a personal journey of finding and restoring a historic log cabin. By the magic of a crackling fire, he'll introduce you to authentic pioneers who will sing you ancient songs, spin yarns about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Thomas Jefferson, and tell spell-binding tales of bear hunting with moonshine or give you advice on how to buy a mule. You'll join other settlers in a house raising, new logs for a cabin, find a red ear of corn at a husking bee, and kick up your heels at an old-fashioned barn dance. They'll take you inside an old-time general store and a one-room schoolhouse, and will feed you molasses crips and ash cake. If you're sickly, they'll heal you with remedies and superstitions, or take you to a "yarb doctor" or "granny woman." Ladies will learn how to "catch a man," and gents will learn "how to pick a wife." The book includes 143 vintage black and white photos and melodies, lyrics and chords to 19 songs.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Brittany Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lovely book that really shows a glimpse into the culture of the pioneers. Everything in there from out houses to humorous jokes. There were pictures that really put the finishing touches on the book.

[Thomas Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one would expect from a Mel Bay book, Log Cabin Pioneers includes easy playing music for the amateur guitarist or pianist, or for not difficult playing on any treble clef instrument. Captured in less than a dozen measures, the accessible melodies have simple keys and no chord more difficult than a 7th. Several verse of lyrics accompany these songs. However, such music is just the songs of "Stories, Songs & Sayings." The text is strewn with colorful aphorisms from the pioneer period. Examples are "Better a lame donkey than no horse" from 1854 and the undated bit of meteorological advice, "don't stand in the sun if you have butter on your head." The stories come in two varieties. We get homesteaders' tales, like "The Shrinking Britches" and a swindle worthy of Huckleberry Finn, "What has 4 Eyes, 3 Heads, and 2 Tails?" But, we also get the stories of the songs and pioneers themselves. The stories of the people cover their fashion, building techniques and more - including methods to hide a still. Stories of the songs give the reader insight into the history and meaning behind "Darling Cory", "Mary of the Wild Moor" and more. All this material is arranged topically by section: Cabin History, Pioneer Construction, Log Cabin Music, Whiskey Making, Cabin Kids, Home & Cooking, Pioneer Beauty Secrets and Log Cabin Ghosts and Lore. More entertainment and information can be had in the pioneer slang glossary that defines such obscure archaisms as explatterate (to crush or mash) and "light and hitch" (come and visit). Comment | Permalink