Do you know how to make a whistle out of chestnut bark? Did you ever put your hat in front of the fireplace for Santa to fill? Or have your very own branch of the Christmas tree to trim? Did you know that sleds aren't just for snow? Can you remember how cold the one room schoolhouse was except right by the stove? Or the two-mile walk to get there, and crossing the creek twice on the way? Did your grandpa fight in the Civil War? Grandpa McQuain recounts these things for his grandchildren, including many stories his father and grandfather told him on those long evenings at home before radio, TV and electricity. Thomas Bryan McQuain was born on the family farm near Troy, West Virginia in 1897. This book covers his growing-up years from his birth until 1918 when he went off to serve in World War I. His reminiscences offer readers a taste of West Virginia farm life, clearing land, one-room schools, logging, rafting, and hunting. He also includes many stories his father told them around the fireplace, and first-hand accounts of the Civil War told to him by his grandfather Lewis, who served with the Confederates. Several drawings augment the text.
Thomas B. McQuain
2008, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, 348 pp.
ISBN: 9780788446832
101-M4683
