It is generally thought here, that the Slover House is the House featured in Mark Twain's telling of Aunt Rachel's story, "A True Story Repeated Word for Word as I Heard It"
One Mark Twain scholar (as I read on the WW Web) has an opinion that Mark Twain made this story up himself. But, I am of the opinion that if Mark Twain made it up, then he did some mighty fine homework about the situation in New Bern, NC as would have had to be widely known in the year of 1875.
I have my doubts that New Bern history in the Civil War Era was of that much interest in the world.
From "A True Story As I Heard It Word for Word" by Mark Twain
"Well, dah was my ole man gone, an' all my chil'en, all my seven chil'en --an' six of 'em I hain't set eyes on ag'in to dis day, an' dat's twenty-two year ago las' Easter. De man dat bought me b'long' in Newbern, an' he took me dah. Well, bymeby de years roll on an' de waw come. My marster he was a Confedrit colonel, an' I was his family's cook. So when de Unions took dat town dey all run away an' lef' me all by myse'f wid de other n******* in dat mons'us big house. So de big Union officers move in dah, an' dey ask me would I cook for dem. 'Lord bless you,' says I, 'dat what I's for.'
 |
Slover House
|
Slover Dependency was the Slave Quarters and Kitchen for the large mansion. They say that Mr. Slover high tailed it to Raleigh when the Yankees came into New Bern.
No comments:
Post a Comment