T
SUMMER ISSUET
2021
the hidden south
Display until November 29, 2020
Storytellers
TAKE THE GOOD ROAD Searching for history hiding in plain sight in Richmond, VA
JONESBOROUGH, TN Storytellers converge on this small Southern town
ROBERT ST. JOHN Methodists and the art of cat flossing
SEAN OF THE SOUTH Turned tragedy into humor with his tales of the South
WA LT O N
A LEGACY O F LE I SU R E South Walton’s 26 miles of sugar-white sand beaches in Northwest Florida offer an all-natural escape, yet perfectly blend modern amenities, worldclass cuisine and small town charm into an unforge able experience. The days move a bit slower here, and it’s this simplicity – a day spent creating memories at the beach – that draws generations of families back to South Walton.
ROOM TO GROW The preserved natural beauty and endless activities of our 16 beach neighborhoods create a community where imaginations truly run free. Find your perfect beach at VisitSouthWalton.com.
MIRAMAR BEACH • SEASCAPE • SANDESTIN • DUNE ALLEN • GULF PLACE • SANTA ROSA BEACH • BLUE MOUNTAIN BEACH GRAYTON BEACH • WATERCOLOR • SEASIDE • SEAGROVE • WATERSOUND • SEACREST • ALYS BEACH • ROSEMARY BEACH • INLET BEACH
42: TELL ME A STORY
National Storytelling Festival brings the world together in Jonesborough, TN
50: WE ALL END UP STORIES
Ekundayo Bendele celebrates the Black storytelling experience in Memphis, TN
STORIES 56: SEAN OF THE SOUTH
Sean Dietrich shares heartfelt, and often humorous, stories about life in our South
62: GOOD TIME
66: TAKING THE GOOD ROAD
Craig Martin and Earl Bridges travel south seeking what is hidden in plain sight
Photography courtesy Sean Dietrich
Grammy winning band Ranky Tanky draws on Gullah culture
CHAPTERS EDITORIAL
TO DINE SOUTHERN
PG 7: OUR CONTRIBUTORS
PG 26: AFTERNOON TEA
Celebrating the fine art of a relaxing tea with Ivory Road Cafe in Asheville, NC.
The people who make our stories come to life .
PG 8: EDITOR’S LETTER
PG 34: ON OUR PL ATE
Celebrating the storytellers that keep our Hidden South alive.
Celebrating the vegetables of summer with Chef Shaun Garcia from Soby’s New South Cuisine in Greenville, SC.
PG 30: ENTHUSIASTIC SOUTHERNER Robert St. John muses about life in the South and Methodist church dinners and the fine art of cat flossing.
PG 36: COOKING WITH
Cheerwine, the South’s unique cherry soft drink adds a twist to your recipes.
26
92
12 SOUTHERN COMFORTS
A ROAD LESS TRAVELED
PG 12: NOTHING COMMON
PG 92: WANDERING
PG 16: BY SOUTHERN HANDS
PG 98: WHERE WE WENT
A trio of friends celebrates the Elderberry with health and wellness...and family. You’ll want these finds made by locals.
PG 20: PAGES
Photographers Susan Daley and Steve Gross go in search of Backroad Buildings.
PG 22: LISTEN UP
Shannon McNally gets into the outlaw spirit with Waylon Jennings tunes on her new album.
A relaxing time full of history, wildlife and adventure awaits on Daufuskie Island, SC
82 SOUTHERN SNAPSHOTS
Dean’s Cake House, Andalusia, AL
FRONT COVER
Photograph by Ilona Titova
PG 78: ALONG THE ROAD
Sunflowers are a season to mark time and hold special memories closer.
