They Sawed Up A Storm – Single

They Sawed Up A Storm is the third single from my soon to be released Dark Shadow Recording project “A Tale To Tell”. It depicts the real-life story of 13 heroic woman who spearheaded a salvage operation at the Turkey Pond Sawmill back in the 1940s. A colleague of mine in the lumber industry, Sarah Shea Smith, uncovered the story of the Woman’s Sawmill at Turkey Pond which was located just outside Concord NH. After much research she wrote a book about the events that took place leading to the building of the mill and propelling this group of women to become heroes of their time. Sarah’s book inspired me to write this song.

Story Behind The Song
The Hurricane of 1938, one of the worst in recorded history, had knocked down millions of feet of White Pine timber in the NH forests. A mill was built outside of Concord NH to saw up the logs and help the economy which was still reeling after the Great Depression. When WW2 broke out, the men who ran the mill enlisted in the service and the mill was shut down. Thirteen patriotic women went to the NH State House offering to run the sawmill after the men operating it joined the WW2 effort. Although many doubted this would work, they were given permission, and the salvage operation continued. This group of brave, determined women in service to their country, saved the day and made history. This song was written to celebrate their historic accomplishment and share their story in song.”

They Sawed Up A Storm Features:

  • Becky Buller – lead vocal, fiddle, clawhammer banjo
  • Stephen Mougin – guitar
  • James Kee – mandolin
  • Todd Parks – bass
  • Jana Mougin- harmony vocal
  • Laura Orshaw -harmony vocal

Downloads are available for purchase at www.darkshadowrecording.com

Here’s a link to additional background info about the mill at Turkey Pond

https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/news/release/2011/03/22/new-book-chronicles-nhs-womens-sawmill-wwii

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