Fred Atwood - "Springfield Mountain"

"Springfield Mountain" (Laws G16) is a widely-distributed American folksong that details the story of a young man who dies of a rattlesnake bite.  This version was recorded by Marlboro, VT folk singer and songcatcher, Margaret MacArthur in 1964.  The performer, Fred Atwood was the son of James Atwood, whose songs were documented by Edith Sturgis and Robert Hughes in their 1919 book, Songs from the Hills of Vermont.

In 2003 MacArthur donated her field recordings, including several reels of recordings with Fred Atwood, to the Vermont Folklife Center Archive. The entire collection is available online through the VFC's Digital Collections: Margaret MacArthur Collection