“Growing up in Clinton and Oakton.” More random thoughts.

    We kids used to hang out by the big pot belly stove at Bill Berry Store and play checkers on a wooden checkerboard that one of the customers provided.  Now checkers is a serious game and the opponents keep a close eye on one another for any cheating.  The board was well worn from use.  When the adults started showing up we had to give up the board to them.  Believe me, they took it a lot more serious than we did.  There was always a new challenger to the winner of the current game.

   In Clinton we did not play checkers but pitching washers, pennies and nickels were popular.  We could not afford to pitch dimes.  We also pitched horse shoes provided by Mr. Ned Benedict. 

   Clamp on roller skates were a staple and if we lost or ruined a skate the other one was used to make a homemade scooter.  We would separate them at the sizing bolt and nail them to a board and make a handle to hold on to.  Funny how creative kids can be when they do not have money to buy toys but even when we did have the toys we were creative.  Kind of like the little child at Christmas.  Opens the package and lays the toy aside and plays with the box and wrapping all day.

    We skated anywhere we found concrete but the town wide favorite was John B. Evans store front.  It was long and wide.  The store had several really big windows but luckily no one ever went through one of them.  The best part was the roof to protect us from rain.  We did not skate there when the store was open but kept it busy when he was closed.

   I used to love to hang out at Mr. Earl Bradberry’s shop.  I think he may have spelled his name Irl.  I loved watching him using a magnifying loupe to replace or repair the works in a tiny watch.  He had such a steady delicate touch.  Not many knew that his wife, Mary, was also a licensed watchmaker and helped him at times.

   He had a big old coal stove in the shop and the coal was in the rear.  In the room behind the shop he had a bin for coal.  He had fabricated an auger with electric motor to auger coal into the stove.  The motor was hooked to a timer set to come on periodically at night and deliver just enough coal to keep the fire alive and the shop warm.  That way he did not have to wait for it to heat up before he could do delicate work.  I believe that this was way before anyone had evenheard of a furnace auger.

   The story goes that one day he and Mr. King Davis, attorney, one time mayor and ham radio operator from Hickman built a big spark gap ham transmitter.  King, call sign W4GZ was another of my mentors.  The story continues that they strung an antenna wire from the fixit shop to the cupola atop the court house. I don’t remember how they generated the monster spark but supposedly it could be seen running up and down the wire.  It was said that all the pigeons roosting around the court house flew in a panic.

   Mr. Bradberry was always doing welding or other repairs for my friends and me.  The fee for us was about a nickel or about a dime.  If he did a similar repair for an adult it was about a dollar or about five dollars.

  We had a safe that came from the old Oakton Bank in my dad’s office and one day it would not open.  Ashland sent two safe experts from Indiana to open it.  When they saw it they said that they doubted they could open it.  He asked them about cutting it and they said it would just burn the torch tips.  They tried and tried but could not get it open.  The next day Mr. Bradberry came by and asked if he might help.  Dad explained our predicament to him.  He took out a stethoscope and listened.  “Got a big sledge hammer” he said.   I got it for him and he hauled off and slammed the front as hard as he could three times.  He then took out his stethoscope and listened to it.  Pete he said, when that last clock runs down it will open.  It had a combination and three clocks and one clock had stopped.  To open you had to enter the combination after ALL three clocks run down.

   We had a Burrows adding machine at the station where Dr. Canty`s office is now and it quit working.  The Burrows repair service could not fix it and once again he heard of our predicament and came by and got it.  Next day it was back and working fine.  He told my dad he had to make a cog to replace one that was worn out.  “I had to use a softer metal so I will have to redo it when it wears.” He said.   That part never did wear out.  I am convinced that if it could not be fixed he could fix it.

