Keep the Heritage Alive!

Reginald Whittaker & Josephine Whittaker Samuels

Transcript of video tape walking tour of Normal, Illinois
The African-American community in the 1920's, 30's & 40's
Transcript of video tape walking tour of Normal, Illinois
Narrator: Reginald Whittaker
Interviewer: Jack Muirhead
Date: July 23, 1996
Topic: African American community of Normal, Illinois during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s
Notes:
(`96) Indicates street address in 1996.
(CD - year) Indicate the year of the Bloomington Normal City Directory that was used for
confirmation.
Reginald Whittaker aged seventy-one has lived his entire life at 303 East Willow, Normal. We
begin at Mr. Whittaker's house heading west along Willow Street.
Tape Begins:
RW Since last summer everything has become more of a blur. I could halfway see the sidewalk back then. I'll probably push you off the sidewalk if you try to walk beside me.
JM You can't see where the grass meets the sidewalk?
RW No, not anymore. When I lead off with my right foot I'm supposed to-that's where you get the tapping from. But since I'm just trying to feel the edge of the sidewalk, I use my own system.
(`96 - 110 N. Linden)
JM This would be the corner of Willow and Linden.
RW This used to be the property of John and Clora Walton who you looked up some information on for me. This property belonged to John and Clora Walton and naturally this isn't the original house, but the man who bought the property tore the house down and salvaged all of the timbers and framed this house up that is here now. His name was Snodgrass and of course the lot to the south was an empty lot at the time which also belonged to the Walton's. They owned this corner. They also owned property on Cherry Street-400 block Cherry.
(`96 - 111 E. Willow)
RW Professor Muhl (CD `35 -115 E. Willow) over at Wesleyan. This was his home here on this corner. Beautiful corner. They've ruined it now. The house set back from the corner. They had beautiful trees and had a circular drive that went out on Linden and a wrap-around porch. Oh, it was a gorgeous place. And beautiful fireplaces, they tell me, inside. It's gone. Makes you sick.
(`96 - Baby Fold)
RW And across the street on this corner-the man who was president of Citizens Savings and Loans, Odell (CD `35 - 501 N. Linden) lived over there. They moved that house up there by the railroad on this side of the street, but its gone too. (when we went up the street we found it was still there).
(`96 - 107 E. Willow)
RW A big two-story house set here. On the east side of it was a lawn and on the west side was a pasture. They had a cow in there. And in behind it back to Locust Street was pasture that belonged to these people. And this man-his name was Newhouser, was once major of Normal and that goes back before my time. The Baby Fold bought that. On that side of Linden Street there was only four houses. That's all there would be-four lots to a block.
(`96 - 101 E. Willow)
RW And the trucks from ISSCS School and ISNU would come here and load them and would haul it over to those two institutions. That's when they heated with stokers. And people around the neighborhood back there in the thirties who-the trucks would run over, and they didn't bother to pick that stuff off the ground or throw it in the truck or nothing so the people in the neighborhood who were having problems financially would come up with little carts and what have you and rake it up and take it home. And I think the drivers would do it on purpose so they could get that, have that coal. I know my father filled our coal bin one summer because he was out of work with that. Those kind of things people had to do back then. There was a way. If you had the will there was a way. Nowadays if we had to return to those kind of days I don't think this generation could stand it.
JM [We] don't have the will to do it.
RW No. There won't be these types of things to do. No more coal. No more chickens in the back yard. No wells. Nothing like that anymore in communities like this.
JM Right at the moment we are standing just to the west of the Baby Fold.
RW That's where... I think we're standing on the siding that they'd run those coal cars in. And then they had a pit dug here, and they'd open the bottom and the coal would run down in there and one of those conveyors would bring it up into the trucks.Both institutions had their own trucks-ISU and Illinois Soldiers and Sailors School.
