Christmas traditions celebrated at A-State heritage sites

The Arkansas State University Heritage Sites celebrate historical places across the region. Two of the heritage sites, the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home and Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center (HPMEC), had many holiday traditions and celebrations.

“We have some Christmas gifts from Uncle Gus Pfeiffer,” said Dr. Adam Long, executive director of the Heritage Sites. “These include several books, including one on Arkansas folklore and one filled with his quotations. We also have a highly decorated custom Christmas card he sent.”

Long said there are several Christmas traditions that are celebrated at HPMEC.

“We invite local schools to help design our Christmas card,” Long said. “We participate in a holiday tour of homes and decorate the house in a traditional style.”

Will Reaves, director of the Cash’s boyhood home, said he wanted to bring attention to Cash’s time growing up at the home in Dyess through the words of the song “Christmas As I Knew It,” written by June Carter Cash and Jan Howard.

“In this song, he remembers giving coal oil and nuts to one of their neighbors who didn’t have the money to keep their light going,” Reaves said.

Reaves said the song shares that the Cash family didn’t have a lot of money at Christmas because the cotton crop for the season hadn’t done very well, but they still gave to neighbors in need.

“His brother Roy chopped down a tree and dragged it home, his father shot and cooked a squirrel, his sister Louise baked bread, and his sister Reba decorated the tree with popcorn strings,” Reaves said.