The Way We Were
culled by Judy Garrison
From May 1915 issues of The Andes Recorder 100 Years Ago
Week In and About ANDES
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Events of a Week as Chronicled by the Man on the Street
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With commentary by Jim Andrews
The pupils in the Cabin Hill school collected 57,300 tent caterpillar clusters. [Jim Andrews: The school building was located (and still is) just down Fall Clove Road—an attractive red house with a now glassed-in porch on the right hand side of the road. I believe it’s currently for sale. To avoid some confusion, there was another one-room school, the Fall Clove School, located farther down on the left hand side of the road—the former Jim Nash home. It’s also for sale.]
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It is stated that David Murray, chauffeur for Judge M. Linn Bruce, has been summoned back to Scotland to enter the army and fight for the fatherland.
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Alex. A. Dowie has sold his dairy of cows to Howard Hall, of Delhi, who took them away Wednesday. Mr. Dowie sold because he can only use one hand in milking, the other having given out.
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Alex Fenton will install an acetylene gas plant with which to light Union Hall block. He will not only light the public hall on the second floor but the post office and other business places which he leases on first floor. [JA: Acetylene gas was produced by adding carbide to water. The mixing tank was usually buried underground and the carbide added from a lid above ground. A pulley system attached to weights and a pressure tank provided the necessary backpressure to force the acetylene gas through the piping in the building to the gas jets. At this time acetylene gas was being advertised as more dependable and economical than electricity (then in its infancy) and produced a brilliant light as well as being able to fuel cooking stoves, irons and space heaters. It was the end of the gas era and very shortly Andes was wired for a central Delco Plant which provided direct current to the businesses and homes for which it had been wired. The building mentioned is the current Tin Horn building. The second floor public hall was used for meetings, dances, plays, medicine shows and silent movies. It also provided the basketball court for the Andes High School and later Hilton Memorial. It was heated by a wood stove surrounded by a metal fence (for safety reason I presume!!). Obviously safety codes did not exist in the early years of the 20th century. The first floor was Andes’ “mini-mall” with multiple, frequently changing small businesses.]
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The big butternut tree that has stood in front of the residence of Dr. S. W. Reed for many years succumbed to the strong winds Sunday afternoon and fell. It is said that many of the anti-rent meetings were held underneath this tree and beneath its shade rousing speeches were made while the 144th regiment was being enlisted for the civil war. — Margaretville News. [JA: Andes had its own big butternut tree. It was located in Bohlmann Park in the approximate location of the more recent veteran’s memorial. As a child I can remember visits to the library and on the way home picking up the sticky butternuts which, after drying, my mother would crack open using a hammer.]~