(`96 - Cypress Street at the railroad crossing)
RW We're at Cypress east of Fell. Well, my mother and her two sisters came up to see the Duffs. My father stayed home. And two of the Duff brothers were still at home-Walker and George. My mother and my two aunts decided it was time to go home. So they walked down to here to the railroad, and they were going to walk along the railroad to Willow Street-a shortcut. They made the turn and started down the rails here. And over in the ditch in the weeds there was a tramp-we had tramps in those days-laying there asleep. And my aunt from Virginia, Aunt Lena, she let out a scream. She was tall, and she left them. She went screaming home down to our house. Well, the Duffs-it was summertime you know, and they were out on the porch. They heard that and so here come the two boys running up. My mother and my Aunt Anna, I guess, had started back down the street to the house, the Duff house. My Aunt Lena went on home and got my father, and I think my brother John was there. They came a running, and the Duff brothers came up here. And of course the tramp was gone then. It woke him up, and he went on up the road or down I don't know which. Of course, my Aunt Lena was that way anyway. She could let out one of those screeching screams or something. What is it you call that type of person who gets excited quick? Of course, my mother and Aunt Anna didn't pay any attention. They would have just kept walking. They figured what it was. But she looked down and saw that and ran off and left them here. Every time they'd get together they'd tell that story and go to laughing.
(`96 - 103 W. Poplar)
RW A house set in there. Down a little bit. Is there a for sale sign? There are a couple of lots for sale. There was that house and the next one is a big house. It's been remodeled. There were only four houses here.
(`96 - 100 W. Poplar)
RW There was one house over here. And all the rest of that down to where the creek came across was pasture. And behind this house there was one house on Sycamore and nothing else down to Fell. All the rest of that was pasture. There were big trees. Some of them, I guess, are still there. It was kind of like being out in the country. These are all after World War II, these new houses.
JM You see an area like this and you wonder if there was something there before that they tore down.
RW No. It was all pasture. This was still pasture when Alverta Duff died in [19]67. They must have built these in the seventies. A couple of them they moved in here off of Linden Street when the Baby Fold bought them-down there farther. I know one, maybe two down there farther. We're on West Poplar at the railroad divide.
(`96 - 107 W. Poplar)
RW This is their drive-Duff's drive, isn't it?
JM Was there a drive on the east side?
RW East side. Where the coal-well, right over to the right was one of those big maple trees. They had to cut it down when I had charge of it. Wind hit it and blew part of it over into the yard. So this is the Peter Duff house. 107 West Poplar (CD `35 107 N. Poplar, Alverta and Julia Duff).
JM Do you remember when any additions were made?
RW On the back was an L-shaped empty space back there, and I said if I had this I'd tie onto it up there at the front of the house and come back and then across to the kitchen. And darn, if this guy Norris when he bought it-it must have been mental telepathy because that's what he did. This room that sticks out on the east side was Peter and Fanny's bedroom and Alverta's bedroom. And then there was another bedroom and next to it was what you call a parlor where that bigger window is.
JM I think they replaced that window.
RW Did they replace it? It wasn't a picture window. It was just a biggerwindow. And then the living room was where you go in the front door off the porch.And behind the living room is the dining room and behind that was the kitchen where you had the little cutout where you could push food through to the dining room.And they must have bought this back in what-1880 something when you and I were looking through those records.
JM Peter Duff built it?
RW I think, built most it. I don't think he built it all . I think he bought it and then put additions on it. There used to be a barn in the back because he evidently had a horse.
JM And just to the west of that?
RW That used to be an empty lot. That's what I had and sold. (some unrelated conversation)
(`96 - Northeast corner of Poplar and Fell)
RW .anyway the older house was moved from Linden Street. I was thinking there were two of them. Maybe there's just the one, but the one on the corner the man built that from the ground up because that was just an empty lot.
