Weird, Wacky, and Strange Happenings in Darlington

Each town in Montgomery County has a unique history. While many events are forgotten after time, some are etched in stone and become part of the town’s lore. Here are a few crazy things that happened in Darlington’s past, found in the pages of the Darlington Herald newspaper or told by its citizens….

…In 1913 the Darlington Petroleum Company was formed, and leases were secured to begin drilling for oil. It was a bust…no oil…just lots of disappointed investors who lost their life savings thinking they were going to be the next J.D. Rockefeller.

…in 1923, Darlington had one of the biggest parades in its history. It was estimated that five thousand curious onlookers were in town to watch 250 people, dressed in their finest costumes, march down Main street and assemble in the woods by the Toll House for the grand finale, where a fiery cross burned on the hill…Yes, it was a Ku Klux Klan parade…OOPS! Soon after, the KKK was banished from town.

…in 1927, Walter Moffitt, suffering from a terrible cold, got up in the middle of the night to take a dose of medicine. So as not to disturb his wife, he didn’t turn on the bathroom light, and discovered, after getting a mouthful, that he had grabbed a bottle of ammonia by mistake.

…in 1928, three carloads of gypsies came to town. They wore their native dress, and townspeople paid to have their fortunes told. One little girl, about 9 years old, smoked cigarettes. It appeared that the gypsies were the ones making a fortune, as they were driving a Packard and two Cadillacs!

…in 1929, Paul Beauchamp added some oil to his car. But after driving it a short distance, the motor locked up. It seems that Paul had grabbed the wrong jug and had poured a half gallon of maple syrup into his crankcase. He said that the next time he tried maple syrup for oil, he was going to put some pancakes in his gas tank.

…In the 1920s, youngsters Dick and Don Weliever went around town and sold their mother’s homemade horseradish. One person asked Dick, “How much is it?”…and Dick told the customer, “Well, Mom said to ask fifteen cents, but if I couldn’t get that…to take a dime.” Also, Don said that when he or his brother had stomach aches, their Dad took them to Lane and Wever drug store and bought them a root beer with castor oil in it. It was just a short time later that they “hit the outhouse and used several pages of the Sears and Roebuck catalog!”

…in 1936, Lew Burk saved up some money during the summer and decided to hide it in his coal burning stove. His fives and tens accumulated until he had a nice amount of $175…a tide sum during the Depression. As he was coming home from work one chilly fall day, he noticed smoke curling out of the top of the stove. Not knowing the money was hidden, Lew’s wife had built a fire, and Lew’s savings was scattered to the wind.

…in 1937, this article appeared in the newspaper on the front page: “Mrs. Aniel Cunningham’s canary bird died of old age Tuesday. He was in his 19th year. He sang quite a bit the day before he died.” (Folks, it must have been a slow newsweek.)

…in 1943, George Wever brought a freak hen egg to the newspaper office. It measured 9 inches long and 6 1/2 inches in circumference. The egg was laid by a Rhode Island Red hen. The hen, after seeing what it had produced, reportedly went into shock.

…In the 1950s, local boy Jim Parks wrestled a bear during a special show at the park. Guess what? Jim won!

…In 1963, a Darlington high school freshman upset Leonard Holt’s outhouse as a Halloween prank. Unfortunately, Leonard was in the outhouse at the time. The next day, Leonard moved the outhouse a few feet over and covered the pit with a piece of cardboard, which he painted green. The same boy tried to upset the outhouse again that next night…and fell into the pit up to his waist. No, he never wore those jeans again.

…In 1970, Mike Cohee, who was a mechanic at Binford’s service station, walked to the bank to get some cash register change. When he went inside, no one was to be seen, and he heard a loud tapping sound coming from the vault area. The bank had just been robbed at gunpoint, and all five employees were locked in the vault!

…In the 1980s, famous citizen and former postmaster Eugene “Beaner” Hampton, wrecked his moped just as he arrived home after an evening of playing cards at the American Legion. Neighbors Gary Ryker and Gene Jackman helped Beaner, who suffered a nasty bump to his head, into his house and tucked him into bed. Being the good neighbors they were, they sneaked over that night…and attached training wheels to his moped…What a classic! 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