Bob Piper's Corner - September 21, 1986

September 21, 1986

George, Charles and myself took off at 2 p.m. and arrived back at 5:56 p.m. George clocked the time. We went southwest to find McMann’s School and did. It is in the southwest corner of Lucas County. Victor Anderson attended the school. Will have more about this later. We crossed back and forth on all old roads between Woodburn, Derby and Humeston looking for a wildflower named gay feather or blazing star. We located one of that family, scarious, but we wanted the plume type. No luck.

More about the Mallory Castle and the immediate grounds. As I said before, there was always a mystery about the place and also a great deal of sincere reverence. I never saw Mr. Mallory, as he died early, but Mrs. Mallory was there in my early years. She was very nice and ruled with a firm hand. There was a huge cave and much produce was raised to store there. I never picked apples, but saw plenty of them stored in the cave. The job I remember was catching birds and putting them in her huge screened area. This screened huge cage was west of the castle. It was large enough for trees to grow there. They were well-fed and watered.

The castle stood right where Dr. Fisher built his home. It is on the main drive and east of John

Baldridge’s home. As near as I can tell, the big fountain was about where our Presbyterian manse stands now. It was not on all the time, but only during big affairs and often late afternoons and early evenings. It was fed from water from the wooden tower. This was pumped there from the big Mallory pond. It was only for stock and garden. The household earlier had a water supply of its own, and later was on the city lines. The few times I was up in the tower and walked on the catwalk around the top was years after Mrs. Mallory’s death. We always had supervision by the people living there as tenants.

In later years it was not safe as the steps up to the top had not been kept in good repair. The tower gave an excellent view of the city. On hot evenings people went up there to get the breeze. Alma Clay building also had a deck up on top for such a purpose.

The main gate at Twelfth and Ilion was only for the family carriage and company. All business of any kind came in at the Curtis Avenue entrance on the west and down the avenue of pines to the Castle. Pine trees outlined the Mallory Castle grounds. On the driveway from the west and on the north side were six little houses for people who worked there. It was quite an honor to work there and there are grandchildren of those people living in Chariton now and other places yet today.

Since the County Home is in the news as to its possible closing, a little-known fact was recalled to my mind. There is a little cemetery on that property. You go west by the County Home to the first road running north. Just before you cross the tracks, it is on the right. There are only four stones there. Whether there are more buried there with no stones I do not know. This cemetery was for the railroad to bury people who were killed by trains and no relatives could be located. Later a place in our Chariton Cemetery was set aside. Two of the names are Lucy Matthews and John Burns. The stones are dated from 1915 to 1920. Mrs. Will Snyder, who with her husband operated the home for years, remembers one burial there while they were there. Also one grave in later years had flowers on it on Memorial Day.

The old bell from the Belinda Christian Church has come to rest in a new home. The Belinda Church disbanded and the bell was purchased and given to the local Christian Church. After a time, a small tower-like structure was built to house it. If you listen at 10:30 Sunday mornings, we can hear it being rung. Has a nice sound. The tower was designed by a local man, Lyle Nickelson, a member of the church. I think it is very fitting for an old bell to have a good home.

Every year I give my grapes away as I do not use them. The arbor is sixteen feet long and ten feet wide. I always say, “Leave some for the birds.” The nice lady came and found no grapes as the frost had nipped the buds last spring. This I didn’t realize as the foliage was so dense it wasn’t evident. I told her we would try again next year. We both thought it a cruel joke.

We have run a test again on what happens to the newsletter once it is received and read. Out of eight contacted, we heard from six and it really is heartening to hear how many hands they go through. It makes it all worthwhile. We will make another test soon and report again.