sara
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 21
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Post by sara on Nov 2, 2008 7:31:16 GMT -5
we had to go up the hill to get our mail and we used the phone at the railroad house there on 4th next to the railroad tracks. we never had any electricty until we moved to center st. my grandmother go electricity in the later part of the forties
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 2, 2008 10:45:37 GMT -5
Sara,Our address was 16w.4th street.All the mail boxes were on a TELEPHONE POLE ,at the top of the hill.We knew when the mailman came and always ran to see if we got any mail. No one ever bothered each others mail box.They were all open boxes that hung on nails,so I know if it rained we would get wet mail.Katie
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BobLane
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 109
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Post by BobLane on Nov 2, 2008 12:05:14 GMT -5
Hi folks, Katie said her folks paid $9.00 a month for rent there. I just can't understand how anyone could do such a thing. We, too, were poor as in factory worker poor. My dad paid the Irwin Union bank $15.00 a month for our house at 1015 Fifth street. It had to be much better that what was available in Death Valley. We had 3 large rooms, a very small room on the side and an enclosed back porch. Only the front room and the kitchen had a flue for a coal stove and it was hard to heat in cold weather. Katie, I'm sure it was much harder for you. I am impressed with your sweet spirit about it all. God bless you and your's . Bob Lane
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 3, 2008 6:25:01 GMT -5
Yes, your house sounds like a mansion compared to ours. The houses were what you would call shotgun houses. They were only two rooms,(most of them), When you went in the front door, you came into our bedroom, living ROom,then the next room was our kitchen.The front room consisted of beds, a dresser as my Mom would Coal it a coal stove and some chairs. We had no privacy.We had no clothes closets and hung our clothes on nail driven in the walls The kitchen had a table,chairs and we had a cabinet to put the cooking supply's. We always had a cook stove as Mom would call it.Our meals consisted mostly of beans and potatoes. Meat was reserved for Sundays.Usually it was boiling beef and potatoes.My Grandmother raised chickens and Sundays she would go out ,ring a chickens neck and fix the best chicken and dumplings you ever ate.Well I have taken up enough space Talk more later. Katie
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sara
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 21
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Post by sara on Nov 3, 2008 7:28:59 GMT -5
I still yet like my fried potatoes n beans don't forget corn bread.Have a daughter will not eat beans and can't figure out how we eat them 2 day.meat was very rare as it was a sunday special.I remember the houses one was called the barn as it made a 2 family home.it was seperated in the middle. it faced north n south.if memory is correct there was about 14 or 15 maybe homes there I still remember a lot of names from there.maybe another time for that.we both could probabbly write more on this.but will leave that for later also.GOD BLESS ALL. sara
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Babs
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 589
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Post by Babs on Nov 3, 2008 7:52:55 GMT -5
My dad happened to mention the other day that the amount of rent he paid to his uncle for the small house we lived in on 20th Street was $12.00 a month. My dad's aunt got ill and we moved in to take care of her, my dad said he bought all the groceries and when it came time to pay the rent, he asked his uncle if he could pay him half a month's rent and then the remainder in two weeks. He refused and my dad was so shocked. Here we were taking care of his aunt, buying the food and his uncle wouldn't even give him any extra time to come up with the rent. My dad was a school teacher but he didn't make very much money and he always had to work another job. I am posting this in Death Valley because this is where Sara, Katie and Bob were talking about rent prices. I think these prices were back in the late 30's and maybe early 40's. I know we lived on 20th Street when FDR died.
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 3, 2008 12:05:48 GMT -5
Hello, It is me again. Sara, said there was once a living quarters they called the barn. My family lived in two different houses in the valley. One was behind Sylvia Wells home and then we moved to the barn. We lived in the South half and later my Gr.Great grandma lived in the North half. It was still only two rooms,but bigger than the one before.We would go to bed at nights and Mom would heat bricks ,wrap them in towels to keep our feet warm. Sometimes we would have a dog and would let him sleep with us for the warmth.We had community toilets and community hydrants for water.People were very territorial about the toilets.You could only use the one in you area.Katie
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 4, 2008 5:42:09 GMT -5
Hello, Sylvia Wells , called me and said they were putting a memorial, in Mill Race park, stating that Death Vally was once there. She is so thrilled. She has worked so hard on this project. She wanted me to come to the ceremonies, but we live in Northern Indiana and taking care of a 91yr. old Mother,just can not come at this time.I hope she has a lot of people come to the dedication.Katie
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Post by Ricky_Berkey on Nov 4, 2008 16:07:28 GMT -5
The marker is already installed near "Sylvia's Tree". There will be an official dedication ceremony on Thursday 6 November at noon in Mill Race park. I know Sylvia Wells Worton will be so pleased if a number of us can turn out for this. She has been so instrumental in keeping the memories (both good as well as the bad) about the people living in "Death Valley" prior to the park being built. Hello, Sylvia Wells , called me and said they were putting a memorial, in Mill Race park, stating that Death Vally was once there. She is so thrilled. She has worked so hard on this project. She wanted me to come to the ceremonies, but we live in Northern Indiana and taking care of a 91yr. old Mother,just can not come at this time.I hope she has a lot of people come to the dedication.Katie
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Phyllis Fields McInteer
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Post by Phyllis Fields McInteer on Nov 4, 2008 23:46:07 GMT -5
Hi I am so glad i found this message board..I just found out recently that my grandpa and dad lived in Death Valley..I would just love to get ahold of some pictures from there..My grandpa worked at the Golden Casting when they lived there..I wish i could find pictures of their homes and if anyone has any of them i would pay for them..Dont know if we are to use names or not but if we can would love to find some info on my family from back then..I am gonna try to go to the dedication memorial on thursday..i think that will be something to see..and i wil take pic of that event..so if anyone can help...please contact me..
phyllis
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 5, 2008 4:42:02 GMT -5
Hi Phylis,What years did your grandfather and Dad live in the Valley? Katie
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Post by a on Nov 5, 2008 7:54:46 GMT -5
Phyllis, hi welcome and please let us know what you remember of death valley. And I would like to say congratulation to Syllvia on her acomplishnent.Well done.
