Eldred, July 1942

by Louise Smith Posted on July 27, 2012
Aida and Lon’s houses in the background. Photo courtesy of Mary A.

Here is an excerpt from the diary my great-aunt Aida Austin wrote in 1942, the year she turned 81. Aida and her brother Lon lived next door to each other on the old Austin homestead. The houses faced Proctor Road. Collins Road was the next side street. The three young folks are unknown.

Wednesday, July 1 Warm and showery all day.

Thursday, July 2 Edith Timmerhof sent me some papers this afternoon by two children. I didn’t know them.

Saturday, July 4 Mr. Briggs and his boy were up this morning and picked a mess of sweet peas.

Monday, July 6 I was to the PO and to the A&P this morning. We had a very hard shower this afternoon and strong wind.

Tuesday, July 7 I was just getting up this morning when Mr. Frint stopped by the lane and left some papers in the box.

Thursday, July 9 I was to the village this morning for bread.

Monday, July 13 I went to the PO in time to send a letter to Arthur [my dad, in the Army] in this morning’s mail.

Tuesday, July 14 I was to the A&P this morning. Met Mrs. Winter and walked with her as far as the McGee bungalo and came up across the fields. We met Mr. and Mrs. Geisler (the owners) and Mrs. Winter introduced me to Mrs. Geisler.

Wednesday, July 15 Mr. Briggs was up for some raspberries. I gave him Arthur’s address. It has been pleasant all day and I did some washing this morning. Continue reading →

Posted in Aida Austin Diary, Do you know who I am | 2 Comments

Homestead Cottage, 1906

by Louise Smith Posted on July 25, 2012
Jennie Austin getting water at the well. Photo courtesy of Mary A.
At the Austin’s Homestead Cottage in 1906. Photo courtesy of Mary A.
Ladies sitting on porch of Homestead Cottage. Photo courtesy of Mary A.

As you might imagine, running a
boarding house was a considerable
amount of hard work, including
in 1906, getting water from the well.

Just like many other boarding house
owners, Mort Austin also farmed.

In 1906 Mort and Jennie Austin’s
3 sons: McKinley, 7, Raymond, 6,
and Willie (Bill), 3.

Their grandfather Henry Austin still
lived with them.

Posted in Boarding Houses, Echo Hill and Mountain Grove | Comments Off on Homestead Cottage, 1906

Homestead Cottage

by Louise Smith Posted on July 20, 2012
The Collins home became Homestead Cottage. Photo courtesy of Mary A.
Another view of Collins/Homestead Cottage. Photo courtesy of Mary A.

Mort and Jennie Austin bought the Collins’ place on 9 acres of land for $300 from Emma Kelso Collins, wife of Tom K. Collins, in April 1905. The former Collins’ home (which was on Collins Road) became Mort and Jennie’s boarding house, Homestead Cottage.

Homestead Cottage could accommodate 15 guests. It was a ten minute walk to Highland Lake. The Shohola Railway Station, where Mort met the guests, was 6 miles away. It was a mile to the Eldred Post Office.

Posted in Boarding Houses, Echo Hill and Mountain Grove | 1 Comment

1930s “Car Ride”

by Louise Smith Posted on July 18, 2012
Eldred men, photo courtesy of Mary A.

This is a fun photo in my mom’s collection. I think this was taken at Coney Island in maybe the 1930s.

In back row: Bud Smith, Bill Warden at the wheel, Charles Geissler, Ian Warden?, Art Austin; front left: Royden Toaspern, Bub Toaspern. 

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The Junior Class of 1942

by Louise Smith Posted on July 14, 2012
1942 Junior Class: L. Kean, Rita Mattingly, B. Koch, M. Lass, Kate Strenglein, Mary Briggs, Ken McBride, E. Hulse, Tuthill, M. Tuthill. Row 2: C. Williams, R. Wolff, W. Boyd, C. Timmerhof, R. Edwards, J. Smith, C. Tiffany, W. Blauvelt, H. Haas.

There are more students in the photo than are identified in the yearbook.

Posted in Eldred Yearbooks | Comments Off on The Junior Class of 1942

Eldred School in 1937

by Louise Smith Posted on July 10, 2012
Back of what was once Orchard Terrace with an addition. It was the school in Eldred in 1937. 1937 yearbook.

What was once Abel Myers Orchard Terrace boarding house, became the school in Eldred in 1925.

From 1925 to 1926 there were 116 students, 5 faculty. Two years of high school and two high school classes were available. The old school was remodeled.

In the 1926 school year, improvements were made and English 3 was added.

1926 seems to be the year my dad started high school. He was able to attend High School in Eldred and graduated in 1930. Being the only student, Dad was valedictorian, but he would sometimes say he graduated at the bottom of his class.

In 1931 the old school was remodeled to make a gym. Sunshine Hall was purchased in 1934 and became an auditorium. The old Orchard Terrace house was still the school in 1937.

Posted in Eldred Yearbooks | 1 Comment

1943 Eldred Band

by Louise Smith Posted on June 29, 2012
1943 Eldred Central Band. W. Rave, A. Rave, R. Edwards, V. Markle, A. Kuen, H. Rave, B. Wells, O. Worzel, M. Briggs, C. Myers. Row 2: Miss McKeon, H. Haas, R. Kalin, N. Ott, W. Lass, C. Kinne, R. Haas, J. Briggs. Row 3: G. Knight, H. Hensel, N. Wells, K. McBride, R. MacKechnie, H. Bartle.

I am making great strides towards getting all the pieces (photos and information) organized for Book 3. Above is the band photo from the 1943 Eldred School Yearbook, one of the many new photos I have recently scanned.

In the process of organizing 4 diaries, photos and info from 20-plus school yearbooks, 5 years of emails laden with info tidbits, numerous obits, a new array of letters, recently sent info/photos (all to be incorporated with the original “rest of the book”), I came across a May 2009 email which indicated I was pondering the possibility of breaking the manuscript into more than one book.

Deciding to make 3 books out of the (then) 650 pages has been quite the adventure. It has included meeting many new friends and relatives whose input has been so essential to writing the history of our ancestors who lived in the vicinity of the Town of Highland, not far from Halfway Brook.

And now, three years later, I “know” who so many of the people were who were written about in the letters and diaries from 1920 to 1950—and in some cases even have photos.

Posted in Then or now | Comments Off on 1943 Eldred Band