Allen Code Interview
Item
Identifier
Box 1:20-23
Title
Allen Code Interview
Type
Interview
Source
Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina Collection
Rights
Date
April 20, 1989; June 1990
Description
Speakers-Cassette I (Mr. and Mrs. Allen Code, Vennie Deas-Moore) Cassettes II-IV (Allen Code, Yolanda Harrell)
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
Cassette 1 (April 20, 1989)
**Note** this cassette was not originally a part of the Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont Project. This field research conducted by Deas-Moore was added to complement the Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont Project.
Side 1
5:40--Church and school were two of the most important and active aspects of the black community. Mr. Code attended St. James United Methodist.
6:37--Emancipation Celebrations--these were celebrated in the days before the Civil Right Movement. They were usually school-sponsored; patriotic and Negro spirituals were performed, and there was usually a guest speaker.
8:40--Watch Night services were held in the black community on New Year's Eve at local churches.
9:06--Local black churches were crucial in the organization of events for children and the community as a whole.
10:20--The white and black communities would each sponsor their own Negro History Week. Mr. Code was often asked to be the guest speaker at local white churches.
12:30--Local blacks would often have picnics and BBQ parties in Highpoint, NC.
14:00--Mr. Code reflects on the cattle-culture of the old days, and aspects of the local farmer's markets that were held in late fall.
19:23--Camp Meetings--this was a multi-denominational event in the black community. They were usually held in the summer, and lasted perhaps a week. These were festive events, as it was treated as a sort of homecoming for family and friends.
31:14--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
Blank
Cassette 2 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:30--Mr. Code provides some biographical information. He is one of ten children in his family. Birthdays were not celebrated on account that they could not be all recalled. He knew of "about" the time of year he was born, so he was free to choose his own birth date.
1:50--Paro Code (Doc) was his father. Esther Code was his mother. He discusses his grandparents and his Uncle Richard.
6:59--His parents owned their own home. It was a four-room log cabin with a separate kitchen in the back of the residence. Mr. Code's grandparents built the house.
10:20--Slavery--Mr. Code's grandparents were slaves. He recalls the story of finding the family of a long lost uncle that had been sold and moved to Florida during slavery.
14:40--The older members of Mr. Code's family are buried in Salters, SC. The graves are not marked with headstones.
15:20--The only old tradition he can remember in regards to marriage is his grandmother "stepping over a broom." He is unaware of the significance of this tradition.
15:57--Mr. Code has been married twice. His first wife was Sedelia Blassingame of Seneca. She died of MS in the early 1980's. He was later married to the former Susan Green of Pinewood, SC.
18:03--Mr. Code's parents were farmers in the low country of South Carolina. The set of grandparents that he knew were slaves and worked the land, though they bought there way out of slavery before 1863. This is how Mr. Code's father was able to inherit the family cabin and adjacent land.
23:51--Typical jobs available to black men in the old days were working on railroad steel gangs, section hands, farming, etc. Women did domestic work. Young people were allowed to farm on the weekends provided they sign a contract with the owner of the land.
30:42--The subject of shopping is briefly brought up.
31:30--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:23--The two continue to discuss aspects of shopping. When he was a youth, the family would make one big shopping trip a year in order to purchase school clothes and shoes. Whites owned all of the store establishments.
1:55--Food items such as vegetables, livestock, and wheat were raised at home. Sugar was made from sugarcane, and tea was utilized from sassafras.
5:40--Most of the furniture was store-bought.
8:30--Mr. Code still owns a quilt that his mother made from suit samples. While purchasing suits in the old days, small cloth samples were given out to customers in order that they could inspect the fabric and its texture.
9:29--Mr. Code had a musically talented brother who could sing and play the guitar. His mother was quite in demand for her seamstress work.
12:25--When Mr. Code was a youth, he could recall the older members of his family speaking of hard times. His mother experienced an earthquake when she was young. Mr. Code himself can remember the flu epidemic that struck between 1917 and 1918. He was around ten years old during the outbreak. He was the only one in his family not to become ill. Everyday responsibilities were left to him; there was only one doctor (white) locally and a great deal of time passed before he could see everyone. The experience taught him how to be independent.
21:00--His two older brothers served in the Army during World War I, but did not go overseas.
22:12--Church--as a youth, he was a member of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination. After he moved to Seneca, he joined St. James United Methodist. Baptist churches were also very influential in the black community. Mr. Code has attended only one camp meeting since moving to Seneca. His experience was negative, and he has never attended one since. Many in the enormous crowd seemed not to respect the spiritual nature of the event, opting instead to facilitate a party-like atmosphere with rowdiness and alcohol. Law enforcement was brought in, and scores were arrested.
