November 1, 1948 - move to Fountain City, WI Farm & a "Halloween" Story...

Recently, Margelyn and Bob Berndt were joined by Kathleen Gettrust and Tony, for a fall drive from LaCrosse, WI  along roads that would take them past the farm where our parents, James and Edna Groves, lived for 30 years from Nov. 1, 1948 to Fall 1978.  Their excursion has triggered some sibling reminiscing which I, Linda Worden, will add to this post.

Four of us Groves children were born while our parents lived on our Great-Grandmother Minnie Cox Groves' farm near Viroqua, WI.

This is a photo taken in July, 2008.

In 1948, Great-Grandma was selling her farm in order to move in with one of her daughters, Helen Hart, who would provide the support she was needing in her advancing years.  Probably our parents could have bought her farm but they decided not to for a couple of reasons.

1. The Viroqua farm was in an area of WI where tobacco was grown.  Our father did not raise tobacco as he did not think that was what a christian man should do.  He related that even though he did not have tobacco crops, everywhere he went, he was with other farmers who raised tobacco and so conversation always centered around their tobacco crops.  He decided to look for a farm out of that region so that he would not be continuously confronted with the issue of tobacco growing.   That was reason number one to move from the home farm.
2. The second reason involved land prices at that time.  In 1948, there was a growing need for tobacco.  WWII had recently ended and since cigarettes had been issued for free to the soldiers, many returning vets were addicted to nicotine and the market was growing.  This growth in sales of cigarettes and cigars caused farm prices where tobacco was raised to increase.  So the cost of the Viroqua farm was higher than the cost of the farm our parents found 75 miles away near Fountain City, WI.  Their move took all of us away from our extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins but to a home and area which we would love and in which we would all thrive.  

Aerial view of our farm buildings in the years we lived there.

Our beautiful, beloved farm home during our years of living there.

Cross Ridge School as it looked in about 2008.

Our sister, Margelyn, was born two years after our move.

All five of us children would attend the one-room Cross Ridge country School about 3 miles away and would all graduate from C-FC, Cochrane Fountain City High School, about 10 miles away.
After high school we all headed off to college and careers rather than choosing to return home to continue farming.

So in 1978 when Dad was 65 years old and Mom was 60, they had an auction and sold the farm.  They moved about 35 miles away to a home near LaCrosse, WI which suited them very well for the next 16 years.

Over the years, we all continued to drive to where our farm was so that we could relive some of our memories of childhood and keep an eye on the next owners of our land.

We were often disappointed in what we saw happening to the property.  We knew how hard our parents and all of us worked to keep the buildings, gardens, fields and yard in great shape so it was painful to see those areas being neglected.

But in 2012, the buildings and 10 acres were purchased by a couple who had grown up on farms nearby and were ready to retire to a place near their home farms.  Their purchase and the work they did to restore the buildings and grounds has brought us all much joy.

Now for the recent drive past our home place.

From Margelyn on Oct. 27, 2016:

"Hi Sibs,

 Thought I'd share these farm pics today, as we remember dad on his Earthly birthday - October 26th.

 Kak & Tony joined Bob & me for a road trip last Monday. The fall color had passed peak, but d/t the sunny day, the remaining yellows & oranges showed off beautifully.

Eckers Apple Farm - Pete was a HS classmate of mine

 We stopped at Ecker's Orchard on our way North and had a fun-informative conversation with Sara Ecker, Pete's daughter. (Tony took a pic of Kak, me & Sara) Her sister Jessica wasn't there, as she models some for Duluth Trading Company, & was out West (Colorado?) for that. She married a fellow from Australia a few yrs ago & he was there...works with the business. Their business appears to be prospering & growing, despite the damaging frost they experienced during the season. They were able to save many with apples with their 'heaters'.
We didn't talk with Mary, (who was Pete's wife) as she was busy with a pie making crew in another room. During this season she gets up at 1:00 AM to start baking pies! Her mother-in-law did that for many years, but passed away last July at 92 yrs old.

The barn which had mostly burned down, has been removed.

 We then drove up the dug way from the Bluff Siding end & across the Ridge. We didn't see anyone to talk with.

As you can see, the barn on our farm is completely removed...just the walls of the milk house remain.

They are continually working on cleaning the place up & have been doing some grading & leveling of ground. Around the house it looked immaculate.

Mom dug up baby trees in our woods and transplanted to our yard where these still grow.

Kathy and Margelyn at Cross Ridge School - now the Township Center where voting takes place.

 Dad, thanks for our Buffalo Ridge farm heritage & all the memories! Things may look quite different from when you left it, but it is being cared for with pride & incredible hard work, just like when you & mom resurrected it!  So grateful that this is still a beautiful landmark at the top of the hill!!  

