Debunking the Yule Log Myth: The Disturbing History of a Plantation Legend
April 8, 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Bob May
On Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m., historian Robert May will share his sleuthing into a long-held folk belief that he believes was intentionally fabricated after the Civil War about how enslaved people in the Old South experienced Christmastime. Based on his book Debunking the Yule Log Myth: The Disturbing History of a Plantation Legend, the program focuses on the post-Civil War use of history to recast slavery as benign.
According to an oft-repeated legend, before the Civil War, all enslaved people in the American South enjoyed lengthy vacations of a week or more during Christmas depending on how long an oversized “Yule log” burned in their master’s fireplace. As long as the log held out, the enslaved escaped heavy labor and the whip. They enjoyed a rare freedom of movement to go and do what they wished, as well as gorge themselves on food and drink they never got the rest of the year. They reportedly soaked the logs to make them burn even longer, with no one the wiser. Suspicious of this story, Professor May decided to plunge into surviving historical documents to root out the truth. Thus, his book and talk. Be prepared for some surprises, as he traces not only just when this folktale began but also who began it and why they did it.
Robert E. May is Professor Emeritus of History at Purdue University and the author of Yuletide in Dixie: Slavery, Christmas, and Southern Memory; Slavery, Race, and Conquest in the Tropics: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Future of Latin America and other works about slavery and the South. A native of Brooklyn, Professor May grew up in New Rochelle, attended Union College in Schenectady, is a part-year resident of Geneva, and has been a frequent speaker at the Seward House Museum in Auburn. His permanent residence is in Olympia, WA, where he lives with his wife. His op-eds and interviews have appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Finger Lakes Times, and he has appeared on many podcasts. He also has been active in Civil War Round Tables.
The lecture series is supported in part by the Samuel B. Williams fund for programs in the Humanities and is open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $5 to support our programming. For more information about the lecture, call the Historic Geneva office at 315-789-5151.