Alice Gassaway Interview
Item
Identifier
Box 1:27-29
Title
Alice Gassaway Interview
Type
Interview
Language
Source
Black Heritage in the Upper Piedmont of South Carolina Collection
Rights
Date
November 30, 1989
Description
Speakers-Alice Gassaway, Yolanda Harrell
Audio-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
Cassette 1
Side 1
00:47--Miss Gassaway's parents were Larkin Dial and Anna Gassaway. She did not know either set of grandparents.
1:22--Several family members moved away from the Seneca area for economic reasons. She had an aunt named Livonia and two brothers who moved to Detroit, Michigan, three sisters who went to Cleveland, Ohio, and another brother who made his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miss Gassaway's father went to Cleveland by himself for three years, but returned to Seneca and the rest of the family.
6:44--Her father was a carpenter and farmer, while her mother did domestic work for local families. They owned their own home.
8:26--Miss Gassaway discusses aspects of farming and crops that were commonly grown when she was a youth as well as care for livestock. The family really didn't need to buy anything but sugar and coffee; everything else was produced on the farm.
11:45--Slavery--Miss Gassaway did not know either set of grandparents, so any recollections of that time-period came from her mother. Miss Gassaway's maternal grandmother was black, but her maternal grandfather was a white man. She only assumes that he was a slave master. She later recalls that his last name was Acker. Her maternal grandmother also had children by a black man. The mixed-race children lived in the master's house, while the black children lived along with the grandmother in the "cabins" (slave quarters?). Her grandmother struggled to make ends meet for her black children, while the mixed race children were treated with privilege. Miss Gassaway's paternal grandmother was a white from Holland, her paternal grandfather was black.
16:40--Miss Gassaway relates a story of when one of her uncles had to leave the Anderson, SC area on account of threats from the local Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. He relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
21:03--Her father did carpentry work; he along with the Sloan's helped build St. James Church.
23:26--The entire local family is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery; the graves are marked.
24:33--She recalls a local named Carrie Arthur and details of her wedding during the 1920s. Several other family members and relations are mentioned.
30:04--Miss Gassaway briefly describes old family photographs.
31:42--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
00:07--Gassaway explains that some of the children's nice shoes and clothes were donated by whites that her mother worked for. She mentions Dr. Austin's (he was the local dentist) wife and Mrs. Hunter (her husband ran the local shoe store).
2:10--Miss Gassaway recalls helping her mother do the wash as a youth. She would carry the clothesbaskets on head, hips, or shoulders. She describes the steps commonly utilized in the washing process. Homemade lye soap was often used. Pay was not good; they made perhaps $1.50 per load.
9:25--In order that Miss Gassaway could attend school, her mother sold a cow for $75 and also mailed monthly payments to her daughter at school with earnings from her domestic work.
11:36--Her mother worked Monday through Thursday washing and ironing for local whites. In the days before electric irons, her mother would have eight or nine irons available, all heated in the fireplace. The general steps in the ironing process are covered. There was no extra charge for ironing.
14:00--Different charges according to the size of the wash are discussed.
16:17--Miss Gassaway briefly left the Seneca area for New York. About three years after she first started teaching, she decided to move. Domestic work up north at the time was proving to be lucrative for blacks, so she decided to give it a try. She recalls several stories of her experiences before her return to the Seneca area.
26:16--Miss Gassaway recalls the types of jobs that were commonly available to blacks. Black men usually farmed or did odd jobs. Many did blacksmith work. There were really no employment opportunities for black women other than domestic work. Young blacks often did baby-sitting work.
29:40--Shopping--The family shopped at Hunter's Store in Seneca. They used the credit system to pay for the goods. Miss Gassaway was aware of no black-owned local stores.
31:44--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 1
00:20--Clothes were occasionally purchased from families her mother worked for. Girls usually wore "house dresses" while boys commonly wore over-alls. The nicest outfits were only worn on Sundays.
6:30--Miss Gassaway explains that her oldest sister attended a nursing school in Raleigh, NC. Another sibling went to Seneca Junior and then attended Claflin in Orangeburg, SC. Another went to Benedict in Columbia, SC.
