Monroe County Appeal August 9, 1929

Surnames appearing in this article include: Hollingsworth, Hall, Swisher, James, Shumard, Smiser, Gilbert, Mitts, Ransdall, Johnson, Bierly, Evans, Heathman, Threlkeld. Vance, Harrison, Brengle, Harrison, Crain, Kipper, Cash, Ameen, White, Cook, Morgan, Sprinkle, Decker, Long, Chinn, Sanders, Guthrie, Key, Dye, Fisher, Kesner, Chapman, Rash, Dawson, Sebastian, Milner, Curry, Wood, Sanders, Barrow, Riley, Hall, Thompson, Peters, Rogers, Martin, Boyd, Dawson, Moore, King

 

Pioneer Cites Cases to Prove His Route From Paris Isn’t
”Going To The Dogs”

By D.L. Hollingsworth

 

The only time that you might make me believe the rural section has gone to the dogs is when the dogs get into a bunch of sheep like they did at John Hall’s a few days ago, killing and crippling fourteen or fifteen ewes and lambs.

The last of October will round out three years of service for me as rural mail carrier on Route One out of Paris.  Three years is but a short space for thought after one has lived them and we usually reckon the things accomplished in such a way that they carry nothing of the weight of the next three to come.  Changes are so gradual that the average person seldom notices them only at the time, and in a couple of months hold their place with things that have happened in the years past.

After reading an article in a paper a few weeks back I found myself skeptical as to the theme of the article in which the author was picturing the farms as being almost as desolate as the battlefields of France, and folks as defeated soldiers with no country or home to return after failure.  Of course, I may be a little jealous of the patrons of my route and thin they are on a good average, if not a little above, the average when it comes to being a nice lot of thrifty, industrious people.  They are my kind of people and I like them everyone and they have made me more than feel that they returned that feeling and that I am one of them.  I was raised on the farm and know some few things about farming conditions.  I can gather as much corn by a hot stove in the winter as anybody and when it comes to ham and, I can do a little better than anybody.  But this isn’t to be about myself.  It’s supposed to be about something worth while.

Getting back to reading the article I mentioned, I began thinking about the conditions on my route since starting on it, about the changes that had taken place, those for the good and those for the bad.  To tell the truth about it I was surprised at some of the strides that have been made without a lot of publicity to put them over.

There is one big thing that I want to emphasize and that is there hasn’t been but one piece of property sold for the mortgage and that wasn’t a farm.  Another thing, we lost one lad owner to the city and a man from the city bought the land and moved to it and, after a couple of years, keeps liking it better.  Some of the improvements that deserve mentioning may be an oversight on my part or off the road that I travel, so for that reason I may not enumerate them here but I think I will mention enough to prove my point that the dogs may get in once in a while but they haven’t got control.

There was a big mud hole on the hill just south of Jim Swisher’s gate, and everyone admitted it was a shame and that it would be mighty nice for those that traveled that road (including the mail carrier) to have it fixed, so Mr. Swisher took his team and not only graveled the bad place but the rest of the road to his gate and also the road up to his house, almost a quarter of a mile.  I’m going to give him credit for doing it himself, and there is no need of mentioning his farm because a fellow that does those things out on the road looks after things at home.

Besides a program of keeping the buildings in repair, fencing and good farming Paul James built a nice concrete cellar, one that would please anybody.  He sowed a good sized field of alfalfa that looks like lots of good feed to me.  On top of that and what Paul and Virginia would call their best in the way of possessions is Kenneth Burton, their little eighteen months old boy who took the Monroe County Baby prize at Madison last year.

H.L. Shumard, E.P. Smiser & Son, J.B. Gilbert & Son, Earl and Lonnie James live off of my line of travel but I understand they have limed extensively and find it a great factor in improving their land.

This spring C.E. Mitts built an addition of several rooms to his house, putting a basement under the new part, greatly improving the looks and value of his farm.

Mack Ransdall built a new threshing machine shed, also has the basement dug and the foundation in for a new modern bungalow which he will complete as soon as threshing season is over.  When that is finished, I expect Mack won’t be able to rest until the road is graveled out to his place.