(`96 - 608 N. Fell)
RW ... in about the 1920s [a man] by the name of Patterson (CD `22 - 608 N. Fell, Minnie Patterson, widow of George Sr.). Ralph is still living as far I know down in Missouri. His brother George Patterson worked on the railroad as a porter. And there was another brother-he had a different name, but anyway as young boys they lived there in that house. Ralph still talks about it when he comes to town. Ralph used to do a lot of tap dancing and what have you out at Miller Park. They lived in that little house. I don't think they owned the house. They just rented it.
(`96 - 205-207 W. Gregory)
RW The Williams-John Williams's property (CD `35 - 809 N. Fell) set up there by that street. Summit is the name of it, I think. Then it was just an alley, but they've made a regular street out of it now. On the other side of that alley, as I referred to it, was a pasture again, but it is all built now. The John Williams property set not right up on it. I'd say a lot away from it. And it ran all the way back probably at least 200 feet to the west. And they had a two-story house that set up on a knoll. And I think it extended to the south about another couple of lots. I don't know what that would be in acreage - a half-acre or an acre or what, but that's where they lived for years. Caroline was his wife's name. They were Crawfords. She was a Crawford-an old family here in the Twin-Cities. And that was about all of the African-Americans that lived. They were the only ones who lived up here. On farther north were wealthy... The Eatons and people like that who had farms up on Lincoln Street, and college professors over on School and Normal Avenue and all such as that.
JM John Williams had a really large lot. Did he pasture it?
RW No. He sold it. He was a cook. He worked for one of the Mecherle boys and cooked for them. You know how cooks are. They move around. He worked down in Normal for the American Legion Post and the Carl Davis Post in Normal He worked down there cooking for them. I don't know where all he did work. Dr. Stevenson when he was living-McLean Stevenson's father-he worked for him. Just a number of people he worked for. Boy Scouts camps in the summer time. Like I said cooks move around.
JM Was that her family home?
RW That I don't know.
(`96 - 606 N. Fell)
RW This was George Rowley's sister, and her name was Maude Rowley and her mother (CD `35 - 606 N. Fell, Mrs. Julia Rowley) lived there. The last I heard Maude was still living in Chicago. I don't know about now. That's been five or six years ago-within the last ten years I heard that. He had an undertaking establishment in Bloomington. George did. It was on Gridley (CD `31 - 406 S. Gridley, George E. and Ida). If we're ever over that way I can show it to you. Nice little house. But business-there wasn't enough business. So he evidently went to Chicago and went to work for some bigger firm up there. He's been dead a long time.
(`96 - 604 N. Fell)
RW There's another little house setting next to the Rowley's that sold candy, and pop, and little things like that for school children. We used to come up here and spend our pennies. You could buy penny candy then.
JM Do you remember where you entered the little candy shop?
RW It would be to the right of one of the doors. It was to the south of the main part of the house.
JM There's a little addition.
RW I'm sure that was it if I remember correctly.
JM Where were you going to school?
RW Normal Central School.
(`96 - 116 W. Cypress) (CD `35 - same)
RW Virgil Dean and his first wife owned it. Kathryn Dean's husband. This is the house of Virgil Dean and his first wife. I can't think of her name right now-Roberta was Virgil's first wife's name. They belonged to the Third Christian Church in Bloomington on Western Avenue. I think Virgil was a Bloomingtonian. He and his wife Roberta owned this house right here. They worked at Ewing Castle and I think lived on the place. As much as I can remember, they always had somebody living in here keeping students for them. Lived in the house and then kept students. That's back when Black students had to live with Black families. Unless it was some [white] minister or somebody who wanted someone to work for them. And then they were given room and board for work. This was called the Dean House back in those days by the students. They kept girls.
(`96 - 117 W. Cypress)
RW Now while we're standing here, across the street here... That's not the same house. That house has been taken down and this one was built. Eli White, who was a policeman in Bloomington, and his family lived there (CD `31 - 115 W. Cypress) until they moved into Bloomington. Did you run across his name in any of your material?