12:00--Furniture--Her father made the dinner table himself. It had benches that would seat five people on each side. Her father would sit at the head of the table. The iron beds in the house were store-bought.
14:55--Her father was expert at making baskets, while her mother made quilts, curtains, pillowslips, and underpants. She also did crochet work. Indeed the family talents seemed to lie in making clothes, hats, etc.
18:55--Miss Gassaway doesn't remember her childhood being particularly difficult; her parents were good workers and always strove to provide for the family.
20:23--She understands that her maternal grandmother had a particularly hard time during the days of slavery. The story regarding her white grandfather and black grandmother are again recalled.
25:07--Miss Gassaway can recall the flu epidemic that occurred around 1917-1918. There was lots of sickness, but she cannot recall anyone in her family dying from it. Dr. Bryant was a local black doctor in Seneca who treated the community.
27:00--Her brother Larkin, Jr. served in World War I. He wasn't sent overseas, however.
27:51--Church--Miss Gassaway is a member of St. James Methodist Church. Her father, along with Archie and Elijah Sloan helped build the church building. A few of the preachers that can be recalled are Reverend Thompson, Reverend E.C. Wright, Reverend Getty, and Reverend Robinson. St. James traditionally buried its members at Oak Grove Cemetery. Camp meetings were often held at Bethel Grove.
31:45--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:07--Miss Gassaway never attended camp meetings until she was nearly an adult. The meetings were held in mid September and usually lasted from Monday until the following Sunday, where enormous crowds were sure to gather. Services were multi-denominational, and usually lasted from 7pm-11pm.
3:45--Among her favorite songs are: How Great Thou Art.
4:14--The interviewer is interested to know if blacks and whites ever worshipped together. Her first experience with such an occurrence was when she was picked as a delegate to represent her church at a Methodist conference in Columbia, SC. Although both groups were housed in separate buildings, they ate and worshipped together.
6:21--A particularly influential civic group was the "Willing Worker's" female youth group at her church.
8:02--School--She first started school at age six at an all black school located on Pine Street that covered all grades through seven. It was called Seneca Graded Public School. She names her teachers: Katie Hicks (first), Ida Sloan (second), Miss Willie Grant (third), Lillie Shaw (fourth), Carrie Benson (fifth), Julia Collins (sixth), and Principal J.T. Burris (seventh). There were perhaps forty people per class. The school year lasted seven months. The school day lasted from 8am-2pm.
16:23--After graded school, Miss Gassaway attended Seneca Institute followed by two-year stays at Claflin and SC State. Following SC State, she taught for three years in Liberty, SC. She spent a short time in New York before returning to the Seneca area where she taught fourteen years at Abel. After desegregation, she taught at Pickens Elementary School.
27:36--The achievements of famous black people such as Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington were taught in black schools. The children also read books by Langston Hughes.
29:30--She describes the dimensions and general layout of the Seneca Graded Public School building.
31:43--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 1
00:30--A few of her favorite games at recess included "give that girl a piece of cake," "blue bird in my window," and "drop the handkerchief." She explains the rules of a few of these games. Jump rope and hopscotch were also popular. The boys usually played baseball.
6:20--Miss Gassaway fondly recalls her high school drama class, and productions such as Everywoman.
10:17--Social clubs/organizations--she had a couple of sisters who were members of the Eastern Star. Meetings were held in the local "Odd Fellows" hall.
11:30--Politics--though some blacks were afraid to vote when first given the opportunity, her father never hesitated to be involved and never missed an occasion on which to exercise his right to vote.
13:43--Lynching--she knows of the incident involving Allen Green of Walhalla, SC. It seems that Mr. Green was a horse trader, and during one particular transaction with a group of whites became involved in controversy that led to his death. After successfully selling a horse, the whites left for a short time in order to buy other supplies in town. They were to be gone just a short time, so one of the white ladies stayed behind with Mr. Green. Upon returning to Mr. Green's business, they were informed by the white woman that Mr. Green had raped her. Authorities arrested Mr. Green, but a mob appeared at the jailhouse, broke Mr. Green out, and subsequently lynched him. Mr. Green was beaten and shot over 100 times.