Mrs. Henry Johnson and her son James are seeding their farm to grass which will be quite an improvement in the value of the land.

John Bierly has set out quite a few young fruit trees, something that is seldom being done anymore.

Vest Evans built an addition to his chicken house.

Rollins Heathman remodeled his house into one on the bungalow order, adding more room.

It is seldom that one sees a house set vacant for over a year or two that doesn’t begin to show neglect, but the old William Threlkeld place is an exception.  Of course it doesn’t do it by itself.  Ora Vance is usually on the job when something needs to be done.  You will seldom find two sets of improvements taken care of by one man and they are close to two miles apart.  The place just mentioned and Mr. Vance’s home place, are kept in tip top shape.

About two years ago Tom Harrison spent better than fifteen hundred dollars on his house and last fall he put concrete foundation under his barn and new siding on all of it and painted.

Weldon Brengle doesn’t think $150 is too much to pay for a good bull calf.  He has also built up his cow heard until he has nothing but registered or near registered stock.  Two years ago he told me he sold six calves at six months old that brought him around $96 per hear.

John Harrison put a concrete foundation under his large barn and new siding, and then covered up with a couple of coats of paint, and it looks good.  Mr. Harrison is a good farmer and I wish I had room to bring in some of his ideas about farming.  He has raised seven boys and one girl and has several hundred acres of land paid for, and you can’t make me believe it was all luck.  A feller told me once that it was all luck (such things as Mr. Harrison has done) but that you just added the letter “P” and made it read a little difference, but it change the meaning a whole lot.

This isn’t supposed to be about persons so much, as what has been done, so will move on.

I’ll venture to say you won’t find a bank the size of the Granville Bank that does the business it does and pays on its capital and surplus the dividends it pays.  Mr. R. G. Crain, their courteous and efficient cashier, told me the bank examiner commended them very highly on his last inspection.  The Granville bank, situated as it is, can well be appreciated as a community asset that could hardly be dispensed with.

Ernest Kipper, Granville’s confirmed “Stern Old Bachelor” bought a little house just east of the Cash Store and cleaned it up, repairing here and there, new fences and completed dressed up with paint, it now looks like “Kipp” ought to have a woman in there to make things complete, but he says he has no hard feelings against the women so don’t want to try to mistreat them that way.

M.N. Ameen, the proprietor of the Cash Store has bough the building his store occupies, the warehouse across the street, and built a long garage and warehouse combined and enjoys his share of the business of that community.

Down at the other store, conducted by Mrs. And Mrs. Ernest White, new cream testing machinery has been installed and better service is added if possible.  Mrs. White is a fine type of woman, always a smile and encouraging words for everybody.  She couldn’t be any other way.

George Cook took the old Morgan house and worked wonders with it.  New porch, doors, roof, fences, paint and set out a young orchard.  They take a great deal of pride in their little home.

“Bill” Heathman and son Jake are to be commended very highly on their ability as road men.  And I want to tell the world like old man Henderson, that they have made me feel good by grading about 15 miles of road on my route.  And although it may be digressing a little, I want to thank the County Court for buying equipment large enough to do the job up right, and the judges tell me it is their aim to perfect a road grading system that has been sadly neglected, for Monroe County but it can’t all be done at once.  I have found them always willing to listen and co-operate as much as possible on anything reasonable.  Let’s hope we always have as good a set of judges as we have now.

Frank Morgan put a tile drain from his cellar.  He also built a road drag he isn’t afraid to hitch onto once in a while.

George Sprinkle bought another farm on which Charlie is now living.  He also purchased a new tractor with most all modern attachments.  George built a dandy brooder house.

Earl Decker bought more land adjoining him.  He also put in a basement drain and repainted his house.

Pierce Long decided he needed a wife, so turned in his armor and got married.

Wilbur Long repainted his house.

Mrs. Lena Heathman bought thirty acres of land, moved a house on it and built a new barn, besides doing quite a bit of fencing.

