Chapter 29

AT BROWNSTOWN

 

We lived at Brownstown almost four years; moving in on October 1, 1959 and then back to Akron on July 1, 1963.

 

Donna Lou married David A. Bucove of New York City on November 5th, 1960. They had graduated together the spring before from Lancaster Mennonite School. Their first child, Andre Maurice, was born August 15th, 1961. Jay and Mary's second child, James Edward, was born November 10th, 1960. Edward Jay Langsdale, Red and Arvilla's second child, was born June 29th, 1960,

 

West Main St., Brownstown, PA

One night we had a bad blizzard. No traffic was moving and our whole family was in bed sleeping. Ada and I were awakened by a lot of loud talking and yelling out on the street (we had a front bed room). We saw a pair of drunks wading through the drifts and cursing and swearing at the top of their voices. When they turned in at our front walk I, knowing that our front door was unlocked, rushed down the stairway and slammed the opening door in their faces. As they stood there swearing, I saw it was an elderly man and woman. While I was locking the other two doors, Ada opened a window facing our neighbors, the Buffenmyer's, and yelled, "Buffy, call the cops." After pounding on our door awhile, the two old people staggered out to the street and up to our next door neighbors on the other side, the Tillbrook’s, who let them in. It seems that their car was stuck in a drift at the bottom of the hill. They were friends of the Tillbrook’s and mistook our house for theirs. From the Tillbrooks, they called for help. Later Mrs. Tillbrook apologized to Ada for their friends. To this day in our family, all that is needed to get a good laugh is for someone to yell, "Buffy, call the cops."

 

One day while mowing the rear lawn, I found a squirrel acting in a frantic way and frothing at the mouth. I was sure it was rabid, so I killed it and buried it far out in our neighbor's field.

 

We had installed a built-in oven with a rotisserie. Ada had invited Jay's family for dinner after church one Sunday. She planned to try the rotisserie, but instead of getting one large fowl, she bought about five fryers. She trussed these on the spit, started the rotisserie and we went to church. When we got home the spit was turning; empty. All the chicken was in a charred pile in the drip pan. We had roasted "franks" instead of chicken.

 

That same day Jay was sitting in my recliner holding his little baby, Jim. He reclined the chair all the way back and while holding Jimmy above his head said, "Oh, you fat little pig." Just then the baby "upchucked" right in his father's face. I never saw Jay move faster as he headed for the bathroom.

 

John got his first car May 5th, 1962 while still going to Conestoga Valley High School. One of the first days he had it, instead of boarding the school bus, he decided to drive to school. While turning left and not stopping at a stop sign, he was hit by a heavy truck. He was not hurt but his car was "totaled". I certainly pitied him. Later he lost a few more cars, but this was the only accident that was his fault.

 

While we lived at Brownstown, John began to work on the farm of Jacob Stahl. He worked evenings and weekends, also during the summer vacations. One summer he went to camp at Laurelville in western Pennsylvania.

 

The day Donna and David were graduating, an IRS agent came to audit my books. I sent Ada along with David and Donna to the commencement while I stayed with the agent. He found nothing wrong and I got to the affair a little late.

 

While we lived at Brownstown, I built three houses just above our house. The frontage along West Main Street was part of a field of the farm of Eugene Wissler. He had planned to enter a street in to the north for a housing development. There was room for one lot above ours to the same depth. That left room for two corner lots facing the new street. I first bought the lot next to us in October of 1959. The brick house I built there I sold to Mr. and Mrs. Tillbrook. Then in May of 1960, I bought the lot on the east side of the new street. There I built a small aluminum sided house. That was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Agesen; only after holding it for over six months. While waiting for a buyer, I built by contract a house for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cooper on the other corner lot. That one was started in October of 1960. By the next spring I was again looking for a "spec" lot. I found a narrow lot on South Ninth Street in Akron, just south of Oak Street.

 

I started a split-foyer house there in May of 1961. That house I sold to a Mr. and Mr. Donahue.

 

In March of 1962 I bought a lot from the Harry Adams Development on the northwest corner of South Fifth Street and West View Drive in Akron. That house I sold to Mr. and Mrs.Charles Groff.

 

Next in November of 1962 I bought, to build a "spec" house, another lot from Hotz Adams; directly across West View Drive from Groff's house.

 

It turned out that we would make our last move into that house on July 1, 1963. There would be many other NESTS; in and out, but I still live in that "speculation" house on West View Drive.