SEEING THE LIGHT - '40 Flood
Interview with J.C. Greene, by Betty Jane Sheffield, February 7, 2003
On August 13, 1940 JC, James Carl, Greene was 15 years old when a horrible flood swept his home off it's
foundation while he and his family were in a sound sleep moving it about 100 yards before they all woke with
a crash.
Been awful rainy week before and the week previous, off and on. But about six started pouring, coming down
in sheets-just like a sheet. Joe, me, Ruth, Della and Momma was the only ones home at the time. About 7 or
something went to bed. It was pouring rain. When we went to bed our house was facing SE and then it was
facing NE about 9 when we were awoken abruptly. I thought it was morning-time to get up. Just been in bed a
couple of hours. The chimney flu's cook stove stopped us. I looked out. Sugar Tree (maple) washed from way
up side of the mountain. Tree wasn't but length of our house. House wasn't sittin level. We didn't know where we
were. I thought we were at Ike Greene's place. You, know down where Harlin lives. I was upstairs-last to get out.
Joe, my brother, was upstairs too. First ran down in nightclothes. Then back up to put on my light overhauls. My
shoes had been washed away. Ever sine Iz just a little boy went barefoot. We all went barefoot, except for momma.
We were heading towards Uncle Vernie Greene's . All of a sudden it got light as day. Rain just about stopped. Joe
said we can't run from God but we gotta get out of the way of it.
Slides 100 feet wide 100 feet long. What they call mud slides. We started towards the Cook house. In the light,
could see it was gone. We got to Lawrence Greene's house as the flood didn't bother him.. Clemmie Cooks old
home which use to set above Lawrence Greene's home was all washed away. Lawrence's mother, Aunt Becky,
was crying-grieving. Joe and Lawrence walked about 100 yards down towards my home. Said there wasn't a
buildin left on Andy Greene's property-home, barn, woodshed all washed away. My friend, Hooper Greene, and his
family were all washed away, Hooper's father and mother, Andy and Lizzie, B.L, 7 years old, Creola, oldest girl,
Velma Lea was next and then Juanita, the youngest. Earl the oldest son was away that night-with his grandfather
3-4 miles over the county line. Hooper told me long time after that, their house exploded just like dynamite. Hooper
was washed about half a mile and got up in a tree. He saw his sister, Velma Lea, below him. Tried to reach her.
Lizzie and BL went farther down the creek. They were hurt but all right. Creola and Velma Lea went down a little
farther - just pass Stony Fork Church. Uncle Vernie said that the bolders banging together big as autos made
an awful sound, vibrating the window lights. One rock was bigger than a car. Another was higher than my head -
big long rock near our house. I can show you. They found Lizzie down near the mill pond. Six water mills were
washed away. Andy was carried 4-5 miles. Andy and his three daughters lost their lives.
Stayed at Stony Fork Church that night-6-8 families there. Scared. Fifty people stayed in that church for 2-3 days.
Lots of us out of food. We looked up the road and saw a bunch of boys marching down the road carrying boxes of
food. They were college boys. Think Red Cross was sending food. Red Cross bought land for two or three families
and built houses. From where our house landed, had to clear a site, moving it 200 feet. About a 600 pound pony
moved it easily with it on rollers. Something like a cane mill sweep? worked like a block and tackle. The Red Cross
helped us get our house rebuilt.
Nina Todd and Zeb Greene were washed right off Zeb's porch to their death. Zeb's house set below on Stony Fork
Road from where our home set on Lawrence Greene Road.
Did lots of damage in North Wilkesboro. Tannery was destroyed, cutting off lots of peoples source of money.
They collected chestnut oak wood and hemlock bark-made something to tan leather. In the 20s a blight hit the
chestnut trees. They cut them down into five foot lengths and then with a hammer and wedge split the wood, dried
the bark of the hemlock for a long time and hauled it in a truck down the mountain. Everyone from all over hauled
their chestnut wood and hemlock bark to the tannery-a big place. The Tannery didn't have so many employees-help.
There weren't many trucks back then and when they did find a guy with a truck he would charge half of what they
got from a hard days work. Their big scale weighed the truck full of wood.. You'd get $5 for a cord. Fifty cents
per 100 pounds. They fed the extracts (wood) into a hog where it was chopped up. The bark bundles were 18
inches to two feet. A pretty hard day's work for two men to get two cords-one truck load. Tannery was built back.
But wasn't down there much after 40.
Bigger than a river. The creeks are now where the road was and the road is where the creek was. Creek before
the flood was real small-could step across.
The spring beside our home before it got moved is still running bold beside the small creek. Lately we have had
so much snow and rain, the creek is growing.
The Lord had a hand in it cause a lot more people would have been killed if we hadn't seen his light.
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