   He stopped me one day and told me a story about something that happened that he thought I should hear.  It seems that my brother Tommie and Pat Green were selling raffle tickets or something and went into his shop to sell him a chance.  He was not there and they left just as he came out of a business up the street.  When he got to the shop some watches he had been working on were gone.  Having seen the two boys leave he called Judge Eli Padgett.  Back then there was county and city court held.  He told the judge what had happened, telling him that he saw the Templeton boy and another leave just before he returned.  He said that Judge Padgett, not knowing that I had a brother, told him,  “I can tell you right now Robert Templeton did not take your watches.”  I don`t remember ever receiving a higher compliment.  Later in the week the police picked up a drunk who still had the watches on him.  After questioning he admitted to taking them.

   One friend who influenced me growing up was Jack Creason.  He was a close friend of my family and I thought he and John Wayne had the most perfect posture.  I admired both and they both stood straight, chin up, chest out and proud.  I was a slouch and tried to mimic both. I did improve my posture a lot.  I found out years later that both had bad backs and had no choice but to stand that way.  That was why Wayne was turned down by the military when world war two broke out.  He made up for it with patriotic movies though.

“Growing up in Clinton and Oakton” again

A good friend just reminded me of how, Johnny Walker, Bobby Vaughn and I along with others sometimes, would climb isolated trees to catch young squirrels.  It would not work with older ones who had perfected their jump.  One or two of us would wear leather gloves and stay still, low in the tree, and the other two or three would climb higher.  If the squirrel did not go to the top we could get above him and he would run down the tree to hopefully be caught.  If it was a little big the gloves were not full protection as they are designed to cut pecans and even hickory nuts.  It is funny how after you hold one softly for a little while, petting and talking softly, they usually get quite tame.  Most snakes will do the same thing.

   Several of us worked at the Strand Theater for Rodolph and Becky Bryan.  At one time Harold “Moe” Stephens and Johnny Walker were the projectionists and I was a substitute.  We would really catch it if the film broke or burned into and the film was halted for a couple of minutes.  If it broke or burned into we had to cut it back and after the reel run we would have to splice it while the next reel was running.  Sometimes other theaters would forward it without splicing, as they were required, and we would check it before hand if we had time.  If it was a difficult repair people would scream and stomp their feet until it was returned.  The projectors used two carbon electrodes to make the bright light.  I have camped at Columbus and been outside when a tow boat carbon spotlight would sweep the campground and I could feel the heat from it that far away so you can imagine how hot it was.  Moe Stephens was probably their best projectionist.

   As I think back probably the thing that had the most effect on me was family.  The door was usually not locked at all and if they were it was not locked until the last family member got home.  This was usually me. 

   We ate three home cooked meals a day, consisting of  the things I loved like, juicy bread pudding (with biscuits), potato cakes, hominy, turnip greens, poke salad, squirrel, scratch pancakes with hot syrup, fresh hot scratch made biscuit with hot black strap molasses and butter, all kinds of pies and cakes.  The list could go on and on.  These may not be gourmet at the fanciest restaurants but as far as the taste it was better.

    A trip to my grandmothers, near Bardwell, meant adventure in her kitchen, first thing, where she had a monster wood burning cook stove with hot water compartment and who knows how many warm storage compartments.  It had two ovens and the warming compartments ran all across the overhead and all way down the left side.  It was always treasure found.  I went to the pies and cakes first.  Usually finding some homemade fried pies with fruit she dried on a stretched screen in the back yard.  While drying she had some kind on netting over it to keep out flies.  After that I was off to the barn or the fields.  There were a few kids on her road to explore the fields, Mayfield creek and Polivick Slough. That is where I met, my friend, to this day, Jimmy Lemons.

   After dinner at home we would all move to the living room for there was no den.  We would all gather around the Motorola or RCA radio and listen to such as, Gildersleeve, Inner Sanctum with it`s hallmark squeaking door, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, The Shadow and Amos and Andy.  While the shows would be playing we would discuss what had happened or what might happen next as if it were real. 

