Ronald Rife is 84 years old. But compared to the Wilkesville Bean Dinner, the retired Airforce man is young.
The Joseph Freeman Post 476 of the American Legion in southeast Ohio’s Meigs County claims it has hosted the annual feast of soup beans and cornbread for 159 years.
“My father was commander of this post in 1941, the year I was born,” Rife said. He’s been coming to the dinner ever since — longer than anyone else alive.
With a history that dates back to the Civil War, Post Commander Wayne Smathers says it’s the oldest bean dinner in Ohio. While there’s some dispute over whether or not that’s true, the tradition has a long history in southeast Ohio that continues to this day.
Origins of the Wilkesville Bean Dinner
Records of the Wilkesville Bean Dinner’s origins were lost in a fire in 1946, so it’s impossible to say for sure if it’s the oldest in the state.
In fact, neighboring communities make the same claim.
“There's a toss-up between who's got the oldest one,” Smathers said. “But Rio Grande says they're a year behind Vinton, so I think we are the oldest now.”
Regardless of where the exact first dinner was hosted, the tradition itself started in southeast Ohio after the Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic, a now defunct veteran’s group that predates the American Legion, began hosting camp fires for Union military veterans to foster community and continue the bonds that had been formed between soldiers during the Civil War.
They cooked beans because the dish was affordable and the type of meal that soldiers would have received during the war.
Eventually, the events became so popular they became known as bean dinners.
Feeding a crowd
The yearly event starts before sunrise, with Smathers washing 200 pounds of dried white navy beans before getting them on to cook with ham hocks and bacon. The process takes all morning.
“The first pot goes on. A half hour later, the second pot goes one. Half hour after that, the third pot goes,” Smathers explained.
At this year’s event, American Legion volunteers stirred beans in the giant iron pots — reminiscent of those used in the 1800s — with equally giant wooden paddles to ensure nothing burns or sticks. It’s hot work for an outdoor event in early September, but the results are worth the labor.
Later, volunteers went around with a bucket of beans and a ladle, divvying out portions to diners and offering second and sometimes even third helpings to the hungrier attendees.
At $5 for a bowl of all-you-can-eat beans and 50 cents for cornbread, the bean dinner is still an affordable way to feed a crowd. Some ate the beans as they were served, but others enjoyed them in the traditional way of parts of Appalachia: by topping the beans with crumbled cornbread and a heaping pile of fresh chopped onions.
It’s a nostalgic taste for those who grew up on soup beans like Chaplain Rife, who feasted on a second bowl.
“I think they're the best beans in the last three years,” Rife said.
Commander Smathers estimated around 200 people attended the event — and that’s a light turnout. He thinks early morning rain may have kept some away.
The event raises money for the American Legion’s charitable fund, which supports local veterans.
“We have a veteran and he needs help with something, say he needs windows fixed in his house. We can give them the money for that,” Smathers said.
To Smathers, the time-honored tradition is about more than a bowl of beans. It’s about the community that comes with it.