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A look at a Civil War era BBQ in North Carolina

Boshizzle

Boshizzle

somebody shut me the fark up.
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What a great photo! The pic is from about 1863 of a BBQ in a vacant lot on the corner of Church and Belews Creek streets in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The quote is from 1898.

An old NC newspaper man wrote in 1898 -

"The day of hard cider is close at hand. Barbecue, hard cider, peaches, watermelons - well, eastern Carolina is the greatest country on the face of the earth."

ols_hp1_00338.jpg
 
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A full 33 years after the Civil War, but still cool nonetheless. Love these old time examples of BBQ. Thanks for sharing.
 
Misread post,sorry.He did state the pic was circa. 1863.The article was later.I think 1863 was in the midst of the War of Northern Aggression((Civil War).Just sayin,still interesting!
 
Hoss said:
Misread post,sorry.He did state the pic was circa. 1863.The article was later.I think 1863 was in the midst of the War of Northern Aggression((Civil War).Just sayin,still interesting!
Click to expand...

Yep, it was during the invasion of the Lincolnites. :-D
 
This barbecue may very well have been what was called a "war party." A war party was a barbecue held in order to attract recruits to the Confederate army.
 
Blythewood BBQ'er said:
Wonder why the guy with the badge has such a big switch? Guess it's to keep the poor barefoot guy pullin'!
Click to expand...

Looks like it, doesn't it.

I think there are some interesting clues in that photo. First, the guys separating the meat are wearing white aprons. I think that points to a strong possibility that this was a caterer's crew. It's also curious that there are no African Americans anywhere in the photo. In the South, African Americans perfected barbecue and the majority of barbecue cooks were African American. The guy in the top hat and the lawman indicate that there may have been some kind of political connection with the barbecue event.
 
Cool stuff, I am always interested in historical BBQ references. I was asked to cook at a Medieval reenactment this summer, and I made Maryland Style pit beef with medieval spices instead of what I normally use. I did that over an open fire pit and it turned out very well.
 
The man in the white coat,standing erect on the left and the one further down the table wearing the hat,sorta bent over ,looking down,appear to be African American to me.They may have been prisoners at a work detail.Cool picture whatever it was.
 
I noticed that it appears that everyone in the picture is wearing a hat. I never really thought about it, but I guess most men of that era wore hats.
 
Being an old history junkie, these are my favorite kinds of posts! Thanks!:-D
 
It wasn't until the late, very late 1950's that men began to not wear hats, and I mean real hats, not ballcaps, whenever they went out. And even into the 1960's a man who went to church or to an evening occasion that did not have a hat on was considered immodest and disrespectful. I know quite a few men who still wear nice hats to church and weddings, and feel it completes a proper outfit.

Also, I think it would not have been uncommon to see a Black, or partially Black crew at any cooking function of the day, anywhere in the country.
 
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