   Now with AC in home and car I complain of heat but then I often woke in a sweat.  There were no fans for a while and we thought what a wonder when we got them to circulate hot air.  When they came out with window fans I thought I had died and gone to heaven but that did not last too long and I was hot again.  I spent many hot nights sleeping on the front porch to be a little cooler.  Funny that being no more than five or six I was perfectly safe there or camping in the back yard with neighborhood friends.

   When we were about twelve we would load our bicycles with a blanket roll, utensils and a little food and head to the railroad trestle at Moscow, Carnival Pond or the Grinnell Hole for a campout.  There was a nice deep hole underneath the Moscow railroad bridge and a timber sticking out to dive from.  There was a nice grassy area there to set up camp.  If we got a bit hot we took a cool dip.  Fishing was always on the menu.  We would usually clean a fish and cover it with mud and place it in hot coals then build fire over that and when it burned down we break open the hard dirt ball and the meat would be much more white and tastier than frying.  My cooking was limited to that, skillet bacon, spit cooking and PB n J.

  One Saturday when watching the checker game at Bill Berry`s store the conversation drifted to watermelons and people stealing them.  One old dude, who shall remain nameless, meaning I forgot it, bragged that no one ever managed to find, let alone steal one of his melons.  It just happened that one of our number worked for him some and knew where they were and was friendly with the man`s big, blackish, German Shepherd, known to have a bad attitude.  That night we let the part time employee out at the drive and we went down the road to near the patch.  While he entertained the dog we helped ourselves.   We also took three extra melons. 

   When we were back to the fence where we had parked the car we handed them across the fence to be placed in the trunk.  I was last to cross the fence and as I crossed my leg over the top barbwire I heard a yell from the front door of the house.  This startled me and I managed to rip my pants on the barbs.  Now this was the pair of paints I was to wear to church at Oakton Baptist the next morning.  I wore jeans to church instead.  Back then jeans were not standard church fare.  I never could explain to my mom how I ripped them open. 

   We left the three big melons on the porch at the store and placed them end to end The old fellow really caught it from the other checker players for a while about his bad dog and the melons.    

And another and still "Growing up Clinton and Oakton"

I used to love chatting with Virginia Jewell and Lucille Owens as they both had a wealth of county history.  It was fascinating how much of the history of Hickman County they knew.  I wish I could recall more of it or better had written notes.  They were both wonderful ladies It would have been great if they had collaborated on a compilation of what they knew that is not recorded.  Virginia was very knowledgeable of our area`s prehistory as well as historic.  Lucille was a good county historian and was most knowledgeable on Oakton and Columbus Belmont Park history.  Both wonderful personalities.

There is a continuous run of prehistoric occupations from above Spicer Bridge to west of Oakton where the Tony Ray place is.  I have always heard that Oakton was established next to a historic Indian village that was populated at the time Oakton was settled.  I have never seen verification of this though. That would have been what we know as the Tony Ray place.  I don`t know of any place that has more evidence of long time prehistoric occupation than Hickman County as the water table was much higher than it is now and waterways were their highway`s.

  School at Central High School was always interesting to say the least.  I remember Ronnie Beck and I shared a locker all way through high school and we both just used whatever we wanted or needed without keeping up with it.  One day Ronnie brought in a batch of his mom Lois Beck`s chocolate fudge candy and she knew how to make it.  After lunch we went to our locker to get a piece of fudge for desert and it was gone.  One of our friends knew our combination and ate it all in one setting.  Ronnie waited a few days and brought in a new batch that he had slipped a whole stick of exlax laxative.  The next day our friend would raise his hand at least two times each class and ask to go to the bathroom urgently.  He hit the door running when approved.  It was a wonder it did not hurt him.  Now I would not use Toby`s name.  Funny how from then on our candy and cigarettes never again disappeared from our locker.

