Within the narratives of the Underground Railroad as a pathway to freedom for slaves in the antebellum South, one story merges into local history. It is a story that began in song and has been enlarged by sources ranging from the National Geographic to NASA to popular literature. It is a song whose origin and veracity are uncertain, but whose story illustrates a deeper truth. The song is “Follow the Drinking Gourd.”
Did a branch of the Underground Railroad reach into our area? In pre-Civil War Lowndes County, there were a few people who were openly opposed to slavery, but there is no record of any of them actively participating or having a station on the Underground Railroad. “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” however, provides musical folklore that suggests a connection.
“Follow the Drinking Gourd” is an African-American spiritual that is said to be a verbal road map for slaves escaping from the Tombigbee River Valley north of Mobile, Alabama. Although there is some question as to whether the song actually was associated with the Underground Railroad, it has through recordings, books and tradition become a part of the story.
The oldest surviving version of the song was reported by H.B. Parks in 1912, and he published it in 1928. The oldest reference to the song was in Mary Austin’s autobiography, written in 1934, which recalled her hearing the song as a child around 1873. A slightly more refined version of the song was arranged by Lee Hays in 1947, and it entered the realm of popular music.
Whether the song’s lyrics provide a verbal road map is open to interpretation, but it sure fits the Tombigbee River. In Park’s early version, verses could easily lay out a route to freedom.
The song begins;
“When the sun come back
When the firs Quail call
Then the time is come
Foller the drinkin’ gou’d”
This verse seems to say that in the spring, when the quail start to nest, it is the time to leave and to follow the drinking gourd, or North Star. If you head north then there will be help along the way.
The verses continue:
“The riva’s bank am a very good road
The dead trees show the way…”
The banks of the Tombigbee River will be the road, and dead trees along the river bank will be marked to show the way. One of the legends is that the route was marked by a man called “Peg Leg” Joe.
The final directions are:
“The riva ends a-tween two hills
Foller the drinkin’ gou’d
‘Nuther riva on the other side…
Wha the little riva
meet the grea’ big un
The ole man waits…”
The headwaters of the Tombigbee are in the hills of southern Tishomingo County. Across those hills, still traveling north, one finds the Tennessee River. The “road” continued north along that river. At Paducah, Kentucky, the Tennessee River flows into the Ohio River. Across the Ohio River was freedom, and there would be someone there to help the escaping slaves to safety.
Is “Follow the Drinking Gourd” actually a verbal road map for the Underground Railroad? I don’t think it really matters, as the song has become a part of the lore of people seeking their freedom, and as such, it help tells their story.
The Adventure Cycling Association promotes a 2,100-mile bicycle trail from Mobile, to Ontario, Canada, following the route of the Underground Railroad as described in “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Among the not-to-miss historic highlights listed along the trail are three Lowndes County sites — the Missionary Union Baptist Church, Concord Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the archives of the Columbus-Lowndes Library.
Several times a year, cyclists riding the trail show up at the Billups-Garth Archives of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library seeking more information on the community. However, the association’s website warns cyclists of narrow shoulders and heavy traffic on Highway 50 between Columbus and West Point.
Sam Kaye and I always talked about the potential for a Black Heritage Trail along the river. From Horace King’s 1842 “Bridge” to “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” markers along the Riverwalk could tell the often over-looked story of the African-Americans who helped shape and build Columbus in its earliest days. It is a worthy project to consider during the approaching Columbus bicentennial.
Rufus Ward is a local historian. Email your questions about local history to him at [email protected].
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.