Knocking the dust off one's shoes or washing the feet is decreed by God's word and, as I've been taught, should only be done in dire circumstances. Here it seems Sheffey was directed in his actions, since in his eyes the town was a pit headed for hell. However, the descendants of Ivanhoe still suffer for it though they are good folks, at least the ones I've met.

PEGGY BUCK CLAWSON

A story I found while writing this book actually involves one of my ancestors, Peggy Clawson, a melungeon woman and my fourth great-grandmother. The family story goes that she was really mean and dominating over her husband, William. Instead of folks saying she was the wife of William, she'd rather have it as he is the husband of Peggy. Born in November of 1778, she lived in what was then Watauga County, North Carolina, now the border between Ashe and Wilkes counties.

They say one day she was going to church and stopped at a water hole off Big Ivy Road when she saw a bear come down to the water. She decided to hop into a small boat, paddled over to the bear, and held his head underwater with the paddle until he drowned. Then she paddled the boat back, and walked down the ridge to attend Sunday church. That water hole is now called the Peggy Hole, but local lore gives a different reason behind the name.

In the present day, there is a local legend about that water hole and a witch named Peggy Buck. The story goes that some man took up with a melungeon woman and she became pregnant. Back in those days, melungeon people were considered mongrels and nobody would “harbor” one. So the story goes that, like many of our people, she took to the ridges and woods to live and have her bastard child. When she gave birth, she was faring okay until her milk began to dry up and the baby began to starve. Having no skills in hunting, and plants not having the substantial nutrients the child needed, she conjured up the Devil who came out of the ground forming the Peggy Hole. She made a deal with him for her child to have enough food, but the Devil tricked her and the child grew teeth and sharp ears and extra fingers (a play it seems on old melungeon stereotypes where melungeons took the place of the boogeyman, folks telling their kids to be good or the melungeons would take them away to their caves).

After this, Peggy swore she'd kill the Devil if she ever met paths with him again. Over time, in order to survive, the legend says she “learned herself to witch” so she could turn into different animals and hunt. One day, her and the babe were at the Peggy Hole and buck came up to the water to drink. Much like the bear in the family story, she drowned it by grabbing its antlers and holding its head under the water, thus the meaning behind “Buck” in her name.

Today it's said that if you say her name three times while passing by the hole, different animals (usually a groundhog, rabbit, and deer) will come out of the forest and run out in front of your car each time in an attempt to wreck you.

DOC MULLINS

One conjure man working on South Central Street in Knoxville was Doc Mullins. Back in those days, the street was filled with merchants who often shared places of business through front doors, alley doors, or even second floor balconies—and it was no different with Doc Mullins, who worked out of a small second shop in the same building as an eating house for African Americans, owned by Blaine and Pearl McGhee at 318 South Central Street.

What little we know of Doc Mullins comes from Bert Vincent in his Strolling column. Records indicate his first name was either Ralph or Richard, and he was said to be in his late forties or early fifties at the time these stories and events took place. In that time, if a person was African American, they identified that fact in news articles. But Vincent neglects this fact in the majority of his stories about Mullins, only mentioning he was “colored” a couple times. Leaving that fact out back in those days led to the belief that the person was white. We also aren't sure when he was born or when he died, as his death certificate contains no date of birth and the tales of his death vary as the decades go by. Different sources point to him being from either Alabama or New Orleans. It's possible he migrated during the yellow fever scare.

Vincent described Doc Mullins' shop as small, with piles of herbs and roots on the floors and hanging on the walls. His usual greeting to folks was, “I'm Doctor Mullins and I'm guaranteed,” usually with a bow. Mullins shared secrets with Vincent over the course of their time together, always keeping quiet lest evil spirits hear him. Other times, he denied conjuring altogether, saying folks were fools to believe him. But then the next second he would be paranoid again of haints and spirits listening in on their conversations.

