The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-27
By MIGNoN HALL

If you have travelled all over Bir- mingham, you probably never would find two more interesting persons than these.
 They are MT. and Mrs. William Reckling
 With her own hands, Mrs Reckling has built of cigar boxes two enor- nous parlor and reception room floors. Besides that, she was Bir- mingham's first Carnival queen.
 MT. Reckling, who owned a pioneer harness shop, has the distinction of having fashioned the first harness worn by the mule that pulled Bir- mingnam's first tram car.
 The pictures of Mrs. Reckllng show her in her carnival robes, and in a characteristic pose while she was building the cigar-box floors, which she put together much after the fash . ion of a patchwork quilt The other shows the pattern of the floor. 1t was an enormous undertaking, Mrs. Reckling said-that floor-but it proved to her she had the grit to stick to a hard job after she got one started.
 Reckling Home
 I knew it must De the Reckling home when l came in sight of it. For it had a little yard all it's own, there on the Norwood carline, and just had the look that in it there must be people who knew all about Little Miss Birmingham when she was a small country child.
 It was Mrs. Rechnng herself who opened the door, tiny and little bi; shy and in a second I was ushered into the reception room right on to the unique hand made floor, and then on to charming outdoor porch, where there were handclasps from MT. Reckling, of the old, kindly school, and their daughter, Mrs. Hugh Wilson, and their grandson, Freddie. whose birthday Is the same as his grandfather's-the 25th of February.
 I'm Just going to make homefslks of you." said Mrs. Reckling, flor ! don't like the formalities of these days. Do you? like the old times best when everybody knew one another, and was glad to see one another, and there were never any stansers. and we all worked for the good of Birmingham"
 MT. Reckling smiled sort of thoughtfully at that.
 Yes" he said, there aren't much but strangers nowadays. Somehow don't seem to know hardly any body any more."
 Then there was little silence.
 Bride and Groom
 Forty-one years the couple has lived in Birmingham coming here as bride and groom. The town had only about 1000 inhabitants then. but Mrs. Reckling said she just thought 1t was New York-coming as she did from Uniontown.
 The tallest building in the Magic City was only four stories high, the old Saks building. The next tallest was the First National bank. three stories high. which stood where the Brown Marx skyscraper now is
 "Tke streets were al of slag," de- scribed the small floor-maker." and when We went to church we always took our handkerchiefs out and dust ed our shoes before we went Inside Whe had to walk-it was the only way"
 The floor of cigar boxes which Mrs. Reckling made has the polish and construction of one that might have been laid in castle. One would never dream that 1t had not been done by finished tile-worker. You can almost see the reflection of yourself as you look down upon it; and 1t re- minds you of child's building DOCKS. stacked with exactitude. It asumes different designs-and tho forms of stars-according to the way one Is pleased to look at 1t.
 Cigar Box Campaign
 "1 made the floor because another woman had one and decided could make one too, explained Mrs. Reck- ling. T asked her if might make one. and from the time she said yes began veritable campaign of beg ging No cigar box was safe from me. tackled everybody. Every caller my daughter had was pressed into service to bring me cigar boxes wherever they could get them by hook or by crook. begged and | bought cigar boxes until the base ment began to look like a junk house. I established my workshop in the basement. made mitre out of 2x4 scantlings and I sawed every block out by hand. After that planed each one. and sandpapered it and polished it until it shone. I would saw one day from o'clock till o'clock, and thu next day I would tack down the four cornered pieces I had sawed