How you can get a taste of history

Local historian Sonya Hodges-Grantham will be presenting a program on “The History of Corn, Cornbread, Wheat, Bread, Sandwiches and World War I” on March 25.

The presentation, in concert with the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 172 Ladies with A Purpose and the Men’s Club of Suber Marshall Memorial United Methodist Church, is part of National Agriculture Week, March 19-25.

Hodges-Grantham has been collecting and documenting local written and oral histories for years. She has organized the corn and cornbread presentation to recognize the contributions of South Carolinians to help feed troops during World War I.

Corn was growing in South Carolina long before the arrival of European settlers. “When you speak of corn and cornbread, you know you’re eating not only a part of Native American history, you’re eating world history. You’re also eating Southern history as well,” said Hodges-Grantham.

The ties of Southern history and world history come together for Hodges-Grantham with her grandfather, Sancho Thompson Sr.

Thompson fought in World War I as part of the 371st Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division Colored, deployed to France in 1918. He went through training in 1917 at then-Camp Jackson in Columbia.

One of the first dozen or so African American enlisted soldiers in the US Army from Pensacola, Fla. Thompson’s group arrived early, by mistake, and stayed at Camp Jackson until the scheduled draftees – who were delayed because they were picking cotton in the fields on the camp’s property – joined them.

After serving in the war, Thompson returned to Columbia, where he lived out his life. He is buried in Childs Cemetery, part of the Childs Plantation, once the former Wade Hampton Plantation that stretched from what is now the 2000 block of South Beltline to Gills Creek and the Congaree River.

During World War I, the plantation grew corn and cotton. Across the United States, farmers produced 111 million bushels of corn – South Carolina contributed more than 3 million bushels – enough to feed not only our troops, but the Allied Army as well.

Hodges-Grantham’s presentation will include historical items, advertisements and posters asking Americans to “Eat more corn,” and samples of cornbreads, corn sticks and other corn products.

The cornbread recipe variations depend on the type of meal used, the fineness of the grind and whether sweetener was added. There are recipes named for Harriet Tubman (who used pork fat to grease the pan and yellow corn meal, sour milk and sugar; the resulting drier bread kept longer); Denmark Vesey (with red and blue corn meals); and the more modern Boston (Jiffy Mix combined with corn meal). Hodges-Grantham also will be preparing the recipe for Tapp’s original cornbread sticks.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with cornmeal and sugar.

Combine milk, eggs, water and shortening and then mix into dry ingredients.

Bake in well-greased stick molds at 350 degrees until brown, about 15 minutes.

Courtesy of Sonya Hodges-Grantham

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 1:18 PM with the headline "How you can get a taste of history."