According to Vincent, Doc always carried a personal poke or mojo bag on him to protect against fire, flood, wind, and lightning, as well as weapons such as knives and bullets. Doc Mullins claimed the bag contained powdered lizard tongues, hair from a woman's head, Jimsonweed, and bo' hog root (lovage). Doc Mullins was not only an herb man but a conjurer, too. Looking at the contents of the bag, we can see why it was set for protection against these many things. Have you ever heard of a lizard getting struck by lightning? No. They're also quick to find safety in times of flood and fire. Hair from a woman's head is used a lot in southern Appalachia based on biblical beliefs and observation: Papaw said the only thing he was afraid of besides God was womankind, because she could bleed for a week straight without dying. That same strength may have been called on in the bag. Jimsonweed, also called devil's snare or thorn apple, is an invasive plant, meaning it can endure a lot of environments; finally, bo' hog root may have been used because the plant stands sturdy and straight up, tall and prideful.

GRANNY HACKEL

Another local witch woman named Granny Hackel lived in what is now the Turkeytown community of Carter County's Eighth District in Tennessee. Stories about her and the ridge she lived on—now unofficially named Granny Hackel Ridge, between Watauga and Smalling roads—have circulated for years. She is said to have arrived in the Watauga, Tennessee, area in the 1700s, riding on a black stallion and accompanied by two men. They came across the ridge and Granny pointed to a flat piece of land beneath some towering oaks at the crest, and that is where the men built a cabin for her.

Both men died from unknown causes soon after, but Granny continued her work in the community doctoring those in need, helping the ill with her spells and herbs, and delivering babies. The strange thing with Granny Hackel was that she was never called when a woman “went to straw” to give birth; she just somehow knew and showed up to be of help. Children were her specialty, and folks claim she was so good at her work that she could heal a wound just by looking at it.

Her presence and power were well known, the oddly strong winds on the ridge to this day mean many do not need air conditioning during the summer—just an open window or screen door will do the job. But at the top of the ridge is where the strange nature of the winds can be felt and heard, as it sounds like a church choir singing gospels up near the top. Dowsers have found remains of cabins, springhouses, a church, and a cemetery on the ridge.

WITCHDOCTOR SAM EVANS

Sam Evans was a self-appointed witchdoctor of the Great Smokies. I assume he traveled all up and down this range, as most did, but this story brings him to the area of Big Creek, thirty miles east of Gatlinburg, on the North Carolina side of the border. A family was living in one of the hollers along the creek when their cow started giving off bloody milk, a tell-tale sign of witchery. Going by the old saying that “iron lays the Devil,” Evans told the folks to take the top of a Dutch oven and put it in the fireplace until it got red-hot, then prod and probe it with a reaping hook. Soon after, the cow's milk cleared up, and the witch herself sought Evans out to pick a bone with him. During the confrontation, the witch's dress got pulled up, revealing marks all over her legs that resembled those of a reaping hook.

So we can see how varied and multiple these tales are and the colorful array of spiritualism and religion they exemplify. We had met yarb doctors who also conjured, seers who simply hear God speaking about pivotal points in history, witches who made deals with Devils and witchdoctors who took them out. This array of mystic workers includes people of color and those of European descent.

Having been so close in the mountains for centuries, practices melded and mixed almost beyond recognition. In this way, superstitions, usually handed down from mothers to their children during their time at home, often blended. Voodoo charms and European charms likewise melded, as the men freely shared tricks among other folks, where the ingredients were interchanged or replaced by whatever was readily available, such as the luck acquired from carrying the right front paw of a possum, as opposed to the gator foot in New Orleans. The supernatural worldviews of all, as well as the stories, melded into some greater entity that lives on today, hovering over the hills in the form of purple hues and blue smoke. As we dig deeper into the conjuring past of southern Appalachia, we will meet old friends and new ones—and possibly some dangers as well, because this path is filled with briars and laurel hells.

4

CORN AND QUARTERS

You're in for a long run if you consider this work. Having visions and sharing prophecies, prescribing herbal medicines to people and animals, or leading a congregation in a prayer of faith healing doesn't take nearly as much out of you as conjure and root work do. Before you do any kind of work, you need to prepare a few things and practice some new habits.