With loving memories,
Marge

I would respond to all my sibs with these comments:

Thanks, Marge, for the sharing of your day with narrative and photos - loved hearing/seeing both.  So thankful you 4 had a lovely fall day for the excursion down memory lane.  Would have enjoyed being with you.  The care the farm is getting from the Bond family is really wonderful to see.  So many memories flood my mind as I see the pictures.  What an undertaking it was for Dad and Mom to make the move to that farm!  Nov. 1st will be the anniversary of the day we started living there.  The farm had just been wired with electricity but no running water or bathroom inside the house!!!  That would come 2 years later with funds provided by Bill and Amanda just as Marge was born.  I remember pumping water from the well and the cistern but have only recently been pondering what that would have meant for our family - cooking, washing dishes, bathing, laundry...  And cooking on a wood stove and heating the house with a wood burning furnace!!!  We know what that meant!!!  

 And 2 months later on Sunday, Jan. 2, there was the car accident in which my 6 front teeth were knocked out - I had turned 4 on Dec. 7th.  But I know eyes are rolling so I'll stop reminiscing for now.  Glad we all made it with our shared heritage of faith, perseverance and love.  

 All for now,

Love, Lee

Barbara responded:

Hear! Hear! I love hearing Linda and Jim’s memories…I was 1 year old when Mom & Dad moved to the farm. Just imagine the work in moving and getting organized with a baby and toddlers racing around. Linda and Jim were probably jumping up and down and Mom was probably worried sick there would be an accident/injury.

 From your photos, it looked like a sky blue perfect fall day for this. Thanks for sending.

Barbara would add a personal memory a little later:

 I think our nieces/nephews/grandkids are fascinated by family stories. I remember telling a story when we were floating in the water at Laity Lodge some years ago when Sarah, Katrina, Allison and others were still young. They egged me on and had a million questions related to it. It was the story about when my sisters plotted to scare me at this time of the year (Halloween).

I was asked to get a pail of milk from the milk house one evening after dark. I noticed how creepy the night was as I walked from the house to the barn and I almost aborted the mission because it was so scary. The wind was banging a sliding door on the granary building that I imagined was a nefarious stranger like a murderer. Clouds were racing across the moon so sometimes it was light with the full moon shining and then suddenly, it would turn dark so I couldn’t see where I was going. While I was gone, one of my sisters dressed in a sheet to come out of the granary and another was at the upstairs bedroom open window to howl like a ghost. As I was slowly picking my way back to the house (so as not to spill the milk), the wailing started from what seemed to be the heavens and a white ghostly figure emerged from the granary (had to be that murderer I had heard on the way to the barn). In a panic, I dropped and spilled the milk and huddled on the ground in a little ball, certain that I was doomed. Mom, who was in on the prank and watching from the kitchen, had second thoughts when she saw how scared I was so she apologized but my mean sisters did not! 

Kathy reliving the old days...

with help from Barb...

Since the kids wanted more, I ended by telling them how we would put nylon stockings over our heads and pull up on them to distort our faces and go to our neighbors on Halloween. Mom would be laughing so much at seeing our smashed faces that she could barely stand up.  

with Mom laughing as hard as ever and enjoying it immensely!

  

 All this conversation gave Marge the idea to find the diary Mom kept during those days.  She began to share Mom's entries.

Dear Sibs,

 Lee's email got me thinking about the move to the Fountain City farm in 1948, so I went for a search for the diary that contained 1948. Spent some time reading & crying! Much of mom's entries convey how exhausting & challenging their life was. One thing I found comforting, was their huge supportive network of family & friends. Several of them I'm not sure who she's referring to, but perhaps you will. Over the days preceding & after their move, I will share mom's entries.

October 28, 1948 entry: (Thursday)

 "Scott, Thelma, Harry & Viva McClurg & I went to Fountain City & laid inlaid linoleum. Scott has been very ill yesterday with very bad nose bleed. Got home about 9. James took a truck load up."

Mom has abbreviations for lots of words, as she only has 4 lines to write her day's account. It makes it a little difficult to make out some of the words she's written d/t space constrictions.

Stay tuned....

Marge

Mom's diary entry: Oct. 29, 1948
  "I got our clothes in order to go to Halloween party & Farewell for us at the school house. Nellie helped pack. Party collection $18.69."
 This sounds as though this was a costume type Halloween party, as she comments on getting clothes in order. Wish there was a picture to accompany this, as they left for the party!

For now, we'll stop here.  There are many more childhood memories.  Hopefully retirement will allow time for more of those stories to find their way into print on this blog.

A number of years ago, I wrote another blogpost about this move.  You can find it HERE.