31:46--Audio ends.
Cassette 3 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:30--Tape II of Yolanda Harrell's interview--tape III overall--camp meetings were multi-denominational events.
2:05--Mr. Code occasionally attended singing conventions. These were held more frequently in the summer and usually lasted only one day. One of his favorite church songs was Trust and Obey.
4:30--Did blacks and whites ever worship together? He believes that the Pentecostals may have had mixed services occasionally.
5:57--School/Education--he was around six years old when he started his education at Pinewood Elementary. There was a large hall upstairs with three schoolrooms downstairs. There were three teachers for the three classrooms. The children wrote on slates and sat on pew-benches. The school day lasted from 9am-3pm. Lunch was brought from home. From the seventh grade onward, he attended Kendall Institute in Sumter, SC. Mr. Code names some of his siblings and their education. Mr. Code himself attended Temple University for one year, where he was third in his class. He graduated from Benedict College in 1935 with a degree in Biology. He then went on to receive a Masters in Education from the University of Michigan in 1955.
31:37--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:19--Educational issues continue to be discussed including his time on the Wofford Board of Trustees.
2:00--Newspapers/reading materials in his household as a youth included The Pittsburgh Courier and The State.
3:25--Differences between white and black schools are discussed.
12:20--The "Code" surname--the Code surname was originally spelled "Cord." Because of regional dialects, the family despite the spelling always pronounced the name "Code." Mr. Code took it upon himself to have the spelling of the name changed in order to avoid confusion. He is unaware of how the family surname originated or its significance.
18:30--He learned "the hard way" about how whites sometimes treated blacks. He admits to being a proud and independent young man whose confident attitude sometimes led to trouble with whites. Mr. Code relates a lengthy story of his youth as a worker in Florida, and the troubles he experienced with his white overseer.
31:46--Audio ends.
Cassette 4 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:25--Lynching--Mr. Code is aware of two incidents. One that he only heard about was of the killing of a man named Green that occurred in the Walhalla area. The other incident occurred to an individual he knew when he was a youth in Pinewood. There was a local "hermit" named Joel who lived in the wilderness of the Pinewood area. He would occasionally visit Mr. Code's family and other black locals in order to have items from the grocery store picked up for him. He had always been immensely afraid of whites and was fearful about going into town or being around any kind of modernity. On one occasion it was found that the local store had been burglarized. The authorities were instructed to "...look for a black man" with the aid of bloodhounds. The bloodhounds had initially led the authorities to a white man's house. They then took the hounds into the black community. The hermit Joel had been picking up supplies from a local black family, and began to flee when he saw the white law enforcement with their dogs. They immediately joined the chase, and what proceeded was a tragic standoff in which the hermit killed a bloodhound and two law enforcement officers. Joel was eventually shot, dragged through the streets, and lynched.
5:00--When Mr. Code was young, it seemed that the duty of law enforcement was to pin crime on blacks and have them arrested.
6:14--Marriage/relationships--the men of Mr. Code's family were considered the "boss." He states, "...whatever he said was law and order."
6:50--Black/white romantic relationships were frowned upon. The black community treated mulattos differently. Mr. Code states that "...mulattos worked in the home, darker hues worked the crops."
14:40--Celebrations/holidays--the black community celebrated July 4th holidays with dancing, picnics, and sports. Aspects of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations are recalled.
18:10--"Hot Suppers"--these were large, prepared meals in the black community for which a fee would be charged. These were utilized either for charity or the raising of personal funds.
21:20--Mr. Code's father prized his hunting dogs. His father was considered an expert dog-trainer, and many whites sought his assistance.
23:45--The individual that Mr. Code most admired as a youth was Reverend O.A Parker. Reverend Parker was the principal at Mr. Code's middle school, and became a mentor of sorts to him.
31:35--Audio ends.
Cassette 4
Side 2
00:30--Mr. Code briefly recalls family life; his first wife died of Multiple Sclerosis. He married his second wife Susan Green in 1984.
2:41--Harrell asks Mr. Code what his favorite activities as a youth were. This gives Mr. Code an opportunity to reflect on his baseball career. Mr. Code was a talented baseball player, and played in several semi-pro leagues in Florida and Pennsylvania. As a pitcher, he lost only one game over a nine-year period. Good money could be made in the summer semi-pro leagues. He talks about the art of pitching and the different pitches that were in his repertoire such as the "curve-ball," "fade-away," and "turkey-drop."
13:40--Code Elementary in Seneca is named for him. He discusses the honor and his long career in education.
20:30--Mr. Code discusses the struggles and problems that black principals in his era often faced. As a black man in a prominent leadership position, he was initially distrusted by the black community. That aside, problems with whites were common, and Mr. Code relates several stories of his experiences. One area of strong support however was the local school board.
