Scroll down to read this month’s articles!
Collinsville Characters’ Halloween
By Kristy Proctor
I look outside and there’s something there
Gives me goosebumps and raises my hair
It’s time for Halloween
John Montgomery’s ghost goes riding by
With sights of the past in each eye
Ghosts ride on Halloween
John McAlister’s bones, oh so old
Shine at night like 1800’s gold
Bones glow on Halloween
Peyton Lewis- his eyes wet and red
Memories of war stirring in his head
Soldier’s weep on Halloween
Samuel Roberts is on the prowl
He’s hurt once again and howls a howl
Victims yell on Halloween
Kitty Roberts moans for her sweet spouse
Crying in her centuries-old house
Widows mourn on Halloween
Roselie Cline scratches the chalkboard
Showing 19th Century skills explored
Teachers teach on Halloween
The teacher’s house is empty tonight
Everyone left while screaming in fright
People run on Halloween
The Weakley children not gone away
protect their old homeplace to this day
spirits watch on Halloween
The guests at Historic Collinsville-
Oh, some have passed on and some are real
People visit on Halloween
So, come see the site in your own way
come in the night or come in the day
Not just on Halloween
A Butter Churning Tall Tale
By Kristy Proctor
The Weakley Boys and a Butter-Churning Frog…
This story is about two boys, a frog, and a butter churn. In a small house in a rural 1800’s settlement, there lived two very active, very clever boys. It was the family rule in the 1800’s home that the two youngest boys had the chore of churning butter. But, since this was considered real work and not much fun, the boys came up with a “butter” idea- “butter” than any idea they had ever thought. They would fill the churn with cream and wait until their mother left the kitchen. Then, they would lift the lid of the churn and toss in a big ol’ bullfrog. The boys would then run off and go swimming in the pond for a couple hours. While they were gone, that big frog would be jumping up and down trying to get out of the churn. Of course, all the time he was jumping he was sloshing that cream around something fierce.
When the boys returned, they lifted the lid to find that bullfrog sitting right on top of a big chunk of freshly churned butter. They carefully lifted the frog out and let him hop away to live in fear of the next day of butter churning. The family leaped at the chance to butter their bread with fresh butter and never knew why the young boys had such a hoppin’ good time making it!
Deep, Surprising Histories in Clarksville, Tennessee
By Marni Patterson