| 50 YEARS PLUS; WHYTSELL REUNION, WHYTSELL PARK, ROCKSDALE SUNDAY AUGUST 6 - Family, Friends and Neighbors Welcome
The historic Roach Cabin, built after the
Civil War, has been restored with kindness
by current owners, the Jason Firestine Family
The late Randall and Blanche Whytsell of Rocksdale and Richardson stand tall being "people of place," stalwart citizens and neighbors, and starting the Whytsell Reunion over 50 years ago.
Randall was a walking encyclopedia of history on the lower West Fork, and much of his recollections have been on the Hur Herald.
The Whytsell Clan were mountain music makers and primitive artists.
"MY WEST FORK VALLEY HOME" was first sung by Randall and his late brother Woodrow, first appearing on Parkersburg radio in 1940:
In the West Fork Valley far away where people take their ease
they dance all night and sleep all day and wake up when they please
Where a man of means eats turnip greens while the common folks are fed
sassafras tea, hominy, sow jowls and corn bread.
But the robin bird keeps singing in the laurel and the spruce
The old cow bells keep ringing as the cows come home to roost
The sun goes down and the moon comes up just like it's always done
Then we'll pick old Kentucky in my West Fork Valley home.
My West Fork girl don't use face paint
She has no use for such
And in a crowd she don't curse loud or drink corn likker much
She has never smoked a cigarette
She's far too nice and good
She always smokes a corn cob pipe like a proper lady should.
Now I've got a mule on the West Fork creek who has no maw or paw
I whip him fifteen times a day to teach him gee and haw
When his feed get scarce, I go to town and spend green backs on hay
To make him think the old corn stalks I'm feeding him is hay.
While walking with my city girl we met a big pole cat
I told her they made furs and muffs and fuzzy things like that
She said I think I'll capture him
I wonder what I'll make
And I said sister my guess is you'll make a big mistake.
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