PRECAUTION RITUALS

You always want to cover your head when doing any kind of work, because you're at a veil or ridge to the otherworld and time runs differently there. Without a covering, your hair will turn gray; you may become forgetful or anxious; you might have insomnia; and any preexisting conditions you may have, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, even heart disease, may worsen. It's not the presence of God or the spirits exactly, but the way of “praying” that conjuring takes. It takes a back-alley door to the other side, and it's not always 100 percent safe. Notice how in many of the previous stories folks seemed a bit crazy in their later years? Not all of them were known to cover their heads. Root work is fine because you're not crossing realms or calling out into them like you are with conjure. It's when spirit is brought into the work that caution is needed.

I was taught to follow these practices when working roots or working with the spirits. You may be an experienced worker from another tradition that calls for something different; that's fine, go by your own ways. But with Appalachian folk magic and the methods and beliefs of practice that make up the body of it, what follows is what is called for.

First, take a piece of red ribbon and sew it into the inner side of each shoe. This will help keep spiritual attachments off you.

Find a hat or head covering that is comfortable for you. (I personally switch between either a toboggan or bandanna, sometimes a ball cap.) This will not only keep your mind from getting away from you or your hair going gray, but it'll also protect you from haints hopping on your back.

It is also recommended that you have a strong, unwavering will and a cunning mind for this work; it's not for the meek. Use your common sense with everything you do and anything that happens. Let your humility be the only tamper on your will. Look folks directly in the eye when speaking to them. A lot can be learned about a person just by looking them in the eyes. It's hard for them to lie to you with that.

Take time to sit in silence a few times a week to keep your mind clear. This work can run you mad if you let it. It'll have your mind every which way, leading to paranoia and fear. You will not be invincible, nor all powerful. You will be capable: beyond that is God and the spirits. This is also recommended in order to listen to the spirits, but you must be silent. In these times of quiet, I read a chapter of the Bible repeatedly. I also recommend any of David's Psalms.

Keep a good amount of privacy for yourself. The more folks know about you or your plans, the more you “show your belly” and make yourself vulnerable to the evil eye, the most common curse. To guard against this, and bring luck, wear your left sock inside out. And wear a silver dime around your ankle or neck to protect from conjuring.

Tie your shoes from left to right to keep you standing well. Don't drag or scuff your feet when you walk; that'll kick obstacles into your own path, as Aunt Nelly used to say.

Listen more than you speak. Set time aside for yourself to rest and heal. (My family never works on Sundays, except for on personal things.) And always think ahead. Take care of your body if you plan on doing faith healing—you need to be sure that any pains or symptoms you experience are “phantom pains” from working on a person and not something in your own body. For this and conjure work, prescribe yourself a monthly non-lather bath. (We'll look more at cleansing in a bit.)

Never leave used napkins or disposable drinks around people you don't trust. I take my trash home with me; I don't even toss out a cigarette butt. Same goes for hair and nails: keep them in a safe place or burn them to make sure no one else gets their hands on them.

Just about everyone has their own jack or personal charm they carry with them that protects the holder from all harm and danger, physical or spiritual.

Most importantly, find balance in your life, and always keep your home protected. It is your nest, and nothing else should set up shelter there.

SIGNS AND OMENS

Before doing any kind of work, the general rule is to watch for signs and omens, controlled and non-controlled, regarding a situation. We take these as messages from God and the spirits, and most folks do this for simple and mundane things. There's a farm off the side of the road I take going to work in the morning that is home to about five donkeys, including a solid white one. I always make it a point to notice which direction they're facing and where on the hill they are.

Since we've been isolated in these mountains for centuries, we know the pattern of these hills, the migration of the birds, the habits of the land animals and fish. We have also set a code to each unusual or special behavior they exhibit: if you see cows scratching themselves against farm equipment in the morning, you're going to receive some long-awaited news; if a cat washes its face with its back turned toward the fireplace or front door, it'll rain soon; these are non-controlled signs, events that cannot be affected by humans.

