Behind the Apron Project: Blondell Mason Interview, April 17, 1997, Part 1

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Shelia Montague Parker: April 17, 1996, Sheila Parker, interviewer. I'm interviewing Blondell Mason.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Okay, Mr. Mason, where were you born?
Blondell Mason: In Baltimore.
Shelia Montague Parker: Baltimore.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What was it like growing up in Baltimore?

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Blondell Mason: Well, I never did like it.

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I never did like it. I went to school there for about three years and then I came back down to Calvert County and then, uh, spent most of my time in the country.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok, uh, why did you come to Calvert?
Blondell Mason: Well--
Shelia Montague Parker: Did you have family here or--?
Blondell Mason: Well my father moved down, he bought a home down here and, he moved us from Baltimore down here.

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Shelia Montague Parker: How many sisters and brothers did you have?

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Blondell Mason: Three b--, four brothers besides myself. No sisters: had a little sister, she died-- young, at a young age.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What were some of the things that you did when you were growing up, either in Baltimore or Calvert? At what age did you move to Calvert County?

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Blondell Mason: Oh, I wasn't uh-- around 6 or 7.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Okay did you attend school here in Calvert?
Blondell Mason: Yes.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Okay, what school did you attend?
Blondell Mason: Paint School they call it. Paint School up here, they just got-- school just been recenly remodeled, you know?

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Shelia Montague Parker: Pain School?

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Blondell Mason: Called it - Paint School -

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Shelia Montague Parker: Oh, Paint School.

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Blondell Mason: That was, yeah, old big broken down Paint School, yeah. And I didn't go no higher than the 6th grade.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What was a typical day like at school? What did you do? And who were some of your teachers?

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Blondell Mason: Oh, uh, Miss - a lady called Miss Savage. She's from Virginia - she's been back to Virginia, after her husband died. And uh, -

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Miss Holly Grace - she used to live St. Lennon, but she moved to Atlantic City, and uh, there where she died - she died in Atlantic City. And uh, I didn't have too many other teachers besides those two. Miss Blanche Wilson - she's still living - uh, you have heard of her, haven't you? She's close to a hundred, if not more...

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK. Uhm, just tell me about some of the things you did at school - activities --

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Blondell Mason: Mostly I played baseball - 'cause I was crazy about baseball. And uh, sometime, occasionally I would play dodgeball with the girl, but mostly we played baseball.

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK. Uhm, who was the disciplinarian in your family? Who - if you did something wrong - who would, should punish the children, your mom or your dad, or ?

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Blondell Mason: Well, my dad because my mom died when I was 4 years old.

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK. Uh, what type of work did your parents do, or your dad do?

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Blondell Mason: Well, my daddy was a sheriff cook. And uhm, my mama died, like I said, when she - when I was 4 years old.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What did your dad cook? For what business?

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Blondell Mason: Well uh, he worked on the excursion boat. He was a steward on the excursion boat. And uh, he cooked on the train too, as a chef. And uh, mostly he did was cook.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Uh, since your mom died when you were young, who was usually the person that would most help out around the house?

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Blondell Mason: My grandmother - her name was Ella, Ella Mason.
Shelia Montague Parker: Ella Mason?
Blondell Mason: Mm-hmm.

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK, uhm. Did your family attend church when you were young?
Blondell Mason: Oh yeah.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What church did you attend?
Blondell Mason: Brooks Church, then.
Shelia Montague Parker: Brooks Church?
Blondell Mason: Uh-huh. [affirmative]

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK. and the pastor of Brooks Church?

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Blondell Mason: Oh we had so many pastors - Reverend Foran, Reverend uh, 'course Collin was the last one, and moved from there up to Allen Willis Church, but before that time, we had several preachers,

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Reverend Jenkins, and uh, I said Reverend Foran...there's three or four others I just can't think at the present time,

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but we exchanged preachers very often 'cause it wasn't satisfying right then, it wasn't satisfying now.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. What type of activities did you do in church, or what positions did you or your sisters and brothers hold in church?

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Blondell Mason: Well, I served for thirteen years at Brooks Church, and my brother, he was a tax attorney at Lawrence.

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You know Lawrence---? Lauren Masons. He was secretary, and my brother Bill - across the road - he was a steward for I don't know how many years, probably many years. But that's, all of that--

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Shelia Montague Parker: And your Dad, did your dad uh
Blondell Mason: No, he didn't go this church. He was away at Mall Moose All Fine [[?]].

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Tell me, what other people in the county that you can, as growing up and even now, that you can look around the county and know that those people are there that as a youngster you can depend on if a problem arose? Is there anyone in the county that--

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Blondell Mason: Well, uh--
Shelia Montague Parker: Some of the elders in the county?
Blondell Mason: Yes, like Lauria, you mean?