JM I don't think so.
RW Didn't you? Well, Eli was quite a policeman. And he was a very fair skinned... He was a half brother to Frank Bright-the Bright family that lived in Bloomington. He had a daughter and son by his wife Leona. After they separated years later, she lived out here in this house and took care of students in the Dean House. From the property line of this house, I would say two lots east, Wash Thomas-that would be behind his house on Willow-he owned those lots. He had garden back there. Of course, there are houses there now. Then, east of those two lots all the way up to the railroad was pasture.
(`96 - 117 W. Cypress)
RW We're looking at the house of Eli White who was a Bloomington policeman. He did some chauffeuring, also. He worked for W. H. Roland and Mrs. Roland who owned the Roland Department Store in Bloomington. He had taken her to Florida. He ran over the white line just a little bit, and the policeman called him out of his name. Eli was hot-tempered, and he pretended like he didn't hear what he said. The policeman walked over and stuck his head in the window of the car. Eli locked his arm around his neck and slapped the devil out of him and drove off. Mrs. Roland had to send Eli back to Illinois that night. The next year my brother John was down there with Mrs. Stevenson, and they had taken him to be Eli. And he had a lot of explaining to do. But Eli was that way. He didn't take any stuff. They could send him down to the Third Ward Club to patrol around down there. He kept law and order. None of them would fool with him. He was the best shot on the police department. This would be back in the thirties. Back when I was between eight and ten.
(`96 - 118 W. Willow. (CD `35 - same)
RW This was George Thomas's brother's home, Everett Thomas, who worked with him as a blacksmith. Everett's daughter sold this to some contractor, and they built this student house here. We are standing on the driveway that was the wooden bridge from the street. Had one here and one at the house down there (points north on Fell). They had that big wide ditch here.
(`96 - 114 W. Willow). (CD `35 - same)
RW Washington Thomas's. They called him Wash. Everett's brother. This would be two lots. It went all the way through to Cypress Street. I think this establishment here must have been built somewheres in the eighties. And Everett's probably in the later part of the eighties when Loretta, his daughter, sold it. She lives in Gary, Indiana. She's still living. She sold it because she wasn't coming back to live anymore. On the lot line over there was the barn that Tripp [Willie Tripp] was talking about. Where the Cadillac was parked in there [and male college students sometimes roomed]. Beyond that was pasture again. There was one house between Wash's and the tracks. Set way back in the yard. I don't know who lived there. Now, there's a row of new houses along there.
(`96 - 113 W. Willow)
RW There used to be a house across the street. There was a Black family who lived in there. I can't recall the name right now.
(`96 - 111 W. Willow)
RW To the east of that was another one where John Caldwell (CD 109 W. Willow) lived for awhile. And we'll see his final residence later on. But all those houses are gone.
(`96 - southeast corner of Willow and Fell)
RW I would say that about along in here that ditch came under Willow Street. I think along here is where it came out. It ran on an angle back toward Locust. It ran right behind the church. And it ran at an angle, and then it turned and went under Locust. And it took off another angle over to Cherry. And this was garden space in here. I may not be up far enough, but I think I was.
(`96 - 407 N. Fell)
RW Okay. Over on the corner across the street of Willow and Fell, southwest corner, was a small house that belonged to the Simons. They rented that house to people who needed a place to live. (CD `35 - same. Fred Gaines, who was white)
(`96 - 407 N. Fell)
RW Next to it to the south was their home, the big house, a two-story house with a porch all around the front. They kept girls that I know of. They might have kept boys before my time. Two sisters lived there. Well, one lived there because the other one taught school-the one they call Katie. (CD `35 - 405 N. Fell) She taught school down South someplace. Her sister lived there. Her name was... I don't know her first name right now, but her married name was Moore. I don't know about their parents or anything. That would come before me. And they sold that corner for little or nothing. Whoever bought that got it practically for nothing. I guess there's one student apartment that goes all the length of the two lots. The lots run east and west. So there was room to put another right behind it on Willow Street. I guess there's one back there next to it to the west.