18:06--Local law enforcement was not a real problem in her estimation.
18:30--Marriage relationships were equal within her family.
19:14--Miss Gassaway discusses mixed race relationships, mulattos, and individuals who tried to pass for white.
22:00--Celebrations/holidays--Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving were the most important events. Christmas was her favorite; though she was concerned that Santa Claus seemed to like white children better, because they always got nicer gifts. Birthdays were never really celebrated.
25:55--The family house was heated by a large fireplace.
29:39--Her mother's most prized possessions were her quilts; they were all burned in a house fire. Her father prized his hunting dogs.
31:19--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:37--Her father had four hound dogs. They were not pets; she was not allowed to play with them.
1:08--Two individuals that she liked and admired were Carrie Arthur and the wife of one of the local preachers named Katie. The two were always involved in church activities and strove to always help the needy. Miss Gassaway always tried to live up to the example they had set.
5:35--Miss Gassaway thought nothing of being black. She has always enjoyed living in Seneca and her relationships with whites and blacks has been rewarding. She admits that this outlook is in sharp contrast to her father, who disliked whites immensely. This attitude likely was born out of the incident in which his brother was forced to leave Anderson, SC by the Ku Klux Klan. Her mother was much more understanding and got along with whites quite well.
9:15--Miss Gassaway names her fifteen siblings: Lula, Minnie, Lena, Hattie, Mamie, Carrie, Annie, Alice, Waymon, Milton, Larkin, Jr., Clarence, Charlie, Sylvester, and Lafayette (?).
13:05--If she had the opportunity to live her life over again, Miss Gassaway would not change a thing. She had good relations with whites, a good childhood, and good friends.
14:40--Altogether, Miss Gassaway was an educator for thirty-eight years. She retired in 1970.
16:03--Harrell thanks Miss Gassaway for the interview.
16:12--Audio ends.
Alice Gassaway was born in the Seneca, SC area circa 1904-1910. She was the daughter of Larkin Dial and Anna Gassaway of Seneca, SC. After attending South Carolina State College, she taught in the South Carolina public school system for thirty-eight years. She never married. Ms. Gassaway died on October 4, 1994.
Audio-Good
Location-Seneca, SC
Cassette 1
Side 1
00:47--Miss Gassaway's parents were Larkin Dial and Anna Gassaway. She did not know either set of grandparents.
1:22--Several family members moved away from the Seneca area for economic reasons. She had an aunt named Livonia and two brothers who moved to Detroit, Michigan, three sisters who went to Cleveland, Ohio, and another brother who made his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miss Gassaway's father went to Cleveland by himself for three years, but returned to Seneca and the rest of the family.
6:44--Her father was a carpenter and farmer, while her mother did domestic work for local families. They owned their own home.
8:26--Miss Gassaway discusses aspects of farming and crops that were commonly grown when she was a youth as well as care for livestock. The family really didn't need to buy anything but sugar and coffee; everything else was produced on the farm.
11:45--Slavery--Miss Gassaway did not know either set of grandparents, so any recollections of that time-period came from her mother. Miss Gassaway's maternal grandmother was black, but her maternal grandfather was a white man. She only assumes that he was a slave master. She later recalls that his last name was Acker. Her maternal grandmother also had children by a black man. The mixed-race children lived in the master's house, while the black children lived along with the grandmother in the "cabins" (slave quarters?). Her grandmother struggled to make ends meet for her black children, while the mixed race children were treated with privilege. Miss Gassaway's paternal grandmother was a white from Holland, her paternal grandfather was black.
16:40--Miss Gassaway relates a story of when one of her uncles had to leave the Anderson, SC area on account of threats from the local Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. He relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
21:03--Her father did carpentry work; he along with the Sloan's helped build St. James Church.
23:26--The entire local family is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery; the graves are marked.
24:33--She recalls a local named Carrie Arthur and details of her wedding during the 1920s. Several other family members and relations are mentioned.
30:04--Miss Gassaway briefly describes old family photographs.
31:42--Audio ends.
Cassette 1
Side 2
00:07--Gassaway explains that some of the children's nice shoes and clothes were donated by whites that her mother worked for. She mentions Dr. Austin's (he was the local dentist) wife and Mrs. Hunter (her husband ran the local shoe store).