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Shelia Montague Parker: No, um, so often we hear folks talk about growing up and I get "second parents to the children" and "mom and dad wasn't there". Other people in the county that you know you can depend on.

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Blondell Mason: Well, at that time when I came up, it would be - I couldn't say my Uncle because he wasn't around too much. Maybe Jackson? She's the one. She's dead, though...around...Who else, maybe Jackson, and Maddie Gam; she's my distant relation.

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And who else... I don't know too many others than Maddie Gam, maybe Jackson. I don't know too many others.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Are you married? Do you have children? If so, how many?
Blondell Mason: Yes, I married. I was married, uh, fifty-two years but my wife passed the last couple of years ago. And I had nine - nine hated [[?]] children: five boys and four girls.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Are you and your children still attending Brooks Church? If not, what church do you attend?

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Blondell Mason: No, Lutheran, up to Ella Wills Church. That's where, uh - let's see - one, two, three... three children did attend up to Lutheran church - Ella Wills Church.

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The rest of them don't go to church at all. Of course I've got one son, in Indianapolis, he's the counselor of a school, and uh, what was I saying - and I can never say what I want to say, but this woman - he married this councilwoman, she's the principal.

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And I got one son, he's the elder up to this church, and - let's see - Ricky, he's supposed to be contracting, and Anthony, he lives in Glen Burnie. He's a painter.

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And my daughter, Diane, she lives in Columbus, Maryland. She's a teacher.

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And there's Gloria - she's lives across the river there - she cares for me, I don't know what she want to do that for, I don't know this. And uh, that's two of them.

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And Terrell, that was in this terrible accident. She doesn't do much of anything, but the wrong thing as far as I can know.

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And Velvet, she's downstairs and that's my youngest daughter.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. The church that you attend now, what's the name of the church?
Blondell Mason: Church of God.
Shelia Montague Parker: Church of God. Are you active in the Church of God?
Blondell Mason: No, no.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Let me ask you about the Seafood House. When was that in the Seafood House. I understand you used to work there. For how long did you work for the Seafood House?

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Blondell Mason: Oh, off and on. We usually worked mostly at winter time, but twenty-five, thirty years I think.
Shelia Montague Parker: Thirty years. How many days a week did you work at the Seafood House?

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Blondell Mason: Every day.
Shelia Montague Parker: Every day?

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Shelia Montague Parker: Uh-huh.
Shelia Montague Parker: And your hours were...?

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Blondell Mason: Oh, uh, didn't have any particular hours. Just go in as early as you wanted and of course you had to stop at four o'clock.

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The time that he really wanted you to go to work was from seven til four. A lot of them went in earlier - me, myself had been working til I could just the same.

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Shelia Montague Parker: I understand that you were one of the fastest shuckers, or just in Seafood House. How many buckets did you shuck a day in oysters, or did you shuck a day...?

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Blondell Mason: Well, I shucked as high as twenty-two gallons and there um, he had, um - it wasn't a bid or anything like that - he said those that shucked the most fastest from September to December - before Christmas, a week before Christmas - they will give them a prize.

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So quite naturally I shucked harder then, and - a boy called Oliver White - he was the third runner-up, which was for fifty dollars, and Theresa Rosa, I think her name was, she was the second runner-up and that was a hundred dollars.

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And I shucked more than any of those, and I got two hundred dollars. But, I worked very hardly to do that, but I did it just the same.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. What were some of yours tools you used in shucking the oysters? Besides a knife, what other things did you need?

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Blondell Mason: Well, there's a sharpener or stone for sharpening my knife on. And of course, a stabbing board. That's wooden, you can put out a stabbing board and stab it on a hanger - something like this - it's more easy. That's all.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Any particular clothing? Apron?
Blondell Mason: No, it was a rubber apron, but not of a particular kind. Just an apron just to keep the mud off of you, that's it.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Boots?
Blondell Mason: Yeah.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. What did you do before working at the Seafood House?
Blondell Mason: Well, I worked on a farm down at Brescos, Fire Brescos, worked at the farm at Delts.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What type of work did you do at the farm?
Blondell Mason: Some of everything. Such as plow: get on the tractor and plow land - this land - and set things and separate corn and plant it. And hay, have to get in hay. Everything hard on the farm that's what I have to do.

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Shelia Montague Parker: [[Laughs]] Oh, did you plant tobacco?
Blondell Mason: Oh yeah, yeah, yes indeed. [[Unintelligible]]. Coal [[?]], dew [[?]], cutting tobacco, and that kind of mess. I have arthritis for twenty-five or thirty years, not real bad like I have now though, 'cause I've been dealering [[?]].

