Photograph of Otto Walker and Harry England leaving the school house to get more water from the spring one mile away. In the image, Walker and England are just stepping out of the school house, bucket in hand, as they begin their journey for fresh water at the spring.

Photograph of Creete Russell singing at the Chapel Service. In the image Russell is standing next to the pew in a one piece patterned jumper.

Narrative by Junebug Clark in the summer of 2014 Photograph of a group of teenagers from Lincoln Memorial University in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee playing a game of "Shoes in a Circle" A boy and girl team up and removed their shoes and pile them up randomly with other contestants shoes. A signal starts the mad rush to find and put on their shoes. The team to complete the task first wins. This photo appears on page 766 of National Geographic Magazine. A 21 page article on Cumberland Gap and its people with photographs by Joe Clark, HBSS appears in this early 1940's publication. It's a great article. I'm sorry that I don't have the date handy now, but if you have gotten this far... I'd highly recommend digging further for that Geographic Magazine. Overall Background: These Molasses Making Stir-off photos were shot by Joe Clark HBSS in the early to mid-1940s. Either on the farm of Fred Whitaker about four miles southwest of Cumberland Gap, or in Cumberland Gap on the farm of Baptist preacher the Rev. Hugh Vancel. More information about these images can be found in scrapbooks in the Clark Family Collection at the University of North Texas …

Photograph of two young women dancing in a restaurant.

Photograph of two signs along side a paved road.

Photograph of students seated along a bench at the front of a class room while the teacher stands behind them.

Photograph of a young girl raising her hand with two boys seated on a bench in a one room school house. There are papers with spelling words written on them in their hands and on the bench.

Photograph of signs along a paved road.

Photograph of numerous couples dancing at the molasses stir-off, with people watching from the background and a couple kissing in the foreground. This image is mounted to the left of a poem by Joe Clark, titled "Youth." Narrative by Junebug Clark: Additional photos and information can be found in the pdf document "Joe Clark HBSS LIFE Magazine Photos" page 20 and in the November 13, 1950. Life Magazine pages 156-160. Stir-off Time in Tennessee. Fun Starts in Hills as Molasses Boils. Photo by: Joe Clark, HBSS.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photograph of Jimmy Powell, laying down, shirtless, on top a mountain in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. In the image a farm can be seen on the next hill and Powell has a shotgun, almost the size of his body, laying next to him and his hunting dog off in the distance On the bottom of the image, "Lazy Bones," is handwritten. Joe never had photographs of himself growing up in Tennessee. He returned many times to photograph Jimmy and create an "Autobiographical" series of what Joe recalled his life to be. Photo by: Joe Clark, HBSS. Clark PhotoFile: 7023-0053-2

Photograph of an unknown man using a horse drawn ploy for farming. In the image the man is plowing to prepare for the next harvest, the poem glued to the left of the image is about a country boy's life on the farm and everything that comes with their lifestyle.

Photograph of Cecil Ray with his arm around a Bonnie Burns as they walk along a gravel path. Burns carries a gas lamp while the Cecil Ray carries a small pail of sorghum molasses while they both laugh and smile. A typed poem is mounted to the right of the photograph on a mat.

Photograph of a boy catching a girl while playing a "kissing game" at a molasses stir-off. There are two rings, one of boys and one of girls. The girl tags a boy and he must chase her. If he catches her, a kiss is the prize. In this photograph, the young man claims his reward. There is a poem titled "Fact," mounted to the mat of the photo.

Photograph of seven students seated at a table as they read from books. The students and table are next to a window.

Photograph of a child named Mary Lee Williams drinking water from a ladle. She wears a dress and sweater, leaning over a bucket to get to the water. The photograph is mounted along with a poem by HBSS, Joe Clark.

Photograph of Aunt Nora Treece cutting off the stalks from the broomcorn for a new broom. In the image, Aunt Nora is holding the broom upside down while she cuts off the stalks with a large knife. A pin with the word "MOTHER" can be seen on her blouse.

Photograph of Joe Clark receiving a hair cut at Dal Gulley's General Store. In the image, Clark is seated on a large barrel with a tarp over his body while getting his hair trimmed. Around them are items for purchase inside the store like knifes, grains, pipes, tonic, etc.

Photograph of Aunt Nora Treece smiling to the camera as she shows off her finished quilts. In the image, a young unidentified girls stands holding a quilt next to Aunt Nora while one is laid on the bed and two more are pulled over a curtain.

Photograph of Aunt Nora Treece weaving a homemade broom flat. In the image, Aunt Nora is seated on the porch with the broom across her lap weaving a string through the broomcorn making it flat. A small kitten is seated next to the broom sniffing the ends with interest while someone can be seen inside through a screen door.

Photograph of Aunt Nora Treece carding cotton with brushes. In the image, Aunt Treece sits by a table decorated with objects and photographs while carding the cotton.

Photograph of grandma Iris Clark showing quilts. In the image, Clark is holding up two quilts by a bed showing the patterns to the camera.

Photograph of Viola Treece smiling at the camera. In the image, Treece is wearing overalls sitting in a wooden chair.

Photograph of Aunt Nora Treece sewing. In the image, Aunt Treece is seated in a rocking chair by a window and table decorated with flowers and photographs.

Photograph of a woman inspected a canned jar with two young girls. In the image, the unidentified woman and girls are inside a large root cellar filled with canned goods along the walls and tables.