Monday, March 10, 2014

Warts

In 1972-1973 the Ocracoke High School yearbook staff collected traditional Ocracoke Island home remedies. The following three cures for warts sound like they came right out of the mouths of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn:

  • Take a bull rush and rub on your warts. Then put it back in the same hole you pulled it from
  • Take a glass of vinegar, and place a penny in it. Soak your wart a couple of times a day until it goes away
  • Steal your mama’s dish rag and bury it
It has been more than forty years since these remedies were collected. I wonder if any islanders alive can remember trying any of them.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter documents the day telephones came to the island. The article includes images of Ocracoke's first telephone directory which lists a total of 63 subscribers. You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022114.htm. 
Posted by at

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:27 AM

    Good morning Philip
    I didn't try any of those remedies, but, I still avoid stepping on cracks when walking...think I want to be responsible for breaking my mother's back?
    By the way, the link posted is for February.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philip8:33 AM

      Re. the link: the link was correct; the description was wrong. I will not publish the story of Charlie (Vera) Williams for another month or more. I just made the correction. Thanks for letting me know.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8:55 AM

    I thought it was a bit early for a new newsletter. Looking forward to reading it as always.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:52 AM

    As a former high school yearbook staff member, I am pleased to see that the OI HS yearbook shelf life has no doubt exceeded the expectations of the editor. Back in those days, the 70's well, just watch that 70's show.....anyway PH could you please feature a few OI photos or headlines from the 70's was it still a somewhat sleepy fishing village with a shortage of ?dishrags

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philip5:01 PM

      I will put "70s photos & headlines" on my list of topics for a future Ocracoke Newsletter.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous1:29 PM

    When my son was young the doctor told him to rub a cut potato on his wart and then bury it under a rock. This worked for him and my husband when freezing it had not.. It has also worked for several others we have told, why I don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:54 AM

    Anon. 1:29 PM ; What kind of potato was it ? There are so many to chose from these days. If it in deed is a reason to thank the potato, so be it. Happy St Patrick's day too.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)