PG 82: L AY OF THE L AND
Our readers submit photos of their special Southern places and people
5
STAFF
Scott Speakes Publisher Genie Gaither Jones Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Cashwell Design Director Robert St. John J. M. McSpadden Liesel Schmidt Contributing Editors Richard L. Jones Copy Editor
Advertising Sales Specialists Brittany Sanders brmcdonald45@gmail.com Scott Speakes scott@okramagazine.com
CONNECT WITH US facebook.com/okramagazine @okramag contact@okramagazine.com
Published by Southbound Publishing, Inc.
okramagazine.com
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SUMMER 2021
CONTRIBUTORS
AMY CONRY DAVIS works as a travel writer, content creator, and photographer. She lives full-time in an Airstream and travels throughout the United States. When she’s not on the road she splits her time between Asheville, North Carolina and northern Mississippi. Her work can be seen at amyconrydavis.com
J. M. MCSPADDEN is a freelance writer and music enthusiast whose work has appeared online at theflamestillburns.com, and at mbird.com, a journal that examines faith in the real world. His love for roots music led to a gig at nodepression.com, where he reported on live music from The Birchmere, the famed music hall in Washington, DC. He is fascinated with the way words and music impact our lives and can be used as a vehicle for healing. Host of The Village Night Owl podcast, an interview show featuring musical artists. He lives in Virginia with his wife Suzanne where he is at work on his first novel.
DEBORAH BURST is a New Orleans native, author, and award winning writer/photographer with a portfolio of more than a thousand articles and photos including national covers. She has written five travel/ photo books featuring the South, its people, critters, landscapes, mystical legends and historic architecture. From hidden graveyards and sacred temples to the shrouded bayous and forests, Deb gives a voice to all the spirits. deborahburst.com
LIESEL SCHMIDT lives in Florida, and works as a freelance writer for local and regional magazines, web content writer, and book editor. Having harbored a passionate dread of writing assignments when she was in school, she never imagined making a living at putting words on paper, but life sometimes has a funny way of working out. Follow her on Twitter at @ laswrites or download her novels, Coming Home to You, The Secret of Us, and Life Without You @ amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com
ROBERT ST. JOHN is a Mississippi native. He has spent almost four decades in the restaurant business as a restaurateur, chef, columnist, and author. For over 20 years he has written a weekly syndicated newspaper column. He is the author of eleven books. St. John is the creator, producer, and co-host of the Public Broadcasting series Palate to Palette with Robert St. John and Wyatt Waters which will soon film its fifth season. In 2009, St. John founded Extra Table, a statewide non-profit organization that ships healthy food to over 50 Mississippi soup kitchens and mission pantries every month. He and his wife Jill have two children. robertstjohn.com
MARIANNE LEEK is a retired high school educator who continues to teach part-time at Tri-County Community College. She lives with her husband in western North Carolina, where she spends much of her free time enjoying the outdoors. Her work can be found in The Bitter Southerner.
7
EDITOR’S LETTER
When we speak about the Hidden South, small towns and out of the
way places are the first things that come to mind. Yet, there are stories that are hidden. How do we find them? This issue is devoted to our storytellers, whether they are giving us their observations on everyday life in our small towns or sharing the hidden stories that we never knew about. These storytellers come in all types; from the humorous, to the historical, to the musicians and especially, the social commentaries. Each plays an important role in pulling back the layers to reveal the “hidden” South. Storytellers describe the social and cultural activity of a place and its people by sharing those stories. They might use theatrics or embellishments, but their stores are a way to provide entertainment, education, and cultural preservation. In this issue, we’re visiting some of our favorite storytellers. We’re sharing stories by Sean Dietrich, better known as Sean of the South. Many of you are familiar with Sean through his daily blog, where his commentaries on life in the South make us laugh and
“SOUTHERNERS L OVE A GOOD TALE. THEY ARE BORN RECITERS, GREAT MEMORY RETAINERS, DIARY KEEPERS, LETTER EXCHANGERS...GREAT TALKERS.” Eudora Welty
cry, but always yearn for more. Visit small-town Jonesborough, TN, where the National Storytellers Festival takes place each year with some of the best storytellers around. The oral storytelling tradition is alive and well, on these stages. If you’re looking for a good time, it’s an event not to be missed. In Memphis, Ekundayo
Bandele is bringing the Black Cultural Experience to life on the stage at the Hattiloo Theatre where he helps the next generation find their voice and create their own stories. Grammy winning band, Ranky Tanky, found their unique voice through the music of the Gullah people. Their songs will make you feel the good times. In Richmond, VA, Craig Martin and Earl Bridges, of The Good Road TV show, explore historical sights of importance to the Black community that are Hidden in Plain Sight. The Good Road always offers thought provoking social commentary. Our oral stories pass from one generation to the next and new storytellers emerge. Whenever a few are gathered there is always at least one person in the room who is full of tall tales, and even if they’re not funny stories, Grandma or Uncle Frank have family stories to share. So, listen up and when it’s your turn, take up the torch, tell us a story and keep the people and places of the South alive. It is with great sorrow that we share the loss of a truly great Southern Character. Robert Giddens, better known as “Shotgun”, graced the pages of our first “The Hidden South, Issue 3.” What a wonderful, kind man he was. Shotgun loved his family and friends, and he was loved by all. Nothing made him happier than attending church singings across Alabama and performing his favorite “Beulah Land.” Shotgun, a barber by trade, wore many hats in his life and was actively involved in making life in his hometown of Ashland, AL a better place. He will be missed, but his legacy lives on through the wonderful stories that will be told about him. It was our great pleasure to know him.