  I don’t remember the exact year but it must have been about 1948 that a freight train derailed north of Oakton I don`t think the engine derailed but several freight cars did.  I think it was about where number one slough was located.  One of the boxcars was loaded with candy and pure linseed oil in five gallon containers which all ruptured pouring linseed oil over a lot of the candy.  Naturally we helped ourselves as no one there from GM&O RR objected and they were all over the place.  We were able to eat maybe two out of five bars and the other three would be soaked through the paper wrapping ruining the candy.

    Back to Clinton and school I cannot forget Mr. Jim Phillips (Hammer) to some but not me I hated that name. Every Wednesday he had Rotary Club at the same time as our PE class.  On one occasion instead of playing ball we decided to all play tag.  Toby Brady was “it” and was after Ronnie Beck to tag him.  Ronnie climbed on top of the stage piano to get away and Toby was on the piano keys after him.  That was when Mr. Phillips walked in.  He had them go to the office with him and gave them the stare and let them go to class.  I remember early in the morning right after he shaved he had a five o`clock beard and he would cross his arms and just look and you knew you better shape up.

     The time Jack Jackson, Ronnie Beck, Toby Brady and I and I believe Skip Muscovalley, all jumped out of Mrs. Martha Woodrow`s windows so we would not have to wait our classes turn to go to lunch.  We would go to Brummal`s or more likely Pop Johnson`s pool room to eat.  We had done this several times and were good at it.  Well we were until that day and when we hit the grass and turned to go to town he was standing there, waiting, with his five o`clock shadow.  We were grounded at lunch for six weeks but then we got away with it for a week before he caught us again.

  I would have never finished my senior year if not for him and Jimmy Aquisto, of Berlin and son, Clinton Coat Factory.  I quit half way through the senior year and went to work at Berlin coat factory.  I had missed six weeks of school and the two of them talked at Rotary and decided that they had to convince me to return and Mr. Phillips assured me and Mr. Aquisto that I could make up what I had missed over the last semester.  I got to thank Mr. Phillips but I always regret that I did not get to thank Mr. Aquisto.  I am so glad that I had the opportunity to tell Mr. Phillips when he was enrolled it the Athletic Hall of Fame, that I thought he should have been enrolled in a Academic Hall as well, for he was Principal Teacher, Coach, PE teacher and guidance councilor as well.

   Mr. Phillips and I had a duck blind together after I was grown and he was still Mr. Phillips and sometimes Jim but I never called him “Hammer.”  He along with Joe Weatherford and I fished a lot together when Joe and I were in high school and he was a master at being your friend out of school and your superior during school.  Knowing how many mischievous ones of us were in one class I asked him one day right after he retired and we were hunting, if he ever had a worse bunch to herd.  His reply was, “You all were no trouble for you were all mischievous.  I have seen kids with problems and believe it or not you all were a lot of fun.”

   The interesting thing is that with my daughters in school and me on the school board for a while, nothing has really changed.  I had some really outstanding teachers and they are still there today.  The names are different but the personalities and professional talent are the same.  Naturally the teachers now have to deal with more government interference and have to teach as history what I learned as current events.  I know that almost all are dedicated professionals with a couple of not so good ones but we had a couple of those too.  Just a note I am sure lucky my English and grammar teachers are not around to grade me now.

And still “Growing up Clinton and Oakton”

When I first started going to Oakton the road from Clinton to Oakton was graveled.  I remember the sharp curve about two miles from Clinton was not raised yet and the banks on both sides were high and steep.  Just around the curve there was a hill and the road would usually be full of holes making for a rough ride.  The graders then were not self propelled but had to be pulled by tractor or dozer so they did not get around too often.  I rode it on bicycle many times.  Had a few flats but kept a hand pump and extra tube as well as small tire tool to fix the flat.  As I could not carry a tire a roll of black friction tape was a must.  Needless to say tape around a tire and wheel did not last too many miles and made a bumpy ride bumpier.

