Butch Remembers His Neighbors on 400 North…

   Last week I drove down County Road 400 North, southeast of Darlington…the road on which my childhood home was located. The house caught fire and burned to the ground several years ago, and all of the barns and outbuildings have been demolished. Nothing there now but a cornfield. But I like to drive down that road every once in a while, as it brings back many fond memories.

    In that stretch of road, we had some great neighbors. Just east of our farm was an elderly couple, Forrest and Mary Flaningam, two of the nicest people you could ever meet. Forrest had a big hearty laugh. He had several beehives, and I often helped him collect the honey. Mary was always in poor health, but she always had a smile on her face and was glad to see me and hear about my school life.

   My uncle and aunt, Lloyd and Ruthie Wells, and my cousins, Kendall and John, lived across the road from us. I was over there quite a bit, playing with John, who was the same age as me. There was a large pond west of their lane, so I spent many hours fishing for sunnies and blue gills. Just west of our farm were the Moffits, DeVon and Martha Jean, and their three children Minnie May, Sam and Steve…all older than me and all very nice. Mom and Dad hired Minnie May to babysit for us when I was very young. One time Sam and Steve found a litter of baby skunks, had them descented, and kept them as pets!

   On down the road a short way were Wally and Naomi Peebles, who had four kids all older than me…Sandy, Peggy, Dave and John. My brother and I enjoyed playing baseball with Dave and John in their front lot. John had a shiny new Cushman Eagle motor scooter, and he took me for a ride one afternoon. Oh, how I wanted one of those! After John received his driver’s license, he decided to sell the scooter to buy a car…and Dad bought the scooter for me…Wow!

   About a mile west was the Weliever clan, Dick and Mildred, and their seven children…Charlie, Bob, Betty, Mary Lou, Donna, Nancy and Susie. All of the kids were very popular in school and had lots of friends. I went with Dad to their house on many occasions when he and Dick talked about farming. With that many children, there was always something going on at the Weliever house!

   Across the road from the Welievers were Gene and Carol Smith, and their daughter Sherry. Gene raised cattle, and Carol was the leader of the local Girl Scouts and Brownies. Gene loved to ride his Harley motorcycle, and he gave me a wooden nickel in which his name was printed, along with “Live to ride…ride to live.” I still have that wooden nickel! Gene’s parents, Bill and Lola Smith, another nice couple, lived in a newer house just west of his farm.

   The last farm west on the road belonged to Damon and Marie Caldwell. Their two children, Dick and Roxie, had graduated several years earlier and were married with families of their own. Damon and Marie were always very friendly and enjoyed seeing me and my siblings when Dad visited. Damon hired me to help bale hay when I was older, and Marie always prepared a grand dinner meal for everyone.

   Next to the Caldwell farm, although not on CR 400, but just around the corner, was Floyd and Helen Mae Hampton and their two sons, Dan and Dave. Dan was a classmate, and he asked me over on a few occasions to spend the night. The first time I did this, that next morning I sat down to eat the large breakfast that Helen Mae had prepared. As I began eating, Floyd interrupted me, “Didn’t you forget something?” I had no idea what he was referring to. “Perhaps you can say the grace.” I attended Sunday School, but I had never done that before, so I gave it my best try, and both Floyd and Helen Mae thanked me. 

   On that four mile stretch of road, all of the families I mentioned were farmers who tilled 200 acres or less. On that road today, all of that land is farmed by two or three men who each farm thousands of acres. Three of the houses are gone, and the parents in those families are gone, but several of the children, all of whom are now in their 60s, 70s or 80s, still live here in the community. Although the small family farms where my neighbors lived on 400 North have disappeared, my childhood memories of those wonderful people will always remain.

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.