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Shelia Montague Parker: How did you come to work at Denton's Seafood House? Who told you about the - ?

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Blondell Mason: Well, before we worked at Warren Denton, they had another oyster house at Parkers Mall, by the name of Jones. He said this: he was short on shuckers and we go there - I went down there - and learned what I could down there, learned how to shuck.

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'Course I couldn't shuck many, and he was very particular - that's the reason I learned back there that I couldn't race and try to shuck a whole lot. I had to shuck them whole; they didn't want no parts just cut up, and I found out that I could shuck pretty good. Then I went down to Warren Denton.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. Did any of your other family members work at Warren Denton, or..?
Blondell Mason: Oh yeah, all of my brothers.
Blondell Mason: All of your brothers?
Blondell Mason: Uh-huh.
Shelia Montague Parker: Your brothers' names?

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Blondell Mason: John Mason, George Mason, Laurence Mason, and myself.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. For shucking oysters, did you stand still or what -
Blondell Mason: Stand.
Shelia Montague Parker: Stand?
Blondell Mason: Yeah.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. What was a typical day when you went in, you know, what was the first thing you did?

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Blondell Mason: Well, we get our buckets and get water and then we shuck, but uh, [[put one fourth water in it?]] to wash the oysters off and then you put it in there and then we get the water in the buckets, and that's it.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. At that time, how much were you paid for a bucket of oysters?
Blondell Mason: Twenty cents per gallon.
Shelia Montague Parker: Twenty cents for gallon?

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Blondell Mason: Yeah, you know, that's all.
Shelia Montague Parker: Do you eat oysters today, or..?
Blondell Mason: Yes, I still like them, mm-hmm.
Shelia Montague Parker: [[Laughs]] You do?
Blondell Mason: Mm-hmm.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Ok. What did you like most about shucking at the Oyster House and what did you dislike about shucking there?

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Blondell Mason: Well, I just liked the job, shucking, being amongst a gang of people and laughing and talking.

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What I didn't like was at times we got the worst oysters on our side and the best oysters were on the other - I didn't like that too hot, but maybe that wasn't his fault all the time that's just how the oysters run, maybe.

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Shelia Montague Parker: What's the different types of oysters?

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Blondell Mason: Well, there's the rock oysters, which is round, and there um, there's the oysters they got from Louisiana. The real big oysters like that.

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And that's when they couldn't get them so they send away and got them. But rock oysters and this other type oyster, that's the only two oysters I know about.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Sometimes I hear folks say some are eating oysters, and some are not. What's the difference?

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Blondell Mason: They spawn during the summertime. It gets real red-looking, and, uh, actually, not really, if you need everything you had stop shucking around the first of May.

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No, before that time that time, but they still shucking now, no must be the middle of May 'cause they still shucking in a month, soon'll be out April. May. Well, 'round middle of May.

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Shelia Montague Parker: OK. Uh, what other-- information could you tell me about the oyster house?

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Blondell Mason: Well, things they have now, we didn't have then. They got a conveyor-- with, uh, put the oysters in the conveyor on the-- out on the belt log and the conveyor brings them in and he puts them on another conveyor and that goes 'round.

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You dump your own oysters, on your bench. Once the guys had to put them in baskets and give them to you and then you'll throw them on the table yourself. But uh-- this, uh, so much easier when this conveyor come right-- come-- rotates right 'round and you dump 'em. And everyone gets one there and dump 'em out.

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But then you had to wait till the guys to bring them in a wheelbarrow and all that. So this-- much easier and better-- now than, uh, the shuck oysters woulda been.

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Blondell Mason: But-- they don't have near as many shuckers now, as they did then.

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Shelia Montague Parker: And how many shuckers did they have at the time you were shucking?
Blondell Mason: About 80.
Shelia Montague Parker: 80?
Blondell Mason: Mhmm.

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Shelia Montague Parker: [softly] OK. Um-- were they all black or were there black and white shuckers?

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Blondell Mason: Well, I can only remember this-- the one, bus-- [unintelligible]. At that time I saw a lot of him then. But 'cept for these creme shuckers, most of those come from Mexico.

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Shelia Montague Parker: Mexico?
Blondell Mason: Mhmm.

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Shelia Montague Parker: [softly] OK, OK. Um, what activities do you like to do now, at your leisure time? Is there--?

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Blondell Mason: Well, there isn't much that I can do on account of my walkin'. My body, and like I said is ok, but just my legs don't let me do it, I wish I could do it. [softly] I wish I could do it, but they don't let me do it.