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When molasses was in demand Both of my grandfathers died from cancer when I was in the third grade. I was fortunate enough to live a short distance from each of them and spent lots of time with them while they were alive. In the 20 years since their deaths I’ve heard lots of stories about them, so I was surprised that there were still some things I didn’t know about them. It turns out that my Papaw Brackett was a pretty skilled molasses-maker. He had always made molasses for the family, but when WWII came along and sugar was rationed, word got around about his molasses and he was suddenly in demand. Even though others in the area made molasses, people would go out of their way to bring cane to Papaw. Listening to my dad tell this story, I realized that he enjoyed telling it as much as I enjoyed hearing it. There are probably more I haven’t heard. Maybe we’ll try this again next time I go home. Who knows what other hidden talents are in my family tree? Paula Vess |
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