Colorful Characters: Polk McCullough

I suspect most folks are aware that in the Civil War, many Confederate soldiers ended up (or started out) going barefoot. In the south, they’d all probably grown up wearing shoes only occasionally, and as the war continued, supplies were hard to get.

Here’s a story, though, of a Union soldier known for going barefoot.

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Abyssinia Barefoot

The 1800s were a big time for English voyagers to travel the world and then write up their adventures. Mansfield Parkyns went to Abyssinia (nowadays Ethiopia and Eritrea) when he was 20 and lived there for 3 years.

While in Abyssinia, he adopted their dress and customs. That included going barefoot.

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The Barefooted Farmer Boy

George Peck was a late 19th, early 20th century humor writer. The following is from his Sunbeams: Humor, Sarcasm and Sense, published in 1902. The book is made up of stories that originally appeared in Peck’s newspaper, The Sun.

There’s a lot of essential truth in the story.

 

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A Previously Unknown Hopewell Hilltop Enclosure?

About two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Glenford Fort, a Hopewell hilltop enclosure in Perry County, the next county over from my county, Fairfield County. (Other Hopewell hilltop enclosures include Spruce Hill, Carlisle Fort, and Fort Hill.) As part of that visit to Glenford Fort, I used my LiDAR-processing software to look at the area.

But about a year later, in a totally unrelated context, I was using the same software to look at a different place. And what I saw AMAZED me! (Clickbait!)

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Colorful Characters — G. Polk Cline

Here’s a story about a barefoot lawyer.

But no, it’s not recent.

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It’s Myths All The Way Down

There is something about bare feet that seem to generate myths. We’re all familiar with health department myths, and athlete’s foot myths, and warts myths, and that feet are supposedly these fragile things.

But it’s been going on for a long time.

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F—burg, Massachusetts

While barefooters will often tell you that there are no health codes prohibiting bare feet in establishments like restaurants, many who have been around for a while know that there is one area that has them. There’s a cluster of town ordinances in Massachusetts, including Lexington (of Lexington and Concord fame). Birthplace of freedom? Bah! More like the cradle of priggery.

And it started a long time ago.

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Barefoot in the White House?

It seems my Facebook feed is full of barefoot friends excitedly pointing out one of these two stories: Michelle Obama Says You Can Go Barefoot in the White House, FLOTUS’ barefoot policy for the White House, and Michelle Obama Has an Amazing Dress Code Policy for White House Guests.

Excuse me while I go take off my rose-colored glasses.

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Indian Wisdom

Indian Country Today had an article yesterday about Santee Sioux doctor and educator on ethnohistory Dr. Charles Eastman, entitled Dr. Charles Eastman Offered Up Wisdom On Wellness. The story is based on his 1921 article, “What Can the Out of Doors Do For Our Children?”

We (but particularly barefooters) are beginning to realize how important exposure to the outdoors is to our well-being. Here’s just one article, Health Benefits of Being Outdoors, extolling the virtues of “Vitamin N” (for Nature).

But so often Native Americans were there long before the fads.

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Barefoot Contest

Given today’s attitudes, can you even imagine a school holding a Barefoot Contest? Me neither.

But in the 1930s they held them.

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Irish Bare Feet

Earlier I talked about Scottish Bare Feet and how going barefoot was quite common, particularly among women and children, until about 150 years ago.

Things were similar over in Ireland.

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Cahokia

Let me wrap up the trip that my son and I made out west. After leaving Great Basin National Park we headed straight home. We did make one short stop, though, at the Cahokia Mounds across the Mississippi from St. Louis.

I’ll have one more post about this trip where I reflect on trying to do the whole thing barefoot and not really succeeding.

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Hopewell Moonset

Sunday and yesterday were two of the scheduled open houses at the Octagon of the Newark Earthworks. What that means is that the golf course on the site is closed and the folks of the Newark Earthworks Center put on tours for the public of the site. These are always interesting and fun—I always learn something new every time I go.

This was also a very interesting time, almost, to be there.

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Colorful Characters — Robert Nighswonger

Ever wish you had a doctor’s excuse that let you go barefoot? Well, Robert Nighswonger did.

Did it work?

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Lincoln’s First Speech

Lincoln is, of course, the quintessential barefoot boy made good. Folks these days make a big deal about his going barefoot, and make it a virtue.

But then these days when many of us try to do it, it’s not seen as a virtue at all.

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