Chapter 21
407 MAIN STREET
With the sale of'
"444", Ada and I started a series of new NESTINGS that was to
continue to July of 1963. Often, having built a house for speculation, after
advertising it we sold our house and moved in-to the "spec" house. Between building, either for us or
for speculation, I also built for other people on a time-and-material basis and
one by contract.
After we had signed an
agreement with Mr. Rutt on April 4th, I resigned with Mr. Weidman and the next
day, April 5th, 1949 we bought a lot from Rev. George B. Wolf on the north side
of Main Street just below the Lutheran Church. Since we were to give possession
in two months, we decided to rush a house under roof and camp in the basement
until the rest of the house would be finished. We then had five children and
life became somewhat hectic. Again we built a concrete-block house; but this
one was plastered on the outside with a simulated white brick. We moved into
the basement on June 1st and up stairs about the end of July. It was also a three-bedroom house.
407 Main St., Akron, PA
As soon as we were settled
in the finished rooms, I began a house for Mr. and Mrs. Merle Schafert at the
end of South Oak Street. This was a time-and-material job with some of the
sub-contractors working directly for the Schafert’s. This job lasted from
August of 1949 to March of 1950.
In the meantime Mabel sold
her little house on South Sixth Street and I started a bigger brick house for
her on the south side of New Street between Tenth and Eleventh Streets. It was
directly across from the first one she had owned and in which our parents had
died.
I started Mabel's house in
March and she moved in at the end of the year. Meanwhile, as it was nearing a
finish, I bought a lot from Mr. Oberholtzer at 125 South Tenth Street for a
"spec" house and started building there while I finished Mabel's
house. For a time Mabel lived in the basement of our house until her house was
ready.
As I said, we made a quick
start early in April and by Passion Week I had the basement wall laid and the
lumber on the job. On Good Friday I was ready to lay the joists, but as was
customary with us, we went to church services in the morning. After dinner I went
to the job to lay joists. George Wolf (not then yet uncle) came up to watch. He
asked, "What was the sermon about?". I thought a bit and answered,
"I don't know. I was laying joists." He never forgot that. Even this
very morning, as I write, I met his son Howard as I was paying my taxes and he
said, "Not laying joists this morning?" Candor is remembered.
As I said, Johnnie was
always afraid of dogs. At this time he was about seven years old. One day, to
get away from a barking dog, he ran across the street without looking. He was
almost hit by George Wolf's car. Old George was "shook".
For twenty years, from the
time I bought my 1929 Model A roadster until November 14th, 1949, we were
buying used cars. They often made us much trouble. Now we bought a new light-gray
hatchback 1949 Chevrolet two-door sedan. It was a happy time!
Our sixth and last child was
born at the Ephrata Hospital (all the others wore born at home) on August 16th,
1950. Ronald Lee was also delivered by Dr. Ridgway. Dr. Ridgway delivered
Arvilla's first child, two for John and three for Ronald.
(Author's note: Arvilla
while editing the original manuscript, added this marginal note, "Dr.
Ridgway is some wizard, delivering babies for the boys." You who know
Arvilla will find that note characteristic of her kind of humor.) jlw