JM It's the same apartment complex.
RW Same size and everything. He bought two lots there and put them two crossways like that.
(`96 - 403 N. Fell) (CD `40 -same. Luther Anson).
RW Now that was the little building across the street was the Chat and Chew that Mrs. L. B. Anson opened up. I think they had part of that building moved from someplace and set it there for the Colored students to have some place to drink a milk shake, have a bottle of pop, a hamburger because every place else you had to take it outside in those days. Or they could sit down. They had-we called it a vendor-or jukebox. Put a nickel in, play a record. They had a little space to dance in there. Couple of booths. A little counter space. And that's the idea of the Chat and Chew-give them somewhere to go to hang out.
JM This was an area where there were a number of African American students who lived in homes.
RW The Simons there. The Thomases back there. The Dean House where we just left. They all kept students, and around the corner we'll see where the Headley house was. They kept students.
(`96 - 202 W. Locust) (CD `35 - same. Luther and Lutie Anson).
RW And Mr. Anson's house was around the corner on Locust. Not on the corner, but next to the corner.
(`96 - 200 W. Locust).
RW But he owned the corner house. I guess it's a student house now. Has it been torn down?
JM The older house on the corner is still there.
RW Okay. Have you got the camera on? Mr. Anson owned that house. He never lived in it. (CD `35 - same. J. Earl Gaines, who was white). He lived in the one to the west of it. Oscar Waddell's father and mother-and Oscar stayed there some himself. He was in service I think a lot-lived there and kept students, girls, in that house. Mr. Anson finally sold the house to one of the biggest junk dealers in the state of Illinois. Of course, he's dead. But he sold it to him. I figured it would be one of those student apartments now. They tore Mr. Anson's house down. It was a lovely house. They've got an apartment there now.
JM I don't know if it's student housing or not, but it's still standing.
RW When I use that term, I'm talking about these barrack-looking buildings.
(`96 - one lot south of Willow on the east side of Fell) (Bethel A.M.E. Church)
(CD `35 - 406 N. Fell))
RW ... the porch or steps or whatever that little front part, the vestibule, was right out here practically six inches off the sidewalk. According to what you say the Chat and Chew where I pointed and the Simon house would have been over there. I may be off a few feet.
JM Your grandfather taught Sunday School?
RW Yes. Remember the papers-those little books we found where he was keeping track of donations.
JM When did those run? In the early 1900s?
RW I don't remember. They're down there at the Historical Society. I don't remember if there were any dates on them.
(`96 - 302 N. Fell)
RW We're standing at Fell and Cherry. The northeast corner of Fell and Cherry. The original building that stood here was a Negro church. I don't know how far back, but it would have to go back into the 1800s somewhere. All I can remember that it was a house. They had cut the church in two and made a house out of it, and moved the other half to the north next door. I can't remember the proper name of the church, but it was told to me that it was a Baptist Church. But I don't think it was. [Jesse and Margaret Daniels bought the church in the early 1940s and converted it into a house]
JM What happened to the half that remained here?
RW About ten years ago it was set afire. It was empty. I think they were using it for some kind of a meeting place, and it caught fire someway. Mildred [Pratt] and Ann [Malone] tried to get the university to buy it for historical purposes. They didn't want to do that. To preserve it. The McLean County Historical Society didn't have the money either.
JM Where was your school?
RW ... School Street about two blocks away. A block up to Mulberry. And then up another half block. They made a little park out of it. (some unrelated conversation)
(`96 - 308 N. Fell)
RW A Black family lived there. John Williams' wife's people. They didn't own it. I think they were just renting, but they lived over for awhile.
