 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
Last
change date is at the bottom of each page. |
|
|
|
| |
| Hood
Swamp, North Carolina, a place where tradition and
old fashioned hospitality still exist; the golden
rule still has meaning; the plants are green; and
the people are down to earth. This
page is dedicated to the people of Hood Swamp for
in this world, THEY represent...
..."goodness of the heart..."
|  |
Hood
Swamp
also
known as
"God's Country"
just
up the road a piece from Goldsboro, North Carolina! |
| | |
| I don't pretend to know a lot about
Hood Swamp! For that matter, I know very little about Goldsboro
or North Carolina. Having always lived within 12 miles of
a major metropolitan city, finding myself in the middle
of Hood Swamp was a bit of "culture shock". What
I do know is that Hood Swamp is a place where farming
tobacco is a way of life. Other crops grow there, but
it seems, tobacco is the "cash crop" for the area. Now
this story is NOT about tobacco, although I did bring
home a plant, (compliments of one Mr. Robert "Ham"
Parks ) to see if I could grow it. See photo to
right...it worked!
If you'd like to find more information
about growing tobacco, please visit this site - TOBACCO
PLANT INFORMATION |
This
IS the plant I brought back!
|
This page is about the people of Hood Swamp! I had a chance to visit Hood Swamp in April of 1999. Besides the farming community, I discovered some of the people there. I met several to whom this page is dedicated. Names like CORBETT, PRICE, PARKS, SMITH, and TAYLOR are all around the area, as they have been for at least 150 years. I had the privledge and the pleasure of meeting some of these fine folks.
My trip was especially memorable for a couple of reasons. As a "city boy"
I had never visited a working farm, much less been aboard farm machinery.
While standing out in a field watching the tractors turn the soil (with
camera in hand) one of them stopped. From the cab emerged one Jeff Parks,
son of Robert "Ham" Parks. Well, Jeff certainly knew a "city boy" when
he saw one...and asked me if I'd like to take a ride. With the enthusiasm
of my first ride on an airplane I replied, without hesitation, "sure,
I'd love that!"
|
|
What seemed like only minutes, turned out to be almost an hour..sitting in
the air conditioned cab, of a John
Deere tractor, pulling a 15,000 lb, 21 foot wide, "disc harrow" (a
picture of a John Deere disc harrow appears below.) through the fields
soon to be planted with soybeans. I had lots and lots of questions. Jeff
was a great teacher and from him, I learned more in an hour about planting,
sharecropping, soybeans and tobacco then I've learned in my entire life.
|  |
|
I met Jeff, his father "Ham" and his son Johnny, in a small restaurant
on Hood Swamp Road called Stonewall's. This would be yet another memory
not soon forgotten. While in the fire department in 1976, there was a
"firehouse cook" named Harry. Harry was from the country in Virginia and
grew up hunting, fishing and cooking. I first learned about "real" pulled
pork barbeque from one of Harry's homemade "venison" creations. While
it wasn't pork, it sure did taste good. From that point on, I always tried
to find "pulled pork" barbeque, as opposed to anything else that might
be around. As it turns out, what I was looking for was known as Eastern-Style
"North Carolina Barbeque".
Please visit North
Carolina-Style BBQ Page for more information.
|
| |
 |
 |
| Eastern-Style is served
with cole slaw, as a side dish if served on a plate, or on top of the BBQ
itself if it's served in a sandwich. This barbeque has a (slightly hot pepper
flavor, but not much) vinegar sauce balanced with the cool of cole slaw.
When topped off with a bit of Scott's
Barbeque Sauce this is a dish to be savored. With that said, I believe
I have found the epitome of North Carolina Barbeque at none other than Stonewall's
on Hood Swamp Road. |
|
| |
| If ever in Hood Swamp on a Saturday (the only
day barbeque is made), you really should try it. Be sure to get there early
'cuz the fixins go fast and they are known to run out before the lunch hour
is over. Much after 12 and you might miss it. |
 |
| If
you do miss it, and you can't stay, don't worry! For just
$4 a pound (at 1999 prices), you can take home your own
pork, already cooked. It's frozen and not quite as good
as getting it fresh, but you really won't know the difference.
After all, you can't even eat at Mcdonald's for the price
of a meal at Stonewall's. Besides, you wouldn't have the
friendliness of the crowd either. |
|
Now this page wouldn't be complete without acknowledging the Price and Corbett
families. As their guest, I was treated as if I were part of the family.
I truly believe that there is no place on earth where one could visit
that one would be made to feel so much at home. For that experience, I
am truly grateful.
|
| Here's some of the "memories" of the places I visited and the sites I saw
on my "all too short" visit to "God's country." Click on the thumbnail for
a full size view. The picture will open in a new window...just close it
to get back here. |
Turning the Soil
|
Johnny Parks,
turning his piece
|
Friends of
Hood Swamp Churc
|
"Ham" Parks
Tobacco Hothouse
|
Jeff Parks
The Comfortable Deere
|
Johnny Parks
Dad got the good one!
|
Stonewall Restaurant
Best BBQ in the US!
|
This page is presented to acknowledge the great people of
Hood Swamp, North Carolina. All images (except, the John
Deere disc harrow and the Scott's Barbeque Sauce bottle)
on this page belong to the author and may not be used without
permission. Other images may be copyrighted. For information
about this page, please email the author - Lawrence J. Lachance
using the "contact" link on this page. |
|
|
