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By: Jim Fitzpatrick |
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Email: jim@nunica.com |
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Local Farmer in Polkton Township writes for the Coopersville Observer. |
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Along Brandy Creek By Jim Fitzpatrick
The Coopersville Observer March 21, 2005- - No. 48 |
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There is a small pond at the back of the farm, down there in the gully next to the creek. That is where they use to cut blocks of ice in winter. The ice chunks were hauled up to the house and stored between layers of sawdust. The old "Mill House" is where they were stacked to be used during the coming warm months ahead. The Grandparents used that frozen pond water to keep the cooler in the pantry, just off the kitchen there in the house, supplied with cold.
The walls in the "Mill House" are insulated with saw dust yet today. You can see the stuff dribbling out from the cracks between the twelve inch wide pine boards that cover the walls. The windmill that once came up through the roof of that building is not there anymore. When you step inside of that small windowless building you won't find a sign of any water works going on anymore. The hand dug forty foot open well is still in there, however. It's right there in the middle of the dirt floor. So, you need to be careful when you enter. That mortarless brick lined opening into the earth has a nice oval shape to it. And the opening is large enough too; for a man, or a woman, or a kid, or a dog, or a cat, to fall into and be a goner if you're not careful. There is a lid over the thing that you can pull to one side and have a look down in (bring your flashlight!). Then maybe pick up a small stone from the gravely floor and toss it in so you can hear just how far down the water really is. |