(`96 - 115 W. Locust)
RW Next door to it would have been Luther Anson's nephew (CD `46 - 113 W. Locust. Theodore Anson) and his wife. They just rented. And they had to move, and they moved up the street to the third house up the street. They bought that, and then remodeled it. It was a two-story house. He lived there until he died. Ted died. And his wife sometime in the sixties or early seventies remarried, and she moved to Saint Louis. She's back here now, but the house is gone. She sold it. These people buying up all this property to build the barracks. But a lot of African Americans lived here-a number in this area, this block between Fell and the tracks.
(`96 - 116 W. Locust)
JM Once again who lived here in this small house?
RW It would be next door to this one. (the camera temporarily points to the wrong house). Alverta Duff's grandmother. Mrs. Duff's mother. What was her name? Walker I think it was. Green. Green. (CD `26 - 114 W. Locust. Anna and Fillmore Headley). There's a little four-unit apartment there, isn't there? By the ditch and next to it, which would be the third from the corner, that would be the Green's. Next to it, I guess about where we're standing. I don't know. That was a house, but they put one of those little units in it.
JM This is a big one.
RW Is it big? When we get up here. Read off some of these addresses.
JM The next one is 112. It's a four-unit building.
RW Is there a tree out front?
JM Not now.
RW I think that's where the Headley's (CD "35 - 110 W. Willow - Fillmore and Anna Headley) lived because I think between the Green house-there were two or three houses. What's that one?
JM This is 114. There's a big wide driveway.
(`96 - 110 W. Willow)
RW She was from Gary, Indiana. Didn't I show you her picture. Adamson, Drew Adamson. You'll get to see a picture of her. I don't think I've ever gotten over her.
JM And she lived with...?
RW She roomed here. Mrs. White was here keeping students. Mrs. Headley died back around 1937 or [193]8 of gangrene. She dropped a syrup bottle on her toe and didn't see about it properly, and it got away from her. They removed the toe and then the foot. They had to keep going. She didn't even get to come home. Died. So Mr. Headley stayed here. Well, he owned the place. He had Alverta down here for awhile. Then he got ahold of Mrs. White, and she did the housekeeping and tending to the girls until she moved to Champaign. She bought her a place in Champaign. He sold the place, and he went over to live with her. Something happened, and he came back here and died in a rented room over in Bloomington.
JM This house originally was a newly built house?
RW The one that was here. The house that they built is gone. They tore it out of here. I believe it was 110, too. If I remember the address. I may off a house or a lot or two. I recall those two little houses and another. There might have been another one. Would this be about three lots from the ditch?
JM I think so.
RW Okay. Then this must be it.
(`96 - 200 E. Cherry)
RW Cherry and Linden. And over on the northeast corner was where the Third Christian Church in Normal (CD `26 - Linden corner of Cherry. Second Christian Church), for the colored people in those days, set. And a new house was built there after World War II. The house that's there now. Probably in the late forties or early fifties. There's a picture of the church down at the Historical Society. We used to go there to the church in the mornings. And then down to Fell Avenue to the A.M.E. in the afternoons and evenings. Back in those days we used to have a streetcar that ran out here in the street. Linden Street.
JM Do you remember who any of your pastors were?
RW I think one of the pastor's names was Wells. You got a letter, I think, from Wyatt Wells-his father. He was one of the pastors for this church. The others I don't know. I was just a child.
(`96 - North side of E. Cherry, first two lots west of Oak))
RW It's nothing but an empty lot. The whole corner. The house caught fire. They tore it down. They still own the property. Least I haven't heard of it being sold. This was the Frank Dabney property (CD `35 - 206 E. Cherry).
JM We're not far from that pump house?
RW That was part of their property. They built it on their property. Paid them for it. I think the well went dry and reverted back to them , I think. I could be wrong. But this whole corner was theirs. He had a barbershop on Beaufort Street in Normal.
JM Did he ever cut any hair at home?
RW Just the boys, his sons. At one time he had two other barbers in there with him. He only cut white people's hair. No Blacks. He looked white himself-Frank.