Scott Speakes // Publisher
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SUMMER 2021
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CHAPTER 1
SOUTHERN COMFORTS
Photo: Maren Winter
11
Photo: Andrew Shurtleff Photography by Mallivan
F O O D
NOTHING COMMON THIS TRIO OF FRIENDS IS FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY, FAMILY AND WELLNESS Written by Laura Drummond / Photography courtesy Commonhealth From planting cuttings in the soil to carrying bottles to market, the folks behind
Once their passion for elderberry was firmly established, the team started off as
Commonhealth Elderberry place their hands on and pour their hearts into every
small as one can imagine, with a few plants in the ground and lots of test recipes
step of their process to create small batch elderberry and elderflower blends.
in their home kitchens. The business took off and became official in 2019. To-
The seed for Commonhealth Elderberry began to germinate about six years
day, they have more than 600 elderberry plants growing on a family-owned farm
ago when three high school friends, Katherine Knight, Dustin Groves, and Kyle
outside of Charlottesville in Madison County, at the foot of Old Rag Mountain.
McCrory, returned to their hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. After spending
“We just did our biggest expansion ever. We really tried to be a bit more sophis-
a decade away pursuing high-demand careers that took them across the country
ticated,” Groves said. “We’re learning every year,” McCrory added. As they continue to grow, one of their
and the world, they were looking for a slower
main values is sustainability. Commonhealth
pace and a fresh start. Knight, McCrory, and Groves had a de-
intentionally selected a native species of
sire to get back to their roots, have fulfilling
elderberry, Sambucus canadensis, even
work that would honor the place they grew
though a European, non-native species is
up, and have plenty of time with their grow-
more commonly used in most elderberry
ing families. Short on opportunities that fit
products currently on the market. “Your in-
the bill, they created their own—coming up
puts are not going to be as intensive as they
with the idea of handcrafting elderberry and
would be otherwise as far as water demands
elderflower concoctions using simple, high
and nutrition demands if it’s a native plant,”
quality ingredients. “Elderberry syrup is an
said McCrory. The native species is hardy,
interesting folk remedy that people have
low maintenance, and produces berries and
used for generations. We thought maybe we
flowers over a number of years. Common-
could try making some of our own and grow-
health also uses native soil with no chemical
ing our own berry source. It kind of evolved
pesticides or herbicides. “We love the land,
from there,” McCrory said.
and we want to utilize it in a way that is sus-
First, they researched and fell in love with the elderberry. While elderberry
tainable,” said McCrory.
is a popular crop in Europe, it is still on the rise in the U.S. The team learned
In addition to sustainable farming practices, Commonhealth carefully consid-
about the history of elderberry as a medicinal herb, used around the world for
ers how to be environmentally conscious in their production and distribution.
generations because of its immune-boosting benefits and anti-inflammatory
“It’s about looking at the whole life cycle of not only our plants but the end
properties. Rich in antioxidants, studies have shown that elderberries can be
product,” McCrory said. They recently reduced their footprint by migrating their
used to reduce cold and flu symptoms or to prevent cold and flu infections. Part
production space from Richmond to a spot closer to their farm in Charlottesville.
of Commonhealth’s mission is to raise awareness about the flavor, health and
They also use as many recyclable and reusable materials as possible when it
wellness benefits that elderberry products offer. “We are building something that
comes to bottling and shipping.
we love personally and are getting to share it with more people,” said Knight.