26:51--Harrell thanks Mr. Code for the interview.
27:32--Audio ends.
Audio Quality-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
Cassette 1 (April 20, 1989)
**Note** this cassette was not originally a part of the Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont Project. This field research conducted by Deas-Moore was added to complement the Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont Project.
Side 1
5:40--Church and school were two of the most important and active aspects of the black community. Mr. Code attended St. James United Methodist.
6:37--Emancipation Celebrations--these were celebrated in the days before the Civil Right Movement. They were usually school-sponsored; patriotic and Negro spirituals were performed, and there was usually a guest speaker.
8:40--Watch Night services were held in the black community on New Year's Eve at local churches.
9:06--Local black churches were crucial in the organization of events for children and the community as a whole.
10:20--The white and black communities would each sponsor their own Negro History Week. Mr. Code was often asked to be the guest speaker at local white churches.
12:30--Local blacks would often have picnics and BBQ parties in Highpoint, NC.
14:00--Mr. Code reflects on the cattle-culture of the old days, and aspects of the local farmer's markets that were held in late fall.
19:23--Camp Meetings--this was a multi-denominational event in the black community. They were usually held in the summer, and lasted perhaps a week. These were festive events, as it was treated as a sort of homecoming for family and friends.
31:14--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
Blank
Cassette 2 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:30--Mr. Code provides some biographical information. He is one of ten children in his family. Birthdays were not celebrated on account that they could not be all recalled. He knew of "about" the time of year he was born, so he was free to choose his own birth date.
1:50--Paro Code (Doc) was his father. Esther Code was his mother. He discusses his grandparents and his Uncle Richard.
6:59--His parents owned their own home. It was a four-room log cabin with a separate kitchen in the back of the residence. Mr. Code's grandparents built the house.
10:20--Slavery--Mr. Code's grandparents were slaves. He recalls the story of finding the family of a long lost uncle that had been sold and moved to Florida during slavery.
14:40--The older members of Mr. Code's family are buried in Salters, SC. The graves are not marked with headstones.
15:20--The only old tradition he can remember in regards to marriage is his grandmother "stepping over a broom." He is unaware of the significance of this tradition.
15:57--Mr. Code has been married twice. His first wife was Sedelia Blassingame of Seneca. She died of MS in the early 1980's. He was later married to the former Susan Green of Pinewood, SC.
18:03--Mr. Code's parents were farmers in the low country of South Carolina. The set of grandparents that he knew were slaves and worked the land, though they bought there way out of slavery before 1863. This is how Mr. Code's father was able to inherit the family cabin and adjacent land.
23:51--Typical jobs available to black men in the old days were working on railroad steel gangs, section hands, farming, etc. Women did domestic work. Young people were allowed to farm on the weekends provided they sign a contract with the owner of the land.
30:42--The subject of shopping is briefly brought up.
31:30--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:23--The two continue to discuss aspects of shopping. When he was a youth, the family would make one big shopping trip a year in order to purchase school clothes and shoes. Whites owned all of the store establishments.
1:55--Food items such as vegetables, livestock, and wheat were raised at home. Sugar was made from sugarcane, and tea was utilized from sassafras.
5:40--Most of the furniture was store-bought.
8:30--Mr. Code still owns a quilt that his mother made from suit samples. While purchasing suits in the old days, small cloth samples were given out to customers in order that they could inspect the fabric and its texture.
9:29--Mr. Code had a musically talented brother who could sing and play the guitar. His mother was quite in demand for her seamstress work.
12:25--When Mr. Code was a youth, he could recall the older members of his family speaking of hard times. His mother experienced an earthquake when she was young. Mr. Code himself can remember the flu epidemic that struck between 1917 and 1918. He was around ten years old during the outbreak. He was the only one in his family not to become ill. Everyday responsibilities were left to him; there was only one doctor (white) locally and a great deal of time passed before he could see everyone. The experience taught him how to be independent.
21:00--His two older brothers served in the Army during World War I, but did not go overseas.
22:12--Church--as a youth, he was a member of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination. After he moved to Seneca, he joined St. James United Methodist. Baptist churches were also very influential in the black community. Mr. Code has attended only one camp meeting since moving to Seneca. His experience was negative, and he has never attended one since. Many in the enormous crowd seemed not to respect the spiritual nature of the event, opting instead to facilitate a party-like atmosphere with rowdiness and alcohol. Law enforcement was brought in, and scores were arrested.
31:46--Audio ends.
Cassette 3 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:30--Tape II of Yolanda Harrell's interview--tape III overall--camp meetings were multi-denominational events.