Controlled signs border on root work, as they are actions taken by someone, usually of unnatural origin, to effect a certain result. A couple examples are carrying a walnut to cure rheumatism or washing your hair in stump water to make it long and thick. We create the same in root work and watch for such signs on setting out to do a job. If heading to get medicine for a person or animal, the roots of the plant are examined: if they are gnarly and knotted, it's a bad sign; but if they are straight and strong, it's favorable.

Hearing or seeing certain birds upon starting can also be indications of the path ahead. For example, if you see a turkey vulture circling, and you're heading to cure an illness, it's not likely to work. However, these signs are treated in context. So if you're heading somewhere to lay a curse or get herbs for the same and you see a turkey vulture, it is a good sign.

If a rabbit crosses your path during a work, regardless of the type, its direction should be noted: if it crosses left to right, expect success; if it crosses right to left, it's not likely to work. If you see a cat, note the path it takes: if it comes up from behind you, Spirit backs you in the work. If it walks toward you, expect some opposition or obstacles. If it crosses your path, its direction foretells the same as the rabbit above. However, orange or calico cats are signs of sure success. If ants are crawling in your pathway going in a set direction, that is good, but if they are aimlessly walking around, go back and try the next day or set course for another action.

Now, we can't always just sit and wait for signs. Sometimes you won't see a bird or anything in your walks. This is why controlled omens have been harnessed through different forms of divination. Nobody here I know ever calls it divination, by the way. They just pull out cards or bones or a bowl of water, usually saying something like, “Let's see” or “I bet.” All three of the following methods have little recording in the past here, but just about everyone knows of someone who's done these things. Before practicing any kind of divination, you'll want to pray by the three highest names—because anything can be lurking about wanting to have a quick “chat.” Just as you wouldn't want to have a conversation with the creepy person at the gas station at 3 A.M., keep that same energy when speaking to spirits.

Remember, even the Devil can recite Scripture—and he can lead you to believe it, too, which is why we never read for ourselves. Mama will read for me and I'll read for her, because the sty in the eye can get in the way: you'll see and read what you want to instead of what you need to. Even then, there are times when I will cut my own cards and then send my mother a picture for interpretation, and she does the same, if we're not able to be under the same roof.

Remember to keep your head covered. If you're in your own home and you have it set right against unknown spirits, then you're fine without the covering.

Never do readings where you sleep, either, so you don't get woken up in the middle of the night. My mother has always slept on the couch. She wanted us to each have our own room growing up, and a bed hurts her back. So, since she sometimes read cards on the couch, she would give it a light dusting of baby powder afterward and wash her hair to get rid of any spiritual attachments or “ick” left behind—especially if she read for someone who wasn't blood.

SWITCHING

Probably the most widely known form of divination—or spelling, as the old folks called it—is switching or water witching. Witching sticks would be used to lead a person to water, to treasures such as gold, or even the direction a person is in. Melungeons were often said to be excellent dowsers because they always found a gold or silver mine on their ridges, which they used to make counterfeit money, containing more precious metals than the government's currency. In the 1960s, dowsing rods were also used by the United States military to find mines, tunnels, hidden camps, and other things. They can also be used to find roots that have been planted on your property. According to tradition, the stick should be cut from a stone fruit tree, like peach, apple, plum, or dogwood. Some folks say you can also use willow or any wood that is flexible, but peach and apple seem to be the most common. In Appalachia, it's said there's a water witch in every generation of the family, but the youngest can't witch for water until the oldest has passed. There can only be one active water witch at a time. Some folks are never able to take up the sticks. It can make them sick, give them headaches, and cause a whole range of issues if they don't have the knack for it, but it never hurts to try.

Some folks said simple prayers while looking for water, using Bibles suspended on strings tied to house keys, with the string being placed in the book at the following verse and then hung on a forked branch driven into the ground, which would bend and sway if there was water beneath. Others simply prayed the verse Psalm 78:15–16:

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.