Another primary focus for Commonhealth Elderberry is transparency. “We want
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
to make people comfortable about knowing where their products are coming from and what they are. A value of ours is that sense of comfort and realness,” Groves said. Commonhealth keeps it simple with three products—syrup, shrub, and cordial—consisting of just a few organic ingredients. The elderberry syrup consists of organic elderberries, water, Meyer lemon juice, and organic cane sugar. The shrub includes organic elderberries, raw, organic apple cider vinegar, and raw, local honey. The cordial is an infusion of simple syrup with flowers from the elderberry plant. It is essential to Commonhealth that customers know and trust the products they are incorporating into their daily wellness routines, which is why they use only clean, simple, and pronounceable ingredients. They don’t offer anything that they don’t use themselves. “We love what elderberry makes. We enjoy taking elderberry syrup every day. We enjoy making delicious cocktails and mocktails to share with friends and family,” said Knight. Transparency is why it’s so important to the folks at Commonhealth to be
Photography by Piotr Wytrazek
involved in every aspect of their business. “We put so much attention to detail into every piece of the puzzle. It’s really based around togetherness, fun, and family,” said McCrory. That togetherness shines through when they talk about their process from day to day, season to season. They each have a role in planting and harvesting, crafting and bottling, packing and shipping, sales and marketing. “For a small team,
Clockwise from upper left, 1: The beautiful and delicate elderflower have a dlight muscat aroma and can be eaten raw or cooked. 2: Elderberries are a low-calorie food packed with antioxidants. 3: Elderberry Syrup is a great addition to your daily health routine 4: Elderflower Cordial features the elderflower. Floral notes shine making it a great addition to water, soda, and cocktails. 5: Elderberry Shrub combines the benefits of organic elderberry with raw apple cider vinegar and local Virginia honey. 6: Elderberry Syrup can be enjoyed straight or mixed with your favorite soft drink or cocktail.
we’re thinking about a lot of different things. We love it because it complements all three of our skill sets very well. We’re never bored,” Knight said. With some part-time help, they harvest the elderflowers over a two-week period in June and the elderberries over a four- to six-week period beginning in August. Once harvest is complete, they set about drying the flowers and freezing the berries, which allows them the opportunity to make their products over time without wasting any ingredients. The team makes batches of each elixir, taking one to three days to complete, bottles the final product, and then gets it straight to the customer. Once complete, the products are shelf stable, allowing Commonhealth to ship throughout the United States. It’s obvious that the tight-knit, family-oriented nature of the business is a recipe for success. While the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into some of their plans, the Commonhealth team has no intentions of slowing down. “We’re just trying to keep moving forward with the things that we know are going to be important for the future of the company,” said Groves. “We think there are a lot of directions elderberries can go. We hope to share exciting news in the future about new products Commonhealth is developing,” added Knight. Until then, there is plenty to enjoy with their current offerings—from taking a spoonful of syrup in the morning or as fun as adding the shrub or cordial to a mixed drink, tea, or other afternoon beverage. Learn more at commonhealthelderberry.com.
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Photography by Kloeg008
“WE LOVE WHAT ELDERBERRY MAKES. WE ENJOY TAKING ELDERBERRY SYRUP EVERY DAY. WE ENJOY MAKING DELICIOUS COCKTAILS AND MOCKTAILS TO SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY.”
