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While Jeff Foxworthy was still in high school developing his"You might be a red neck if...." fad, Uncle Bub published his "Barbs from Briar Hill" brand of county humor.
Uncle Bub is Dr. Marshall Gunselman, Director of the Learning Resourced Center of Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Briar Hill is an isolated community in northern Lawrence County, Tennessee at the headwaters of the Buffalo River.
"I have fond memories of Briar Hill where I spent my early childhood during the Depression. Acivities of the community centered around a two-teacher school and a church building. The people of Briar Hill were, and I guess still are, of the hardy, individualistic type that made America great."
"Folks in Briar Hill lived by proverbs and sayings: some truth-oriented, some funny, some made up by the character of the community. My "Barbs from Briar Hill" are in the same vein as the old ones, but as far as I know, are original."
"As a kid my nick name was "Bub" so that's the origin of "Uncle Bub". I hope Uncle Bub can keep alive some of the concepts and approaches to home and community living of the people of Briar Hill."
July 1976
Barbs from Briar Hill can be found in the Albert Gore Research Center in the Pittard Collection:
- Series 15: Publications (1 box, 12 folders)
All books that are a part of this series are stored separately and can be found on the Gore Center bookshelves. All other items are listed by subject and are either publications pertaining to local history or that were published locally.