The old home Place and Elementary school.

SODA FOUNWe had a great time In Stinnett. I showed Jeanie where the social hot spot for the teenagers of my day was. It was a Drive Inn with sometime carhops. It was owned then By My friend J,B, Snodgrass. J.B. let me use  His Garage to repaint my Harley that I had bought from the Chief of police, Doug Boone. Wonder what ever happen to J.B and Doug.?

We went by the corner where the old Drug store had been . The bus taking the football players home after practice , would stop there every day so we could get a fountain drink with plain water and a package of peanut butter crackers. The small hexagon ceramic floor tiles were the school colors. maroon, gray and white. I found  one of each for a keepsake. I showed her Bill's Barber shop where the football Players got a Flat top hair cut on the same day each week, It was tradition.

 We went by for a short visit with one of my cousins and I showed Jeanie where a lot of old friends had lived. Then I showed her the County Courthouse and told her the story about a lawyer  who lost a very important case  in Spring of '58. He was instantly very Depressed and went to the top of the  Courthouse and jumped off. Jeanie said that's a sad story. I said no, he wasn't hurt he had on his new SPRING suit... he just bounced around a tad.  Jeanie smiled and said you just did it again :-)))   Yep I did.

 Here Are the pictures of the drugstore.

The Barber shop.

The courthouse

And the little house made out of concrete.

that I cant find, sorry you would have enjoyed them.

After that tad of leg pulling, we headed out North to go visit the old home place. My Great Granddad homesteaded 16 sections (10,240 acres) in Hutchinson County Texas in 18??. Over the years it had been split up between the  heirs. Mother owned 480 acres and  her and Dad leased another 320 acres from my Uncle. We also leased  1280 acres from a Bank in Chicago.

Dad owned farms in central Texas, Meador Grove, when He and Mom married. They lived there until ,for health reasons, they moved to mothers farms in the panhandle in 1948. There were no improvements on mother's farms. While they were getting the house built, well drilled, barns built along with all the things it takes to make a farm a home, we lived in the house on the land they leased from Mom's brother.

 I was not in school yet so I went with Dad everyday while he was planting trees for a wind Brake and building the well house out of cement blocks, for the water tank to set on.

This is the  wind brake that I helped Dad plant in 1948. We didn't have a well drilled yet so we hauled water for the little trees a couple of times a week.   The USDA soil conservation service gave the trees to anyone who wanted to plant them.

If you look close on the right at the horizon ,you will see the trees at My uncle and aunt's farm 1 1/2 miles away. we were surrounded by relatives.

The windmill tower was built by my cousin who had a welding shop in Morse,TX about 10 miles a way. I went with Dad to help( read get in his way on this one) him pick it up with our grain truck. The next day Dad and a couple of uncles and cousins centered the tower over the well and set it in the ground. with cement.

This is the cement block well house we built in 1949. Dad wanted every block to be wet so while he was setting one ,I had one soaking in a 5 gallon bucket of water. It took a while to build it because Dad had to come get every block. I was big enough and strong enough to set them in the bucket but I couldn't hand them up to him.

  This is looking at the new much shorter barn, that has been built on the original foundation of the barn we built in early 1950. this view would be from where the house set.Notice that as far as you can see there are no trees except those on the right that we planted.

Looking toward where the house set from the Barn.

Daughter sandy, Jeanie and I by our old mailbox at our driveway.

The mail doesn't come here anymore ,but the birds do.

From the old home place it is 2 1/2 miles to The Elementary school that I attended, against my will I might add.  We were off to visit the school, I had not been there since about '62. I knew the school had closed and consolidated with another district just as My high school had done. I was shocked at the condition of the school. I will get back to that in a  future post of our 66 in '06 trip.

  I couldn't get to the front entry because it was over grown. this is the entry to the new Gym that was built in about '51

Jeanie and Jeanie's Bottle in front of the school.

 We didn't spend much time at the school but we did pledge to come back to visit. We were off to visit a cousin for a bit and spend the night on the old home place just for old time sake.

and last but not least, I found the pic of that little house I have always like so much in Stinnett.

If a spell was cast on me or I ever was so unfortunate as to have to live in Texas again, this is where I would want to live. I think this little house is just to cool.If you are ever passing through it is on the east side of the road at the south end of town.

Tomorrow : really moving north this time.

I plan to have a great day, I hope you will join me

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Thanks for coming by to check on us.

Rojo