es Simpson described the special folk medicines of her family near
Herndon:

When an epidemic was reported in the village during the winter, she
prepared the dreadful smelling _asafetida_ bags which she tied about
our necks under our dresses. They were supposed to ward off
diseases.

When my sisters and I had colds, mutton _tallow plasters_ were put
on our chests and fastened to our underwear. These sticky, clammy
plasters were worn until all signs of cold had disappeared.

_Sulpher and molasses_ by the spoonful were given in the spring 'to
help clear out our systems....' Calomel was an often used remedy
for the liver until the doctor forbade its use.

My mother had a bad case of erysipelas and her leg was in a fearful
state. Nothing seemed to help it. One night she dreamed my sister
Dora, who had recently died, came to her, told her to make
_poultices of cabbage leaves_ wrung in hot water and apply them to
her leg. She followed instructions and in due season her leg was
healed.[232]

[Illustration: G. Ray Harrison, c. 1925. Photo courtesy of Ray
Harrison.]

[Illustration: The Harrison family's mule team on a shopping trip to
Herndon about 1914. A young Ray Harrison is riding in the wagon. The
stores in Herndon provided basic supplies and services for the Floris
community. Photo courtesy of Ray Harrison.]

The Floris community was an early outgrowth of a mining settlement near
Frying Pan Run. Robert Carter, of Nomini Hall in Westmoreland County,
owned the land which he believed contained rich copper ore. Though roads
were built and several mining attempts made, the mineral proved to be of
poor quality. The access offered by roads built by the miners (for
example, West Ox Road on which Frying Pan Farm is located) opened the
area to agriculture. The first permanent community was formed by a group
of Baptists, who successfully petitioned Carter for permission to build
a church on his property. One of their early churches, a simple, frame
structure built in 1791, still stands near the center of the
community.[233]

The origins of the area's unusual name are obscure--some believe either
Indians or early miners who camped in the vicinity mislaid a frying pan
and named the creek after their loss. Others feel that the circular
shape of a round pool into which the run flows influenced its
appellation. Until 1879 the community at the cro