Photography by Lesyy
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
S T Y L E
N A N A B Y S A L LY Women are notorious for having massive collections of handbags, artdaughters, and it has also given me enough consistent challenges to fully using them as the finish to a look and finding any excuse to buy keep me interested and fulfilled.” “just one more.” For South Carolinian Sally Peek, an incurable passion From the totes and wallets to the mini zip pouches bearing her label, for handbags became the basis for Nana by Sally, LLC— everything Peek creates is unique and bears her parthough you won’t find Peek collecting them, but rather ticular fingerprint. “Handmade products are special bemaking them. cause they tell a story,” she says. “They are often deeply Begun in 2007 after the birth of her first daughter, Nana connected to the maker, allowing the transfer of the item is the culmination of Peek’s search for a creative outlet from creator to consumer to be more meaningful. The that gave her an escape from working full-time and parvalue of that transaction matters because it makes us enting a new baby. A sewing class at a local museum one more thoughtful consumers and certainly more connectSaturday was all it took to give her a new direction, and ed to our community and our world.” the handbag she’d made in the class served as the inspiAnother unique aspect is the materials themselves. ration for additional patterns of her own. Within weeks, “Once, I got my hands on some dead stock denim from she had sold multiple bags to her family and friends and the former Cone Mills plant right up the road in North obtained a business license to legitimize the extra funds Carolina,” Peek says. “I created a limited run of bags she was making from bag sales. And thus Nana was from it and had a wonderful experience hearing from Sally Peek born—thoughtfully named for Peek’s great-grandmother, customers who had a direct connection to that mill. I’m Nana, who had a major influence in her life. currently partnering with Cococo furniture for leather Nearly 15 years in, Peek hasn’t lost a step—or an ounce of passion for remnants from their handmade furniture line. These human interacher work. “I never thought my business would be approaching the 15tions are incredibly meaningful to me and fuel my creative drive.” year mark,” Peek admits. “However, I have yet to wake up and dread Peek’s process is never the same from collection to collection and ofgoing to work. I think all business owners are motivated by growth, but ten driven by shapes, lines, and color combinations as well as vintage I have learned through my years of running Nana that value and growth prints that pique her interest and stir her creativity—always with the are often measured in a multitude of ways. This job has allowed me intent of sustainably sourcing her materials. Nana bags can be found creative freedom and the ability to be present in the raising of my two online @ nanabysally.com Written by Liesel Schmidt
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H O M E
NASHVILLE SOAP “What Soap is to the Body, Music is to the Soul.” It may not be exactly website and expand the product line to include salt and sugar scrubs, what the old Yiddish proverb says, but it’s an appropriate take on the candles, hand and body washes, tub soaks, and perfume oils in addiwords—especially for a soap company based in Music City. tion to artisan soaps, Strasburger soon found herself at the helm of a Created in 2016 by Becky Strasburger, Nashville Soap successful company. Company is the culmination of time, study, and tri“I always aim to create products that make people feel al-and-error to find the best ingredients and processes good—not only about what they are putting on their skin, for making handmade soaps. It started out as a labor but also about the product itself,” says Strasburger. “My of love, actually, a desire to use only the safest, most inspiration comes from my desire to offer truly natural natural products after Strasburger and her husband had products that are also effective. Natural does not have their first child. Having left a nursing career to become a to be boring, and I try to reflect that in our packaging stay-at-home mom, she found herself paying close attenand scent offerings. I also want our customers to feel tion to what her family was putting on their skin—most like they are getting a little piece of Nashville with each notably soaps. Countless hours of research and testing product, because I am inspired by this city in many as she crafted her own cold-process soaps led to not just ways; and our products are made with a whole lot of an interest in the whole process, but a love for creating. love here.” And the process is, indeed, a process, from choosing the A whole lot of love—and only the good stuff. Each inBecky Strasburger skin-nurturing oils and butters she uses to selecting the gredient is natural, vegan-friendly, and free of artificial intoxicating essential oil blends and natural clays that go preservatives, additives, colors, or artificial fragrance. into in each batch of soap. “I fell in love with the process and possiColorants are from naturally derived clays, which are also beneficial bilities of creating soaps from scratch, and I loved knowing that they to the skin; and the company uses only therapeutic-grade essential were made with safe and natural ingredients,” says Strasburger, whose oils to add fragrance to their products. As their website says, “Tested family is very much involved with the company. by us and on us.” The company is also committed to giving back, with Those first soaps she made for her family were just the beginning. After 10 percent of all sales from their “Nashville” product line donated listing a handful of soaps on Etsy, she was met with an overwhelming to Nashville Rescue Mission. Shop @ nashvillesoapcompany.com and response—and a demand for more soaps. Motivated to start her own boutiques in the Nashville area. Written by Liesel Schmidt
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
