THE HIGH TABLE OF THE WHOLE HOGEST. 1888 · BANKS OF THE TAR RIVER
[ THE CREDO ]
“We hold that a whole hog, properly kept over fire through a night, asks more of a man than most things do, and gives back more besides. We do not compete for it. We do not hurry it. We keep the fire, we keep the table, and we keep each other's company at it — as the nine kept it in 1888, and as it will be kept after us.” [ 01 — HISTORY ]
Nine Households, in the Year 1888. Chartered along the Tar River in the year 1888, for the pursuits of the field and of the river. The hunting was soon abandoned. The supper that followed it was not. The clubhouse was consumed by fire in 1931, and rebuilt upon the same foundation the year following, of timber cut upon the property itself. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel carried away a portion of the roof; the members restored it themselves, by their own labor, that same spring. The circumstance is recorded upon a small plaque in the front hall, should occasion ever bring you there. The same nine lines have held the charter since its founding, together with such others as have since been joined to them by marriage. No register is kept of those who have inquired after admission.
[ 02 — TRADITIONS ]
The Remainder of the Year. In the spring and summer months, the grounds are given over to fishing, to croquet, and to supper taken upon the porch of a Sunday. The Junior Program, conducted by whichever member is possessed of sufficient patience in a given year, instructs the young in the proper tending of a fire, the splitting of kindling, and, in time, the keeping of a vigil through a whole night at the pit. Founders' Day, observed each May, is a lesser occasion: a picnic upon the east lawn, a toast read from the charter, and little more besides. The Ladies' Auxiliary has kept the gardens since 1949, and it is generally conceded among the membership that they are kept better than anything else here is kept. The library holds journals of the hunt and of the farm dating to the founding, together with a shelf of ledgers recording each year's gathering: who did the cooking, how long the fire was held, and what the weather was. [ 03 — THE GATHERING ]
One Evening in October. A single gathering is held each year, in October, upon a Thursday appointed by the Secretary some twelvemonth in advance. The hog is laid upon hickory coals by early evening and is not left thereafter; the members keep watch over it, in turns, until it is brought off the fire the following afternoon. Supper is taken in the Long Table Hall on the Friday evening: the hog itself, a vinegar and pepper sauce, collards, hush puppies, and whatever the gardens have yielded that week. A remembrance is read for such members as have been lost in the year preceding. Music generally follows, and the porch is kept lit later than the caretaker would prefer. The hall will seat scarcely two hundred, and it is this alone, more than any rule, that limits the company. Guests attend at the invitation of a member, who stands answerable for them through the evening. There are no tickets issued, nor any list for the signing; the roster is fixed well beforehand and closed once the hall is filled. [ 04 — THE GROUNDS ]
Upon the Tar River. The property extends to a little over two hundred acres along the river, the greater part of it still worked as farmland under arrangements of long standing with its tenants. The house and the grounds immediately surrounding it comprise but a small portion of the whole. FIG. 1 — GROUNDS MAP
[ 05 — CONSIDERATION ]
Once a Year, Elsewhere. Once each year, away from the grounds, at some place that is not twice the same, a supper is held. A number of pitmasters are engaged to prepare it, and a number of guests are received to partake of it alongside the membership. In most years, no one is added to the membership by it. In some years, one is. No one seated at that table is told beforehand which manner of year it shall prove to be.
[ form not yet configured — see $trhc_consideration_form_id in front-page.php ] [ 06 — MEMBERS ]
Members STANDING NOTICE: any member found to have shared this page, or any part thereof, with one not of the membership, shall be struck from the roll — permanently, without appeal, and without regard to his standing or the length of his service. [ 07 — SHOULD YOU WISH TO ATTEND ]
The Supper Is Not Wholly Closed. Those not presently known to the membership may, if they are so inclined, leave their name below, that it might be set before the Secretary when the guest list for the supper is drawn. Nothing is promised by the leaving of it, and no reply should be expected as a matter of course. [ form not yet configured — see $trhc_selfnom_form_id in front-page.php ] |