John Chinn built a new garage.

Chester Sanders re-roofed his house and barn and painted the house.  Also set a mile or so of new fencing.  Then he did what we all ought to do sooner of later—got married.

Gene Guthrie sold a young untrained saddle mare for $250.

Smith Key sold a two-year-old saddle more for $300.

George Dye built a convenient sheep shed, besides an addition of one room to his house.

Charles Fisher bough 240 acres of land and has repaired the greatest portion of the fencing.

Glenn Kesner bought the J.T. King house in Granville and made some major changes in the looks and value of the place.

The Granville Community Association was organized and the slogan “We work together for all that is good” was adopted.  They hold a meeting once a month and besides their regular business programs for the betterment of the community, they have put on several home talent plays which have been very successful and remunerative as well as highly entertaining.

M.H. Heathman painted his house.  He also got several of the boys together and put twenty-two loads of gravel in a mud hole in Granville, so that means one mud hole that won’t bother any more.

Roger Champman built a new barn on the Rash place where he is living.

Lindon Dawson built a new garage and brooder house but unfortunately the brooder house burned down.  Will have to put in a few words for Mr. and Mrs. Dawson as I usually feed and water my team there when the roads are bad and they won’t allow anybody to eat at the barn.  I guess you know what I mean.

I want to say something about the cooks out on route one.  There are but very few places that I haven’t had a chance to try their cooking, but don’t think I am going to be foolish enough to try and figure the best.  I’ll just say that I have eaten meals all over the U.S.A., Walla Walla and other places, but none better than I have found out there.  Some folks might say it was because I was hungry and hadn’t had anything to eat, and so on, but when a little fellow like me can eat three good sized dinners on one trip, they’ve gotta be good.

Noah Sebastian bought a chicken house, moved it to his home place and painted it.

Frank Milner rebuilt quite a bit of fence.  He also built a large pond for stock water.

Charley Curry bough the improvements and thirty acres from Herbert Wood, then proceeded to repair in a way that made them good as new.  He repainted the house inside and out and put on a new roof.  Repainted the barn and will re-roof it this fall, besides building some new fence.

Herbert Wood built a new house, barn, chicken house and other new buildings on his unimproved land, painted the house and will paint the barns and outbuildings this fall.

Emmett Wood treated his house, chicken house, garage and brooder houses to a couple of coats of paint this spring.

James L. Sanders bought 320 acres more land and says he got in a pretty decent crop this season by putting in one minute and a half when he only had one minutes to do it in.

Ed Barrow shingled part of his house.

Jeff Riley graded a road to his house which sets back off the road.

John Hall built a turkey house and also new board fence along the road enclosing his front lot and improving the looks of his place.

Fred Thompson built an addition to their barn.

Clarence Peters painted his house and built a new granary.

Joe Rogers had some new fencing put along the road in front of his farm where Leon Martin lives.  He also re-roofed the chicken house.

Boyd & Dawson, besides building new fences, re-roofed part of their house and did some plastering.  Whitewashed all the board fences and gates, besides other improvements.

When I get around this far I am ready to stay in high until I pull up at the post office to check in.  I do want to mention that Tom Moore has a 20 acre meadow along the road that netted him thirteen stacks of hay this year, and the way he has them lined up reminds me of inspection day in the army.  They look like they would pass too.

There are a good many patrons that I have not mentioned that I would like to, but I just wanted to sum up some of the improvements that have taken place that I remember readily, and like anyone else, I probably have left out some of them that I have forgotten and overlooked.  It may be different in other sections of the country but I can’t see how things are going back in the section I cover.  Of course there are some that probably have not made any money but there are plenty of men in business who have not.  Another thing that I feel good about is the attitude that most of the men I have talked with took in regards to this backward season.  I have heard less complaint this season that any since 1920.  We have all weathered the slump, depression period or whatever you want to call it, and are stronger for it.  Wet weather is bad but a drought is much worse.

If you think I have just entirely neglected to look at the bad conditions, just show me some of them on route one.