2:10--Miss Gassaway recalls helping her mother do the wash as a youth. She would carry the clothesbaskets on head, hips, or shoulders. She describes the steps commonly utilized in the washing process. Homemade lye soap was often used. Pay was not good; they made perhaps $1.50 per load.
9:25--In order that Miss Gassaway could attend school, her mother sold a cow for $75 and also mailed monthly payments to her daughter at school with earnings from her domestic work.
11:36--Her mother worked Monday through Thursday washing and ironing for local whites. In the days before electric irons, her mother would have eight or nine irons available, all heated in the fireplace. The general steps in the ironing process are covered. There was no extra charge for ironing.
14:00--Different charges according to the size of the wash are discussed.
16:17--Miss Gassaway briefly left the Seneca area for New York. About three years after she first started teaching, she decided to move. Domestic work up north at the time was proving to be lucrative for blacks, so she decided to give it a try. She recalls several stories of her experiences before her return to the Seneca area.
26:16--Miss Gassaway recalls the types of jobs that were commonly available to blacks. Black men usually farmed or did odd jobs. Many did blacksmith work. There were really no employment opportunities for black women other than domestic work. Young blacks often did baby-sitting work.
29:40--Shopping--The family shopped at Hunter's Store in Seneca. They used the credit system to pay for the goods. Miss Gassaway was aware of no black-owned local stores.
31:44--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 1
00:20--Clothes were occasionally purchased from families her mother worked for. Girls usually wore "house dresses" while boys commonly wore over-alls. The nicest outfits were only worn on Sundays.
6:30--Miss Gassaway explains that her oldest sister attended a nursing school in Raleigh, NC. Another sibling went to Seneca Junior and then attended Claflin in Orangeburg, SC. Another went to Benedict in Columbia, SC.
12:00--Furniture--Her father made the dinner table himself. It had benches that would seat five people on each side. Her father would sit at the head of the table. The iron beds in the house were store-bought.
14:55--Her father was expert at making baskets, while her mother made quilts, curtains, pillowslips, and underpants. She also did crochet work. Indeed the family talents seemed to lie in making clothes, hats, etc.
18:55--Miss Gassaway doesn't remember her childhood being particularly difficult; her parents were good workers and always strove to provide for the family.
20:23--She understands that her maternal grandmother had a particularly hard time during the days of slavery. The story regarding her white grandfather and black grandmother are again recalled.
25:07--Miss Gassaway can recall the flu epidemic that occurred around 1917-1918. There was lots of sickness, but she cannot recall anyone in her family dying from it. Dr. Bryant was a local black doctor in Seneca who treated the community.
27:00--Her brother Larkin, Jr. served in World War I. He wasn't sent overseas, however.
27:51--Church--Miss Gassaway is a member of St. James Methodist Church. Her father, along with Archie and Elijah Sloan helped build the church building. A few of the preachers that can be recalled are Reverend Thompson, Reverend E.C. Wright, Reverend Getty, and Reverend Robinson. St. James traditionally buried its members at Oak Grove Cemetery. Camp meetings were often held at Bethel Grove.
31:45--Audio ends.
Cassette 2
Side 2
00:07--Miss Gassaway never attended camp meetings until she was nearly an adult. The meetings were held in mid September and usually lasted from Monday until the following Sunday, where enormous crowds were sure to gather. Services were multi-denominational, and usually lasted from 7pm-11pm.
3:45--Among her favorite songs are: How Great Thou Art.
4:14--The interviewer is interested to know if blacks and whites ever worshipped together. Her first experience with such an occurrence was when she was picked as a delegate to represent her church at a Methodist conference in Columbia, SC. Although both groups were housed in separate buildings, they ate and worshipped together.
6:21--A particularly influential civic group was the "Willing Worker's" female youth group at her church.
8:02--School--She first started school at age six at an all black school located on Pine Street that covered all grades through seven. It was called Seneca Graded Public School. She names her teachers: Katie Hicks (first), Ida Sloan (second), Miss Willie Grant (third), Lillie Shaw (fourth), Carrie Benson (fifth), Julia Collins (sixth), and Principal J.T. Burris (seventh). There were perhaps forty people per class. The school year lasted seven months. The school day lasted from 8am-2pm.