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Babs
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 589
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Post by Babs on Nov 5, 2008 12:51:07 GMT -5
Hi Phyllis, Welcome to the boards! Always happy to see newcomers joining us. With regard to any pictures of Death Valley, my guess would be that there will not be any of them around. Back in those days not a lot of people even owned cameras. I know my mother had a Brownie box camera but we didn't take very many pictures. They were an unnecessary luxury and the camera was only pulled out and loaded with film for special occasions, like maybe on Easter, Christmas, graduation from grade or high school, etc. My guess would be that the people who lived in Death Valley had even less money to spend on things like pictures. It is possible that the Republic might have pictures but even that would be a long shot.
Good luck on your quest to locate pictures of your ancestor's residence but don't hold your breath. Sorry. :-(
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Post by Ricky_Berkey on Nov 6, 2008 16:20:53 GMT -5
Dedication Ceremony for the Death Valley Memorial Marker06 November 2008 Mill Race Park The marker is along the People Trail in the part of Mill Race park that lies between 4th and 5th streets. This was the actual area that was called Death Valley. From the marker you have a direct sight line to the tree that Sylvia Wells planted beside her house when she was 10 years old. Sylvia Wells Worton "Sylvia's Tree"
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Post by richard on Nov 7, 2008 17:23:20 GMT -5
First of all, let me put a disclaimer to this post. As we know, this list from the 1953 Columbus City Directory isn’t always correct.
4th STREET From Pennsylvanian Railroad going West
ws 1 n Charles L. Morrison ws 2 n John Gates ws 3 n James Rogers ws 4 n Chester Spenser B. F. Hill Irvin Hill ws 5 n Owen Duly ws 6 n Roscoe Hartwell ws 7 n John Hatwell ws 8 n Ressa Griffith ws 9 n James F. Vest ws 10 n William H. Spenser es 1 n Luther C. Johnson ws 1 s Mrs. Amanda Wells Roy F. Johnson rear Arthur J. Stadler ws 2 s Frank I. Beabout ws 3 s Melvin J. Christopher
5th STREET From Pennsylvanian Railroad going West
MW Corner Howes Leather Co. Inc. (tanners) W. W. Mooney & Sons Corp. (tanners) NS 2 Vacant NS 3 Emerson Lane SS 1 Raymond Pence SS 2 James Dewey SS 3 Garrett Lucas SS 4 Mrs. Mary Berry
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Post by Ricky_Berkey on Nov 7, 2008 23:48:38 GMT -5
This is the first book written by Sylvia Wells Worton about her life growing up in Death Valley. She wants us to celebrate the lives of these good hardworking people who were poor but proud and should never have been given the treatment they often received. She wants the former residents to feel proud and to not be afraid to tell their stories. Everyone should buy a copy of this book. It available at the Heartland Center and Viewpoint Books in Columbus.
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Post by Ricky_Berkey on Nov 7, 2008 23:59:02 GMT -5
I hestitate to put up this map since it is scanned from Sylvia Wells Worton's book: "Sylvia's World". You really should buy this book but I know she wants everyone to realize that what was called "Death Valley" did not cover the whole of the Mill Race Park area but was mainly the area across the RR tracks and between 4th and 5th streets.This handrawn map by Rose Sisson shows the layout of the area well.
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sara
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 21
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Post by sara on Nov 8, 2008 8:06:06 GMT -5
just wanted to say the map is ok and it sure brings back memories again.I do remember just about every one that lived there when we did.After we left I don't remember.I do know that Roscoe an John Hartwell were brothers and worked for Koots Junk Yard and lived next door to each other. Luther Johnson alse worked for Kroots.Melvin (mel) Christopher was the dog catcher his wife name was Rose. The Mrs. Johnson that I am gonna mention used to crack walnuts and I would say thay came out in perfect pieces.I think she may have sold them to a bakery.her children would get their guitars out in the evening and play and sing.They were really good.I can also remember going up the river in a row boat to a sand bar an playing the we go up a hill where there was a place that had artisian water.Oh did it ever stink.I do believe you can still by the water in certain stores.We had to watch what we did as it was swampy.Well I think this is enough for now.There is one more thing I remember Sylvias mom She was such a good woman.
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katie
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 40
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Post by katie on Nov 8, 2008 17:50:16 GMT -5
Sara,Thanks for the memories. I also remember the artesian well. I would go there with a jug and get water for my step-Grandpa.I can remember the children that lived there,played together and all got along well.In fact we were all like family. I am so happy they put the pictures of the dedication of Sylvia's plaque on this site. She has worked so hard on this project.It is nice to see your post. Katie
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Post by Ricky_Berkey on Nov 8, 2008 18:31:00 GMT -5
Dedication Ceremony for the Death Valley Memorial Marker06 November 2008 Mill Race Park Sylvia Wells Worton (in the middle) with Mayor Fred Armstrong
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