Narrative by Junebug Clark in the summer of 2014 Sorghum cane is fed into a mule drawn press where the juice is extracted and collected. 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 Special Collections Library. Specifically in a Detroit news pictorial article published December 13, 1942 titles "stir-off party" where mountaineers make molasses and merriment. Also in life magazine published November 13, 1950 [page 156] titled “Stir-off Time in Tennessee, Fun Starts in Hills as Molasses Boils.’ Also in the library is the NBC Today Show story on Joe Clark HBSS by Bob Dotson. It features Joe Clark returning to Cumberland Gap Tennessee to photograph a molasses stir off taking place in the same location as some of these photographs and attended by some of the same people in the early 1980s. Let me briefly set the scene of the …

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters gather inside a neighbor's home during a Quilting Bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photograph is from 1938 and is shot in Red Hill, Tennessee. One of the first photos made by Joe, Baptising in Olde Towne Creek, has endured to become a favorite and meaningful to many. It bears close scrutiny because of the differing expressions and attitudes of those attending. People have said that they have counted fifty-one people in this picture and I’ve listened to many a controversy about a TV antenna* appearing in this 1938 photo. The Rev. Hugh Vancel, in charge in this photo, performed countless baptisms, but the ceremony eventually moved indoors. Olde Towne Creek empties into Keg Branch, a creek that runs though our property, about three miles left of your view point. To your right, about a mile, is the Clark family cemetery where Joe was laid to rest in December of 1989. In 1981 the Smithsonian Institute displayed a print of this photo for use in an exhibit “Rights of Passage.” It was published in the autobiography of Dolly Parton and as the poster for the Wolf Trap Music Festival. Jb. *lightning rod

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters gather at a neighbor's home for a Quilting Bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Quilters have set-up a piece of fabric to begin sewing on a drawn pattern during a quilting bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photograph is from the 1940s and is shot in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Students of "pappy" Hiram Frakes School learn old time dances.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of a woman and man in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The woman and man attend a quilting bee with quilt and additional supplies in hand. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photograph is from the 1940s and is shot in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Two women quilting at the home of Nora and Wylie Treece.

Photograph of three men and one boy building large wooden wheels for farm equipment at Alex Cline's blacksmith shop in Tennessee. Wade Cline stands in the center swinging a large metal mallet.

Photograph of a wooden outhouse in an open field. A line of fence posts can be seen in the middle ground of the photo while trees are scattered throughout the background.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Two quilters are sewing and drawing patterns on a piece of fabric. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: A 1940s photograph of a farmer harvesting wheat in Cumberland Gap, TN.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters talk around a piece of fabric. Quilts are displayed on a wooden wall in the left middle ground, while additional quilts are piled on the ground on front of the women. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of woman and a man in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. A man hangs quilts on a wooden wall while a woman stands beside him to assist. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Quilters have set-up a piece of fabric and are sewing on a drawn pattern during a quilting bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of a woman in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilter is walking to a neighbor's home for a Quilting Bee with quilt in hand. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Quilters display their fiber artworks at a quilting bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women, a girl, and a man in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters set-up a piece of fabric to begin sewing while a young girl watches their work. A man hangs quilts on a wooden wall behind the women. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters gather outdoors at a neighbor's home for a Quilting Bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.

Narrative by Junebug Clark in the summer of 2014 Friends and neighbors come from miles around to participate in the Molasses Making Stir-off. 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 Special Collections Library. Specifically in a Detroit news pictorial article published December 13, 1942 titles "stir-off party" where mountaineers make molasses and merriment. Also in life magazine published November 13, 1950 [page 156] titled “Stir-off Time in Tennessee, Fun Starts in Hills as Molasses Boils.’ Also in the library is the NBC Today Show story on Joe Clark HBSS by Bob Dotson. It features Joe Clark returning to Cumberland Gap Tennessee to photograph a molasses stir off taking place in the same location as some of these photographs and attended by some of the same people in the early 1980s. Let me briefly set the scene of the time and …

Narrative by Junebug Clark in the summer of 2014 Sorghum cane is fed into a mule drawn press where the juice is extracted and collected. 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 Special Collections Library. Specifically in a Detroit news pictorial article published December 13, 1942 titles "stir-off party" where mountaineers make molasses and merriment. Also in life magazine published November 13, 1950 [page 156] titled “Stir-off Time in Tennessee, Fun Starts in Hills as Molasses Boils.’ Also in the library is the NBC Today Show story on Joe Clark HBSS by Bob Dotson. It features Joe Clark returning to Cumberland Gap Tennessee to photograph a molasses stir off taking place in the same location as some of these photographs and attended by some of the same people in the early 1980s. Let me briefly set the scene of the …

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photograph is from 1940s and is shot in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Students of "Pappy" Hiram Frakes School learn old time dances. This photo appeared in National Geographic Magazine.

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. Narrative by Junebug Clark in the summer of 2014 Walking Home by Lantern Light. This is a typical scene at the end of a stir-off event. It is a scene Joe tried to capture many times. It is a good shot and has been published, but it is not the "kill-shot" the one "picture that tells a story" of that journey home. It is here somewhere in the archive... just hasn't been digitized as of 8/4/14. Update 8-18-2014: Check "Walking His Girl Home by Lantern Light" (UNTA_AR0749-127-026) 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 Special Collections Library. Specifically in a …

Narrative by Junebug Clark: Photo of women in the Powell Valley during the early 1940s in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. The quilters gather at a neighbor's home for a Quilting Bee. This is a 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 B&W negative.