April 19, 1987
The lowly aprons I remember in my lifetime -
I was fascinated with them when I was a child. First, my mother’s. It wasn’t large and always quite plain. She could snatch it off in a flash, fight a grass fire, shoo the children or chickens, carry hot vessels and use it as a hand towel. A fresh one was always handy in case company showed up. Another was worn by a Mrs. Willoughby on Osceola Avenue. She was quite tall and stately. Her apron was large and starched. It was always blue checked gingham. Her dress and apron came to three or four inches from the floor. The bow on the back was enormous.
Now, bartenders’ aprons. No bib. Whether the man was fat or thin, the strings were long enough to tie in the back and come around front and then to the back again.
Bakers’ aprons, of which I know a lot, were usually large tea towels tucked in at the back of their pants. The towels were made from flour sacks. I remember the aprons of our bakery had the name EACO printed on them, because we used EACO flour from the Everett Auenbaugh Company. Flour came in ninety-eight pound bags, so that made a good-sized piece of cloth.
Carpenters’ Aprons were more or less alike and had pockets to carry nails as the carpenter moved about in his work.
The men who shod horses wore an apron of leather with no pockets as they were more or less stationary. They always had a little stool with all their nails and other needs close by.
Shoemakers again had pocketless aprons as they were seated in one place and supplies were on a bench at hand.
Gene Holmberg, an expert furniture repairman, always wore a canvas apron with no pockets as he worked more or less in one place.
I remember the aprons worn by those who worked for Lizzie Cripps in the White Front Café. Very fancy and changed with the season or on special days. Christmas time, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day and others were observed by the aprons the help wore.
The aprons the Masons wear stand out in my mind. To a non-Mason there is always a mysterious air about them. These aprons are always worn as part of their ritual.
Sometime ago, I wrote about colored people in Chariton years ago. I say colored people because they were not known as blacks back then. In this story, I forgot to mention Claus and Nate Martin. I knew them both well. One had the shoeshine stand in the Charitone Barber Shop under the hotel. The other was in the barber shop over on Main Street. They died one day apart, and a double funeral was held. Buster Gibson of this same family lives at Southgate, but is now a patient in the Veterans’ Hospital in Des Moines and is quite poorly.
I wrote sometime back about a dog in my youth. It was of the tea-cup-handle tail variety. I mentioned that its owner had a paper route. He could put a rolled-up newspaper in its tail and it would run up to the house and drop it. The aunt of this boy sent a copy to California to the boy’s grandson. This boy wrote to me about another trick this dog was taught to do. I remember it well, but had forgotten it. On command, the dog would arch his tail over his back and scratch his head with the tip of his tail. This tale can be verified, as the aunt is still living here.
I wrote an article about theaters sometime ago. Several people reminded me there was a theater way back when, where the Hawkeye Motor Bank is now. This was not a theater but a penny arcade. It did have a lighted archway and looked a little like a theater entrance. It was strictly off limits for kids as the pictures were only for grown-ups.
I have been asked several times where Levi Fluke’s famous candy store was located. It stood on the south side of the square where Morton Real Estate is now. He was an uncle of the famous Charles E. Fluke, a businessman in Chariton for years. You could take a basket or a box about the size of a gallon can and get it full of candy for twenty-five cents. Fried candy eggs in a little skillet, big licorice cigars, candy grapes and plug licorice chewing tobacco.
Now about the post office. Before the present one was built, the post office was on the south side of the square, up to the west end. Someone asked what was on the lot where the post office is now. Years ago, a livery barn and blacksmith shop operated by Tap Garland was there. The building burned and the lot was empty for years.
Our ride -
Left Chariton at 2 p.m., Prior, George and myself in George’s car. Drove fifty-three miles. Spent more time looking at flowers beginning to bloom. Went northeast to Lucas County strip mines. They are really in Monroe County just across from Lucas County. They are closed and the land has all been leveled. We saw deer, lots of pheasants, vultures, a red-tailed hawk.
Flowers seen were bloodroot, violets, sweet William, bluebells, spring beauty, rue anemone, Dutchman’s breeches, adder’s tongue and pussy toes. Several times we had to go back as the ruts were too deep for George’s car. Saw grape hyacinth way out in the country. This told us a home had been there years ago.
P.S. This is a part of aprons. Clerks from the grocery stores and meat markets always marched in the Labor Day parade wearing their aprons. They weren’t large but were of good cloth and used only on this occasion. I remember good old Jake Yengel wanted to march wearing only shorts and strings of wieners draped over his shoulders. The committee in charge decided he wasn’t dressed properly and could not march. Years ago on Labor Day all business came to a halt. This was Labor’s big day of the year. Before World War II the significance of the day had started to fade out and with the coming of the war the Labor Day parade and observance went clear out. There was always a speaker and big picnic in the courthouse yard.
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