11/20/2020
WHAT WAS THANKSGIVING LIKE IN 1918?
In 1918, our ancestors dealt not only with a deadly pandemic, but also with the horrors of World War I.
As Thanksgiving Day approached, celebrations erupted when an armisce was signed on November 11,
1918, ending the fighing in Europe. There was great cause for giving thanks for the end of the war, but also great sadness at the loss of 4,734,991 US military casualies.
It was suggested that American families forego their usual turkey dinner so that the men still serving
overseas could have a traditional holiday meal. Substutes included chicken, steak, or duck. Apparently
those living in the Asheville, North Carolina, sought yet another alternative to turkey, according to The
Sunday Citizen*:
Another popular option…was opossum. “With other forms of meat so high [in cost], those inclined to be night prowlers have a doubly good excuse for engaging in their favorite sport,” The Sunday Citizen wrote. These hunters, the paper continued, “feel that they can mix sport with economy by following the trails of the hounds at night and fattening the opossums for Thanksgiving day spreads.”
With several hunting parties already formed, the paper wrote, “[o]wners of good hounds are finding themselves enjoying the height of popularity, friends warming up to them while requesting the use of their dogs.” Further, the paper noted, the activity was not exclusive to males. According to The Sunday Citizen, hunting opossum “has become a popular pastime among young people of both sexes[.]”
As we celebrate Thanksgiving 2020, with thoughts and prayers for those have suffered illness and loss in the current pandemic, we also remember our ancestors and the hardships they faced.
*As republished on November 22, 2018, in The Mountain Xpress at https://mountainx.com/news/
asheville-archives-patriotic-residents-forego-turkey-on-thanksgiving-1918/
Asheville and Western North Carolina news, investigative reporting, city and county government news.