H O M E
RELISH Food is a love language unto itself—especially in the South. And as “Cabell and her team create the ceramic piece by hand in her studio, much thought as we put into the food itself, we also think about preand many versions of the same piece are created until our design team sentation. Part of being a gracious host is wrapped up in the picture, feels that we’ve gotten the size, shape, and designs just right. The and that’s ingrained in all good Southern hosts molds are then sent to a factory, where the resin is from an early age. poured, and exact colors are used to create the perFor friends Susan Peterson, Cabell Sweeney, and fect piece. It takes about three to six months to get Erika Laughlin, that was the idea behind Relish, a new piece in the line once we start the process,” a unique line of melamine serving ware that looks Peterson says. just like handmade pottery—until you pick it up. One thing that makes Relish such a special com“The idea of creating an elegant and sophisticatpany is their dedication to the handmade process. ed melamine product that is functional for every “We love handmade things,” says Peterson. “That’s day, but also beautiful and something that anyone how we got started so many years ago, and handwould be proud to set their table with, has been crafting still drives what we do today. The larger proa long-held dream,” explains Peterson, who has duction of our melamine line comes out of creating been business partners in the ceramic industry each piece by hand—in fact, many people would be Susan Peterson, Cabell Sweeney with Sweeney since 2003, when they created Casurprised to know that the melamine process takes and Erika Laughlin bell’s Designs. Together, with Laughlin, they creata lot of hands-on work to create a finished product, ed a unique sister company more focused on the even hand sanding each and every piece so that it everyday. “Our goal was for someone to not even know it’s melamine is as smooth and perfect as the next.” until they hold it in their hands. Relish is just as at home next to linen The line includes many styles, each perfect for everyday use. “Hostand silver as it is with paper towels and takeout. That’s why we call it ing family and friends should be easy and care-free, without the fuss ‘Today’s Everyday.’” or worry of anything breaking; and that is what Relish is all about,” The process of creation—and the designs—are unique to Relish, givPeterson says. Relish is also about giving back, and the company ing the pieces a handmade look because they are actually cast in a regularly donates to local food banks and non-profits. Shop online @ mold made in the Cabell’s Designs ceramics studio in Rome, Georgia. alwaysrelish.com and boutiques thoughout the country. Written by LS
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FOOD
ADAM’S APPLE “Authentic.” It’s one of those buzzwords that people seem so keen on proper labeling—this, while peeling, cooking, and canning 80 pounds when it comes to branding. And for Adams Apple Co., there couldn’t of apples for each batch and working around the clock. be a more appropriate word. While the first year was a successful one, Adams knew she needed Established in 2014, owner Theresa Adams is every bit to make changes and utilize her marketing background. what you’d hope for in an apple queen—most importantSince then, she has launched additional products and ly, a deeply rooted love of all things apple. Even now, flavors, perfecting her recipes and her packaging and she has vivid memories of watching her aunt and uncle’s giving it a signature plaid label—a nod to her love of family make apple butter in a giant copper kettle over a plaid. “I’m a plaid enthusiast,” she says with a smile fire at their farm in rural Illinois, using a massive wooden and a shrug. paddle to cook down the apples and mix in huge bags of “I created each of my products with memories in mind— sugar. The jars of apple butter that resulted were sold for memories of family, tastes of the South, and tastes of money, and the little girl watching learned how to turn memories yet to be made,” Adams says of her recipes, apples into magic. which she creates in her home kitchen and then perYears later, Adams called upon her knowledge of apple fects before she takes them to her manufacturer to be butter and began making her own as an inexpensive and made—still by hand—in large batches. And while she thoughtful gift for her friends and family during her lean may have created additional flavors, there is still always, Theresa Adams college years. When she met and married her husband— always an element apple. “The required ingredient in whose last name, serendipitously, was Adams—she coneach is some form of apple: apples, apple juice, or apple tinued her craft, giving it as Christmas gifts and working on the recipe cider vinegar,” explains Adams, who lives in Lexington, South Carolina over the years to perfect what became known as Adams Apple Butter. In the fall of 2015, she introduced Adams Apple Pie Jam, followed Two decades of giving her apple butter as a gift gave Adams the conby Adams Apple Cranberry Butter in the fall of 2016, Adams Apple fidence to enter the South Carolina State Fair in 2014, where she Pumpkin Butter in 2017, and 5 more products in 2018. The line now won a blue ribbon. That was enough to tell her that she should pursue includes her Southern-inspired chow-chows. Adams Apple Co. prodmanufacturing, but the process was arduous: getting samples tested, ucts are available at independent retail stores around the country as finding a DHEC approved kitchen, passing inspection, and creating well as @ adamsappleco.com, and will launch on QVC in July. LS
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SOUTHERN COMFORTS
Q&A B A C K R O A D S
The photography of Susan Daley and Steve Gross Written by Liesel Schmidt / Photography courtesy Susan Daley and Steve Gross Traveling the country, there are so many iconic buildings to behold. They cry
general stores, and abandoned motels.