2:05--Mr. Code occasionally attended singing conventions. These were held more frequently in the summer and usually lasted only one day. One of his favorite church songs was Trust and Obey.
4:30--Did blacks and whites ever worship together? He believes that the Pentecostals may have had mixed services occasionally.
5:57--School/Education--he was around six years old when he started his education at Pinewood Elementary. There was a large hall upstairs with three schoolrooms downstairs. There were three teachers for the three classrooms. The children wrote on slates and sat on pew-benches. The school day lasted from 9am-3pm. Lunch was brought from home. From the seventh grade onward, he attended Kendall Institute in Sumter, SC. Mr. Code names some of his siblings and their education. Mr. Code himself attended Temple University for one year, where he was third in his class. He graduated from Benedict College in 1935 with a degree in Biology. He then went on to receive a Masters in Education from the University of Michigan in 1955.
31:37--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:19--Educational issues continue to be discussed including his time on the Wofford Board of Trustees.
2:00--Newspapers/reading materials in his household as a youth included The Pittsburgh Courier and The State.
3:25--Differences between white and black schools are discussed.
12:20--The "Code" surname--the Code surname was originally spelled "Cord." Because of regional dialects, the family despite the spelling always pronounced the name "Code." Mr. Code took it upon himself to have the spelling of the name changed in order to avoid confusion. He is unaware of how the family surname originated or its significance.
18:30--He learned "the hard way" about how whites sometimes treated blacks. He admits to being a proud and independent young man whose confident attitude sometimes led to trouble with whites. Mr. Code relates a lengthy story of his youth as a worker in Florida, and the troubles he experienced with his white overseer.
31:46--Audio ends.
Cassette 4 (June 1990)
Side 1
00:25--Lynching--Mr. Code is aware of two incidents. One that he only heard about was of the killing of a man named Green that occurred in the Walhalla area. The other incident occurred to an individual he knew when he was a youth in Pinewood. There was a local "hermit" named Joel who lived in the wilderness of the Pinewood area. He would occasionally visit Mr. Code's family and other black locals in order to have items from the grocery store picked up for him. He had always been immensely afraid of whites and was fearful about going into town or being around any kind of modernity. On one occasion it was found that the local store had been burglarized. The authorities were instructed to "...look for a black man" with the aid of bloodhounds. The bloodhounds had initially led the authorities to a white man's house. They then took the hounds into the black community. The hermit Joel had been picking up supplies from a local black family, and began to flee when he saw the white law enforcement with their dogs. They immediately joined the chase, and what proceeded was a tragic standoff in which the hermit killed a bloodhound and two law enforcement officers. Joel was eventually shot, dragged through the streets, and lynched.
5:00--When Mr. Code was young, it seemed that the duty of law enforcement was to pin crime on blacks and have them arrested.
6:14--Marriage/relationships--the men of Mr. Code's family were considered the "boss." He states, "...whatever he said was law and order."
6:50--Black/white romantic relationships were frowned upon. The black community treated mulattos differently. Mr. Code states that "...mulattos worked in the home, darker hues worked the crops."
14:40--Celebrations/holidays--the black community celebrated July 4th holidays with dancing, picnics, and sports. Aspects of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday celebrations are recalled.
18:10--"Hot Suppers"--these were large, prepared meals in the black community for which a fee would be charged. These were utilized either for charity or the raising of personal funds.
21:20--Mr. Code's father prized his hunting dogs. His father was considered an expert dog-trainer, and many whites sought his assistance.
23:45--The individual that Mr. Code most admired as a youth was Reverend O.A Parker. Reverend Parker was the principal at Mr. Code's middle school, and became a mentor of sorts to him.
31:35--Audio ends.
Cassette 4
Side 2
00:30--Mr. Code briefly recalls family life; his first wife died of Multiple Sclerosis. He married his second wife Susan Green in 1984.
2:41--Harrell asks Mr. Code what his favorite activities as a youth were. This gives Mr. Code an opportunity to reflect on his baseball career. Mr. Code was a talented baseball player, and played in several semi-pro leagues in Florida and Pennsylvania. As a pitcher, he lost only one game over a nine-year period. Good money could be made in the summer semi-pro leagues. He talks about the art of pitching and the different pitches that were in his repertoire such as the "curve-ball," "fade-away," and "turkey-drop."
13:40--Code Elementary in Seneca is named for him. He discusses the honor and his long career in education.
20:30--Mr. Code discusses the struggles and problems that black principals in his era often faced. As a black man in a prominent leadership position, he was initially distrusted by the black community. That aside, problems with whites were common, and Mr. Code relates several stories of his experiences. One area of strong support however was the local school board.
26:51--Harrell thanks Mr. Code for the interview.
27:32--Audio ends.