Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: Biography – Staff/Personnel
Series 09: Directors
EVELYN K. WELLS 1921 EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS HOME
TAGS: Evelyn K. Wells 1921 Excerpts From Letters Hhome ; Evelyn K. Wells ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ; transcriptions ; letters ; Marguerite Butler ; Board of Trustees ; PMSS early history ; Kay Wright ; Lucretia Garfield ; Lynch, KY ; Harlan, KY ; Community Life School ; Smith, KY ; Ladies Aid Society ; funeralizing ; Mr. Michel ; Head of Lick Branch ; coal camp ; coal mining ; trains
Evelyn K. Wells was a longtime secretary from 1915 to 1931 and acting director in 1931, following Director Hubert Hadley and pending the hiring of Glyn Morris at Pine Mountain Settlement School. The following are excerpts from the letters she sent to her family in 1921, describing her Pine Mountain experiences.
1921 Undated – n.d.
Crossing the mountain at 5:30 a.m., joining Lucretia Garfield and K. [Kay] Wright on the early train from Lynch, where they had been Girl-Scouting all week. At Harlan took another train, rode six miles and connected with what had been described as a “motor car,” which turned out to be a little truck that ran by gasoline engine on the railroad tracks six miles further, to the Head of Lick Branch, a coal mining district, We rode lickety-split, hanging on to each other, to the end of the road, where we bumped into the mountain. We were met by two little boys who took us over the low ridges to the Smith valley, only three miles, and such lovely country, winding instead of straight like ours.
We were to visit the Community Life School, a Presbyterian center. Palatial houses where the people have black walnut sets and pianos and the ladies come to Ladies’ Aid meetings in plumed hats. At the creeks and hollows nearby are full of cabin homes and their neighborhood problems are much like ours. The buildings of the school are very plain little cottages, neat and comfortable and perfectly unimaginative, but there are fine workers. At a funeralizing, we saw the neighborhood gathered. The Presbyterian minister from Harlan came to officiate, and we returned with him, starting out on foot, changing to the hand-car for six miles, walking another three because the train wasn’t due for a long time, and being picked up by a very luxurious automobile parishioner of Mr. Michel for the last few miles to town.
After a night in the only hotel in town we came across Pine Mountain in a light snow, joined by a lot of children returning from vacations. Also, two little boys who ran away a month ago whom Lucretia and Kay had found in the poorhouse on their travels and who were now being returned to us by the County Judge.
1921 Spring.
We’ve been Girl Scouting busily. Mrs. James J. Storrow of Boston and Margaret Coolidge of Milton arrived for the doings. (Mrs. Storrow heads all the country dancing activities and practically financed Cecil Sharp on his mountain expeditions.) That night, in the dining room after supper and some Scout ceremonies, eight girls did a sword dance, wearing white middy suits and red ties, and then ten of the older children ran a set [Kentucky Running Set] and we all sang some ballads. Then the workers adjourned to the Schoolhouse for more dancing, learning one beautiful new one from Mrs. Storrow and ending up with cakes and cocoa.
Other event: A Pine Mountain pageant, difficult to put on because children were continually dropping out because their vaccinations were “taking.” At the Scout Council meeting Mrs. Storrow offered us two scholarships at the [Girl Scouts of America] National Training Camp at Plymouth, [MA], so two of our girls will probably go — Allie Callahan and Kitty Ritchie.
See Also:
EVELYN K. WELLS Biography
EVELYN K. WELLS GUIDE TO ADMINISTRATIVE CORRESPONDENCE
EVELYN K. WELLS RECORD PINE MOUNTAIN SETTLEMENT SCHOOL 1913-1928 [INDEX] (Early in-depth history of Pine Mountain Settlement School)
EVELYN K. WELLS GUIDE EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS HOME 1915-1923
EVELYN K. WELLS 1915 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1915 EXCERPTS Horseback to Hindman
EVELYN K. WELLS 1916 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1917 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1918 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1919 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1920 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1921 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS 1922 EXCERPTS
EVELYN K. WELLS PUBLICATIONS
The Ballad Tree: A Study of British and American Ballads, Their Folklore, Verse and Music, Together with Sixty Traditional Ballads and Their Tunes. New York: Ronald Press, 1950. Print.
EVELYN K. WELLS, “A Little True Blue American, 1920”
EVELYN K. WELLS TALKS
EVELYN K. WELLS, TALK Harvard University July 1, 1955