out with history, telling stories of times long past that we can only imagine.
Q : How long have you been in partnership as photographers?
Off the beaten path, however, are some of the forgotten: old homes and an-
A : After college graduation, we moved to a semi-raw loft in Manhattan and
cient shops, rusting garages and time-worn road-side cafes, weather-beaten
opened our own commercial photo studio, where we were doing advertising
barns and crooked silos…They all have a past. They all speak in hushes and
work for major companies. Q : How did your architectural photogra-
whispers, offering tales that we can barely hear but want to know. In exploring them,
ous little buildings that catch an ce and grab your hear t.
we explore a piece of ourselves—where
phy begin?
Gross & Daley
B A C K R O A D S
e Scott Brown, architect , Venturi, rown and Associates
we’re going.
B U I L D I N G S
I N
For photographers Susan Daley and Steve Gross, seeking out those unpolished trea-
seen so much: heartache and triumph, despair and hope, desperation and pros-
O F
T H E
V E R N A C U L A R
perity. Age has washed over the buildings Here is the America that America is leaving $39.99
they have captured on film, time has worn —Richard Russo, author of Nobod y ’s Fool, Empire Falls
for many of the shelter magazines, phoand gardens. Whenever we traveled to interesting places to shoot for editorial stories. On one trip through Charleston, South Carolina, we came upon the beautifully dilapidated Aiken-Rhett House and photographed all its gently decaying
behind. These are haunting images.
53999
traveled across the country on assignment
new locations, we’d keep an eye out for
V E R N AC U L A R
tell the untold stories of a nation that has
S E A R C H
T H E
parts of architectural history, is a way to
A : In addition to our advertising work, we
tographing architecture, interior design, I N
O F
sures, the primitive and unpretentious
S E A R C H
136-4
we come from, where we’ve been, where BACKROADS BUILDINGS
364
B E A U T Y
Steve Gross & Susan Daley
rooms. This led to publication in World of
off the sharp edges and roughed up the
Interiors magazine and our first book, Old
smooth lines. In their rawness they are
Houses. Since then, we’ve done 12 other
beautiful. In their dilapidation they are somehow exquisite. These are stories
books. Backroads Buildings is the 13th. In all of our books, we’ve tried to
that need telling, and so Daley and Gross tell them in Backroads Buildings,
capture the true sense of place in different regions of America, as shown in
using the images as words that have incredible strength.
the historical buildings that populate the landscape. Q : What do you love most about photography?
Q : How did the two of you meet?
A : We love the act of discovery in photography. It’s also a practice that forces
A : We met while attending the University of New Mexico in the ’70s. We’re
you to slow down and actually see—to look and examine details and scenes.
both from the suburbs of New York City; so over the four years that we studied
It also allows us to share our vision of the things that we feel are important
in New Mexico, we drove across the country together quite a lot of times.
and want to preserve.
It was always our preference to take the more scenic and interesting route
Q : What gave you the inspiration and direction for the book, and how did you
through the Deep South and then up through the Carolinas and Virginia to the
choose the buildings that you photographed?
NYC area. When possible, we’d travel the older highways, noticing and ap-
A : We’re inspired to document and share these useful, often quite humble,
preciating all the vernacular buildings along the way, such as roadside cafes,
buildings because they are an important part of our country’s heritage that
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SUMMER 2021