 When we were old enough to have access to cars we were regulars at Columbus Belmont State Park.  Back then there were a lot of rough trails to keep us busy with BB gun fights and exploring the entrenchments in the undeveloped area at the north end.  There was once a look out without a roof on the point at that end of the park and it gave a great view up river.  There was a trail from near it angling down to the river below.  There were some big rocks there and we swam in the eddy.  Naturally we did not admit this to our parents.  I got caught though.  We were playing tag in the water and I was going to tag another boy when he pulled his belt knife and made a slash with it.  He had no intention of inflicting pain but I reflectively reached for his arm.  When he saw me reach he pulled back to keep me from being cut.  I grabbed the razor sharp blade and it sliced my first three fingers to the bone.  I grabbed a towel and closed my fist pulling a corner of the towel into my fist.  To keep from getting blood on the upholstery I rode the fender to Clinton.   Once in Clinton they cut the towel above my hand leaving the corner in place.  The fun part was when I had them pour alcohol and then iodine onto the piece of terry cloth.  I never let my parents know how bad it was and my guardian angel saw to it that everything healed perfectly.  I hate to think what would have happened if I opened my hand before healing.  There had to be muscle and tendon severed and it healed with no problems.  I consider this proof that God assigns each child a squad of guardian angels.  I know I got that many or one has sure worked overtime.  No pun intended.

  It must have been about nineteen fifty that Hickman County youth took a hard hit by Polio.  I had a fight with my friend and neighbor Frank Earl Turner and the next morning they hauled him off in an ambulance.  I just knew that I caused him to catch polio.  He was home before too long but across the street from us Donnie Wyatt was hit hard.  All the neighborhood boys would put a blanket on the strip between the sidewalk and the street in front of his house and spend most of the day there.  We would reach up as if to pull the chain on a truck air horn and the truckers would blow the air horn for us.  There were no C B radios then but the word got around that two of our group had polio and one could not walk at all.  Most of the regular truckers would even blow when we were not out there after the word spread up and down highway 51.  Day or night it made no difference to them or us.  I think that show of emotion, from the truly Knights of the road, was a lot of the inspiration for both to beat polio and lead normal lives.  Donnie and Frank Earl were an inspiration to the rest of us.

Donnie, Frank, Joe Lillard and I all had basketball goals even if we did not always have a ball.  Most of the kids in town joined us for some unusual basketball.  We had our own rules.  Our teams sometimes meant five starters on each team and sometimes more or less.  Like I said we were not hampered with rules.

Something I have not seen in years is marbles.  To us marbles was the game of the day every day.  We did not allow steelies as they broke the glass and agate marbles.  We drew a circle on a bare patch of ground and the object was to knock the opponents’ marbles out of the ring.  Sometimes we played keepers and if my marble was knocked from the ring my opponent got to keep it.  There were some really pretty marbles but the finest were the true agate ones.  Everyone used a slightly larger marble for the taw to shoot with if he had it.  It was not unusual to see one that was dull from so much use as often they would split into when hit or tiny chips would get knocked out of it.  At Oakton marbles were taken more serious and most games played were keepers’ games.  Jackie Groaning was probably the best I ever saw.  The real agate marbles were really a piece of art and highly desired.  They were ground and polished from the agate stone or more correctly chalcedony quartz which is very colorful and striated.

  On Saturdays in Clinton the downtown was always packed with a few cars and trucks and many more wagons, buggies and teams lining the streets.  The barber shops were all full but most of the men were not there for haircut and shave but to trade knives.  Many times I would see a barber and his customer leave the chair with the job half done so they could watch a trade.  The same thing went on to a lesser extent at the benches lining both sides of the sidewalk to the north entrance of the court house.  There would also be some at the benches on the court house corner near the traffic light.  All the kids carried knives and we traded as well.  Anyone who could truly put a good edge on a knife could easily trade up for not that many could bring a razor edge even if they had a good steel blade to work with.  Cheap steel does not sharpen well.

I used to wonder what happened to the old guys who were always sitting on the benches outside the courthouse and it finally dawned on me that we moved into the restaurants where it is more comfortable.