16:23--After graded school, Miss Gassaway attended Seneca Institute followed by two-year stays at Claflin and SC State. Following SC State, she taught for three years in Liberty, SC. She spent a short time in New York before returning to the Seneca area where she taught fourteen years at Abel. After desegregation, she taught at Pickens Elementary School.
27:36--The achievements of famous black people such as Frederick Douglas and Booker T. Washington were taught in black schools. The children also read books by Langston Hughes.
29:30--She describes the dimensions and general layout of the Seneca Graded Public School building.
31:43--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 1
00:30--A few of her favorite games at recess included "give that girl a piece of cake," "blue bird in my window," and "drop the handkerchief." She explains the rules of a few of these games. Jump rope and hopscotch were also popular. The boys usually played baseball.
6:20--Miss Gassaway fondly recalls her high school drama class, and productions such as Everywoman.
10:17--Social clubs/organizations--she had a couple of sisters who were members of the Eastern Star. Meetings were held in the local "Odd Fellows" hall.
11:30--Politics--though some blacks were afraid to vote when first given the opportunity, her father never hesitated to be involved and never missed an occasion on which to exercise his right to vote.
13:43--Lynching--she knows of the incident involving Allen Green of Walhalla, SC. It seems that Mr. Green was a horse trader, and during one particular transaction with a group of whites became involved in controversy that led to his death. After successfully selling a horse, the whites left for a short time in order to buy other supplies in town. They were to be gone just a short time, so one of the white ladies stayed behind with Mr. Green. Upon returning to Mr. Green's business, they were informed by the white woman that Mr. Green had raped her. Authorities arrested Mr. Green, but a mob appeared at the jailhouse, broke Mr. Green out, and subsequently lynched him. Mr. Green was beaten and shot over 100 times.
18:06--Local law enforcement was not a real problem in her estimation.
18:30--Marriage relationships were equal within her family.
19:14--Miss Gassaway discusses mixed race relationships, mulattos, and individuals who tried to pass for white.
22:00--Celebrations/holidays--Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving were the most important events. Christmas was her favorite; though she was concerned that Santa Claus seemed to like white children better, because they always got nicer gifts. Birthdays were never really celebrated.
25:55--The family house was heated by a large fireplace.
29:39--Her mother's most prized possessions were her quilts; they were all burned in a house fire. Her father prized his hunting dogs.
31:19--Audio ends.
Cassette 3
Side 2
00:37--Her father had four hound dogs. They were not pets; she was not allowed to play with them.
1:08--Two individuals that she liked and admired were Carrie Arthur and the wife of one of the local preachers named Katie. The two were always involved in church activities and strove to always help the needy. Miss Gassaway always tried to live up to the example they had set.
5:35--Miss Gassaway thought nothing of being black. She has always enjoyed living in Seneca and her relationships with whites and blacks has been rewarding. She admits that this outlook is in sharp contrast to her father, who disliked whites immensely. This attitude likely was born out of the incident in which his brother was forced to leave Anderson, SC by the Ku Klux Klan. Her mother was much more understanding and got along with whites quite well.
9:15--Miss Gassaway names her fifteen siblings: Lula, Minnie, Lena, Hattie, Mamie, Carrie, Annie, Alice, Waymon, Milton, Larkin, Jr., Clarence, Charlie, Sylvester, and Lafayette (?).
13:05--If she had the opportunity to live her life over again, Miss Gassaway would not change a thing. She had good relations with whites, a good childhood, and good friends.
14:40--Altogether, Miss Gassaway was an educator for thirty-eight years. She retired in 1970.
16:03--Harrell thanks Miss Gassaway for the interview.
16:12--Audio ends.
Alice Gassaway was born in the Seneca, SC area circa 1904-1910. She was the daughter of Larkin Dial and Anna Gassaway of Seneca, SC. After attending South Carolina State College, she taught in the South Carolina public school system for thirty-eight years. She never married. Ms. Gassaway died on October 4, 1994.
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository