The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-09-30
OLD TIMES
NEAR PLYMOUTH
LEROY ARMSTRONG RE-
CALLS SCENES OF
LONG AGO.
Tells of People, Farms and
Roads as He Remembers
Them.


came into the office the other day
and talked awhile, and | go
homesick for Indiana. 1t is an ole
time Indiana that appeals to me
this beautiful September morning
out here on the shores OF a lake
| used to curiously read about III
the old Mitchell geography. Bu1
the feeling is strong. and mayo,
there are still SOME very old men
and women in and abOut Ply
mouth who will recall some o.
the places and people that | shall
try to mention. Of course III TN,
old DAYS It VS. a different Ply
mouth. But what / want to q
'e.,w IS to go down 10 Bill Mont
sonery's livery stable, and get &
two-hO-se team, and 90 OH.
across the "Pewee railroad, anG
across the bad rOaGs of 'that iON
land to the west OF town, past tn,
three little houses in which Mrs
L.ampson and her boys lived
then past where DR.. Brooks had
made a home on little rise ol
ground in the prevailing swamp
past Charley Palmers countr.
home. where there were dwarf
fruit trees, and a fine cultivation
on the north side OF the road, and
the woods on the other. The next
farm TO the west was owned by
Burlingame who mad held
county office. What was hi;
first name? 1t was on the right
hand side of the road where the
road from the old Shoemaker
brewery runs north-into worlds
unknown to me, but always at
tractive. Somewhere between the
Burlingame farm and Charley
Planners house-a palace OF a
house, by the way-there was
road to the south, angling
through the woods, and coming
out near the Pittsburg railroad
tracks, where a lot OF sflanties
remained from the early days
when the road was constructed.
The Fitzgerald boys, and Poul-
son, and some other Irish boys
lived along there-not in the
shanties, so far as | know; and
they weren't a bit better look
ing than were we country boys
But they had the right stuff in
them, as their good parents must
have had before them, for they
grew to be big men, and worth
while in the affairs OF the large
world.
But to get back to that ride into
West township. Beyond the Bur
lingame farm and the crossroads
was little house on the right
where Mary Jane Dickson-mar-
ried and with another name then
-lived; and still farther but to
the left was the slaughter house
for some Plymouth butcher. |
seem to remember the place has
been redeemed to Seemlv habIta-
ton now: but it used to smell to
heaven. and we never dreamed
there was anything unsanitary OF
possible of correction about it. A
little farther, and on the right
was the first Thompson farm.
think Mrs. Thompson was wild
ow, and married Joe Evans. And
she did have the handSomest oil
daughters. Some people called
her Little Dame Thompson,
to distinguish her from the
daughter of Jim Thompson-who
once held me while | slept
through what was doubtless a
good sermon at the Thompson
schoolhouse. and then gave me
back TO my mother, and | didn't
suffer the agony-usual in my
childhood-of having to stay
awake through service. Seems to
me this Little Dame Thompson
married a Jacoby from east OF
town. An the Thompson girls
were handsome, though.
But that is neither here nor
there. | want to drive on wrst,
across the sand hills that o one
ever tried to make passable; past
the little house on the right, be-
yond the woods, and so to Leroy
Evans farm. His first wife was a
Rogers; but that wasn't Dock
Evans farm in the long ago. |
don't remember who did orr it
And beyond was his father
place-the John Evans farm. on
both sides of the road-the best
farmed land, with one exception
N Marshall county. John Evans
was rich, and had the best OF
bank barns, and always the fin
est stock. There were several
Evans girls, and all of them were
pretty, too. One married d Rog-
ers. / have lost all the others.
But | will never forget their mas
terful father-the faith r who
paid so dearly for his mistakes
and their hard-working mother.
She was a famous cook.
Just beyond was the Rogers
farm. George VanHorne own d
it before that, and had the first
icehouse in Marshall county,
think. And before that it was the
county poor house; but | don't
remember it before VanHorne
'-ed there. He had one son nam
ed Clarence, and another named