Mountain Folks Seek Shelter 2011

As a result the deadly tornadoes of last April it seems that the sale of storm shelters has gone up tremendously.  I’ve never seen one close up, but they appear to be made in one piece and then buried.

Well, let me tell you about storm shelters of the 1930’s and 40’s.  My family never had one – maybe because there was not a high ditch bank nearby.  In that day the shelter was called a “storm pit” and it was dug in a high ditch bank –  along the roadside.  With shovel and pick, men would hue out a place large enough for the family to take shelter in bad weather.  The pit had a wooden door and a vent was installed in the top.

The furniture consisted of benches – sometimes made of wood and other times a place to sit was carved back in the side of the earthen wall.  Some people left a kerosene lamp there as well.

At the sound of thunder many families would head for the storm pit.  The Rucks sisters lived at Skirum – a community near the Windy Knoll.  They were Bertha, Gladys, Clyde and Nomi and they were so afraid of thunder storms.  Clyde was married to my cousin E. L. and I’ve heard E. L. say many times that the sisters would be sitting in the storm pit when the sun was shining.  You see, the girls didn’t know the storm was over and they just trying to stay safe.  Another friend said, “Every time it thundered they would drag us kids to the storm pit.”

There is still an old storm pit along the side of the road between the Windy Knoll and Oak Hill and it has a very dilapidated looking door still standing.  I knew the family that used to take refuge in this place and I’ve heard the daughter tell stories about them cleaning up the storm pit before thunder-storm season arrived.  They cleaned out the spiders with their fancy webs and occasionally they would find a family of snakes living there.  I’ve never been in a pit during a storm, but I might rather take my chances elsewhere – what with all the varmints she told about.

I’ve been writing about storm pits of old, but I’m reminded that as of this writing there is a man in our community who has made such a place, but it’s above the average.  With shovel and pick he dug a sizable hole in the bank, but reached rock and had to hire a backhoe to go deeper for him.  This man is a top-rate carpenter and his “storm pit” five-star.  The outside walls are cement blocks, but inside he has used some kind of finish. It has an off-white paint on one wall and beige on the others.  Benches are very well made wooden “pews” and there’s a lantern hanging on one wall.  This cavity would hold ten or twelve people — in my estimation.

Shelter for the Windy Knoll residents is in the little basement we have.  My daddy had an egg cellar under this house many years ago and when we were remodeling, that was made large enough (and finished) so I could have my work room there.  Before the house was built my work table 5’x9’ was put in and we covered it with plastic until the roof was installed.  I love spending time there playing in the scraps of many kinds and colors.

Sand Mountain – it’s a different place for enjoying country living.