Jasper County, Iowa

Ira Centennial

Page 29

MEMORIES - MEMORIES
By Gladys Sutton Breer

Yes, I have happy memories of a happy childhood spent in our little farm home one-half mile west of the little town of Ira. (south side of road).

The long cow shed, the barn with the big driveway in the middle, where we could play when it was rainy outside with the horses snuffing hay on the south side and on the north a big hay mow going from bottom to top, an oat bin on the west end where we could play in the oats if the bin was not too full.

There was a big double corn crib with a driveway between the cribs where we climbed high and crawled between the rafters and sliding down the mounds of corn on the other side. Crawling under the crib for the eggs the hens loved to lay in the dark corners and thinking that a rat might bite me any minute. Now all is gone except the little white square house and a few of the old trees to the west. But the memories are still there. The many days after our work was done playing with the Battles children, Claude, Doris and Irene, our neighbors to the north.

In the fall the days at the school house on the hill at the north end of Main Street in Ira. The sorrow when the new school house burned to the ground before we could go to school in it, for we loved to go to school. The make-shift crowded building across the street from the Castor's that we used until the new school house could be rebuilt. (It was the old school which had been moved there from the hill top site so the new school could be built. It had a partition down the length of the single room so two school rooms, with two teachers, could be had.) The joy we felt when our new building was finally ready. It was a big two room school house with large halls and full basement - where we could play on rainy days. The lower grades had the room to the west and the upper grades to the east. Teachers I remember were Mae Richardson, whose husband ran the lumberyard at that time, Faye and Babe Lowe, Lela McKibben, Joy Mason, Maude Zimmerman and Florence Crawford. Not in that order, but through the years. Oh -- the games we played at recess time. Drop the handkerchief, London bridge, blackman, baseball. No fancy playground equipment for us. In the spring it was jumping rope, marbles and jacks. In the winter it was fox and geese.

The blacksmith shop ran by Forest Inglis where we liked to stop and watch the sparks from the forge and see him shoe the horses with a foot between his knees, a hammer in his hand and the nails kept handy in his mouth. Sometimes the horses were not too gentle, so we would be sure we were out of the way. The Inglis family had four girls near our age and how we liked to go there to spend a little time. They had an organ and Opal played it very well and we would gather round her and sing our hearts out. Maybe not the most perfect music, but a joyous time together.

The Weston store ran by Kate and Sid for many years was the main place for a little shopping. The long building was lined with shelves' all filled with groceries, dry goods and other necessities for country living. The candy case especially interested we children, peppermint sticks, black licorice sticks, made to resemble cigars, sugar candy in all shapes and colors, and chocolate drops. Then the post office, ran by the Palmers, who lived in the back of the building. There was the work of sorting and putting the mail in all the little numbered boxes. Ours was 102 I remember. It was just the right height so we did not have to bother the Palmers to help us get the mail. The mail came in by passenger train in big bags and then was distributed four times a day, a train going north and south twice daily. One could go to Des Moines or Marshalltown and spend the day in the city and come back home the same day. We often went to Baxter and spent the day with our Grandma Deeter and back in the evening. Then there was the rural mail carrier. He had a little box like buggy that he would put in bags of mail and packages and delivered the mail for the farm community over many miles of mud roads. It was always a happy chore to watch for the mail man. We did not have the privilege for we were so close to town that we got it from the post office.

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There were very few days that Mr. Logsdon did not get the mail to his customers and at nearly the same time each day. There were three girls in the Logsdon family that were our school chums. They were Blanche, Maude and Leona.

The big brick building that was the hotel I never was inside and was always going to do that when I grew older, just to see what it was like, but at that time my folks had forbidden me to go there, for as they said, "There was nothing there for children, just for grown-ups." Well, I shall always wonder for the old building is gone now.

There was Mead's harness shop. They lived in the back and the front was the shop and work area. Mr. Mead repaired and oiled harness and repaired shoes and he was always busy. I liked to go in there with my dad. The place smelled of leather and harness oil. Saddles and bridles were here and there and I liked to inspect all the saddles to see if I wanted one for my black pony.

The Farmers Savings Bank - As long as I can remember it was operated by Mr. Price. I don't remember much about the bank as we had little money so did not have a reason for going in very often. Once a year I remember we would go in to get a new calendar.

Mrs. Price I remember well as she was my dearest Sunday School teacher and the girls Esther and Ruth were good friends. At their home I attended my first Sunday School party, and what a good time we had. We had several, but that is the one I remember best. Mrs. Price had many books and as I liked to read so well she always let me take some home to read. Mother used to say that I got little done until the book was finished, so it was well I didn't go often.

The hardware was a big white building and was run by a family named Barbee. Like the Heads and Palmers they lived in the back and business was at the front. A little building on the north of the hardware was the barber shop and the only barber I can remember was a Mr. Harding, but I know there were many others.

That was all the business district I can now recall. I could go on and on with many pleasant memories, but for now - So much for the good old days.

(I think Gladys is slightly mixed up about the hardware store. To the best of my knowledge the Barbee hardware was never in the building she describes. It was on the east side of Main Street, in the building shown to the right in the east side Main Street picture and the dwelling was attached to the south side. It was destroyed by the fire of October 21, 1913. Pearl Miller had a hardware store in the west side two story building, but he and his family never lived in it. Ed.)

FORMER IRA SCHOOL TEACHER BECOMES A STAR.

Fred Stiffler, Jr., formerly of Norwalk, Iowa, taught school in Ira for the 1937-38 term and the 1938-39 term. He left to become a star of motion pictures, stage and television. He lived in Rome for six years and enjoyed working in films there. Growing weary of making films, he moved to Palm Springs, Calif., -where he now concentrates on a long put off desire to write. His columns now are used and familiar in almost every country of the world. He uses the name John Frederick.

Mr. Stiffler has long been a friend of President Ronald Reagan and attended his inauguration. On our July 4th Centennial Celebration day, he celebrated his birthday at the President's ranch in Santa Barbara area.

A birthday card was placed along with his poster display at the Ira Centennial Celebration and several of his former students and friends signed it. He wrote back his appreciation and thanks to everyone. Story by Jean State.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHED FORMER IRA AND VICINITY RESIDENTS ARE: Artist and Composer -- Nellie Castor Gerber; Doctor -- Leland Weston & DessieGearheart; Minister -- Carl Gray; Nuclear Physicist -- Lynn H. Rumbaugh.

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