|
I received the following from my cousin Ralph Bauer, remembering the area where he grew up (and still lives). His grandfather owned the farm where the school mentioned sat. I thought this might provide someone with some historical background on the area of Houston, (Shelby County) Ohio for thought. My cousin, Ralph, was born in 1940. His grandfather was Frank George Bauer, born February 25, 1885 Uno, Ohio; died March 23, 1960 in Houston, Ohio where Ralph still lives (on the same land). His grandmother was Maud Marie Alexander, born July 15, 1891 Piqua, Ohio; died December 01, 1977 in Houston, Ohio. Ralph's parents and his grandparents lived within 300 yards of each other and Grandma Bauer always said my aunt Bonnie "stole" her son away (shows just how well they got along). [NOTE: The following narrative has spelling and language mechanics errors. The Webmistress is aware of all of them. However, to retain the flavor of the original writer, she has left everything in tact. Misspelled words are identified by [sic] only to alert you, the reader, that I am aware of them.] Language mechanics errors are not identified. |
|||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
"If you remember the old red four room, brick school house on top of the hill. I do not recall if you went there. Your brother did. Well anyway when it was being built in 1928, at a depth of about 18 inches, numerous stone relics and portions of human skeletons were picked up. as is common with such skeletal remains, it was reported the bones went to pieces soon after being exposed to air. a few days the first find, an entire skeleton in a sitting position was found. (From an article from the Piqua news paper by the local farmer turned historian-researcher name of Leonard U. Hill. Anyhow the school ground used to be part of our farm. And I suspect that that sitting buried native American was facing west. As that was where the encampment was located. I have worked that field many times. It is the one to the west of where you and your mother and father used to live there in south-west Houston. I have been finding artifacts and signs of dwellings and stone working sites all my life. and it is fitting that the dwelling site was to the west as that would have put it up wind so to speak. As the prevailing winds were from the SW-W-to NW. and since buryials [sic] could not be made in the frozen time of the year, the dead were wet by a tree until the ground thawed. And this area was higher than any showed signs of high water, and more or less in sight, it was a good spot. So we children were educated on a graveyard. And out educators knew it. I knew it too as My old grandpa who lived just to the west across st. rt 66 [state route 66] took me for many a walk and told me much about all this. I'll send to you one of the chapters of the 53 or so of the book of stories that I have been preparing for my grandchildren,(Walk to the Land of the Dead) and perhaps (Look to the Mountian [sic] Top) These are two stories of my Epic adventures of a young boy who was raised in the woods, and educated by his grandparents and friends, and acquaintences [sic] which I have titled (The Magic Mushroom Stick). I get kinda deep into philosophy at times. But I am trying to keep it factual. It is an agronomy guide, a veterinarian handbook, and a gardeners aid, for those who might recieve [sic] the charge of caring for the homeland when I too have gone to the Mountian [sic] Top. Might be interesting----Ralph" |
|||||||
|
Submitted by Edward Jones 25Dec00 |
|||||||
