Butch Relates Great Memories From Don Weliever

By: Butch Dale

The Weliever families have been an integral part of the Darlington community since the late 1800’s. One of the most well-known Weliever “characters” was Don Weliever, who was born in 1920 and graduated from DHS in 1938. He married Emma Lou Vannice, and they became the parents of four children…Steve, Stan, Sabra, and Stu. Sadly, both Don and Emma Lou have passed away, but several years ago Don, with his wife’s help, recalled some of the best memories of growing up in Darlington, and these were recorded by Margaret Wray…

“Skeet Wray owned the pool room and barbershop. Slim Greve and Bub Carson were the barbers. When you were little enough to sit on a board across the arm of the chair, you got a free homemade ice cream lollipop, and if you were lucky enough to get a pink one, you got another one free.”

“Dick (Don’s older brother) and I sold horseradish that mother made. One customer asked Dick, ‘How much?’ and he said, ‘Mom said to ask fifteen cents, but if I couldn’t get that…take a dime.'”

“Dad bought the farm right before the Depression. For years after that he had to pay $84 interest twice a year on the money borrowed. The insurance company didn’t care about the principal, they just wanted the interest. As soon as he paid the $84, he had to start saving for the next payment.”

“We ran a dairy in the 1930’s. We bottled milk and delivered it in town. The price was 8 cents a quart, 5 cents a pint, and 2 1/2 cents a half pint. In the summer we had to make two deliveries because most people couldn’t keep it from spoiling.”

“When we were sick to our stomachs, Dad would take us to Lane and Wever drug store and buy us a root beer with Castor oil in it. You hit the outhouse and used several pages of the Sears and Roebuck catalog!”

“There were two water pumps on Main Street. One was in front of Frank Miles’ shoe shop, and the other was in front of Cal Toney’s shoe shop. There was a tin cup for everybody’s use.”

“In 1933, the Boy Scouts went to the World’s Fair in Chicago. I don’t know where we got the money. Shorty Anderson took us in his stock truck and we rode in the back. The furniture store let us use their blanket pads to sleep on. It was a big trip for us. That was the first time we had seen electric bumper cars…ten cents a ride. I spent my last three dimes on them. Sally Rand, the fan dancer, was there, but they wouldn’t let us in!”

“Medicine shows came to town in the summer. I also remember Harley Cain playing his accordian on the steet corner. Later on there were band concerts held on Wednesday nights. Wally VanCleave had a one-man band mounted on his Model T touring car. Jim Parks once wrestled a bear at the park, and another time there was an ugly man and prettiest girl contest.”

“When we were in high school, a lot of us boys joined the National Guard. We were 15 years old. They paid $13.00 every quarter, which was good money then. During the flood of 1937, we were called out for flood duty. Seven of us members of the basketball team were gone for two weeks. When WWII came along, we thought we were going to be gone for a year, but most of us came back home five years later after serving in the Pacific theater.”

“During the 1920’s and 1930’s, there were three banks, four groceries, two blacksmiths, dry goods and shoe stores, two shoe repair shops…and don’t forget Rettinger’s Studio with his penny pictures. Also Aniel Booher’s hardware and harness shop, a furniture store, drug store, two doctors and one dentist. Ray Anderson sold International tractors, Emory Charters sold John Deere. Dad and Uncle Rob had the first Ford and Fordson agency in town and later sold out to the Thompson brothers. Alva Warren sold Maytags…both gas and electric.”

“When I came back home from the service, I bought a new 1947 Ford Deluxe coupe for $1475.00.”

Don and his fellow 1938 classmate, Eugene “Beaner” Hampton, were both severely wounded by Japanese enemy fire during the war, but they never complained. They were proud to have served their country…and grateful to be able to come back and live life to their fullest in their hometown…good ol’ Darlington, Indiana.

– John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.