(`96 - South side of 300 block of E. Cherry)
RW- And he was superintendent of the waterworks. And a house behind him on the opposite corner where the town hall is. All the rest of that was empty. Corn fields. They grew corn over there.
(`96 - 304 E. Cherry)
JM Is this 314?
RW No. This should be 304. Ours is 303. This is the Barton residence (CD `35 - same). Wilbur's the last one.
JM His parents were Cynthia and.?
RW - Right now I can't tell you his name. I know it. His grandfather was Milton Barton, and his father was Carey.
(`96 - 406 E. Cherry)
RW This was the home of Mrs. Clora Walton. (CD `32 - same) I have a picture of her. Her great granddaughter is still living?
JM Was that the Burkhart? Did you say she wasn't too well?
RW Name is Shirley now. I talked to her about a year ago. She has emphysema. I hope she hasn't passed. Is this a catalpa tree?
JM This is a sugar maple. It grows pretty fast.
RW Are we in front of the house?
JM We're just past the Walton house.
RW There used to be a catalpa tree. We called them Indian cigars in those days. That was her house. It hasn't been changed, other than siding put on it... There might have been an addition put on the back. Small addition. This is where I used to come.She always called my dad "Cousin"- Cousin Walter. Cousin Bud. Now, she came from Louisiana. If they were cousins I don't know. They could have been. They had several children. Had a son John Walton, after his dad who worked for the post office in Chicago. He had a son named Raymond. He's dead now I understand. He was so big. His dad bought Buicks, and they cut the steering wheel in half so he could get behind it and drive. So Raymond could. Looked like an airline steering wheel. Mrs. Walton had the son John, and she had some daughters. One was named Sophie. I can't remember the others.
[text omitted]
RW I used to stay here. My mother worked out at the school. Josephine would bring me here in the morning, leave me, and she'd go on to school-Normal Central. I was talking one day-said something about my brother. You know how old people are. Mrs. Walton was old. I hadn't started school yet. She died in [19]31 or [19]32 . I said something about Fay and John my brother. She said, "They're not your brother and sister."I said, "Yes, they are." So I questioned my mother about it. She said, "Yes. They're your brother and sister, but their father passed away. You have the same mother, but not the same father." That ended my staying there. She made arrangements for me to stay with Mrs. Caldwell. Her name wasn't Caldwell then. Lewis. Her name was Lewis because she hadn't married Mr. Caldwell yet. Because he lived down on Willow I told you. Right across from a house. But I still would come over here. But I never stayed here again all day. Then, when her great granddaughter was here, Josephine would come over. She'd come and stay the school months with her so there be somebody to stay with her in the house, I guess. We played together. She was a little older than me a couple or three years. But we played together. So that ended that. I know my mother had some words with her for that. My mother was one of those who didn't take anything. She didn't bother no body, but don't bother her.
(`96 - 410 E. Cherry)
RW Then Mrs. Lewis became Caldwell (CD `35 - 410 E. Cherry. John and Lutie Caldwell). She just loved children. She had one child and he died. And we used to go there. I did and another couple of girls, Geraldine, and Josephine-she was a little older than all of us. She would bake pies and cakes. She was one of the best cooks. She was just a sweetheart. She would bake birthday cakes for me up until I was around seventeen years old. And I looked forward to it. Oh, she was so wonderful, and her husband was the sweetest person. He worked on the Chicago-Alton railroad. Oh, he was a man. He was over six foot. Weighed around 240. He was all man. You'd grab his arm like that. It was like a tree trunk. They tell me it was nothing for him to pick up a railroad tie and throw it aside. He could pick a rail up. Not the whole rail. Pick up the end of a rail and lift it aside.
(`96 - 405 E. Locust)
RW The Ross family lived here (CD `35 - 405 E. Locust. Alonzo and Eva Ross). I think his son Cephus bought it for taxes and kicked his dad out.
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