Bremerton, Washington is the only other place that has ever reminded me of Marbletown. I have seen some strange things in Bremerton and some strange people. Now, let me make this clear. Bremerton is as good a city as I have ever lived in and there is nothing wrong with being strange. I'm strange. I am the strangest person I have ever met. So, this is home, but nonetheless Bremerton is unique of all the places I've lived. Not a day goes by that I don't see something weird happen. I can't describe it; I guess you'd just have to live here to find out. My lady Becky came here to Bremerton a little over 2 years ago and I told her then and she couldn't figure out what I was talking about. But ask her now and she will tell you the same thing. Just tonight on the way home from a late supper (10:15 PM) we saw a woman mowing her lawn in the dark. I had to pull the truck over so as not to wreck due to the ensuing laughter. Marbletown was strange. Many different people from many different walks of life. I was just another one thrown into the fray. Let's start with the folks who lived across the street. There were 3 principle families. At least in my immediate world there was 3. The Wigging's, the Smersaw's, and the Cross's. The Wiggings lived directly across the street from us on a corner lot. They lived in a single level 3 bedroom rambler. It had a large garage attached to the house with a breezeway. The Smersaw's lived next to them but further over to the left if you stood on our porch facing the street, and the Cross's lived next to the Smersaw's. Actually there was about a lot and a half between each of them. Between the Smersaw’s and the Cross’s there was an old dirt road that cut up into a field behind the homes. Harold Wigging was a short stature man with black curly hair as I remember and a solid build who looked like he could hold his own in any bar room brawl. He taught school in Fort Jennings, Ohio. He would one day become the mayor of Delphos but by then I would have been long gone. I saw that he ended up in court in Van Wert, Ohio about some improprieties while he was the mayor of Delphos. Don’t know the outcome and don’t really care. When I knew him he was a hard working man and a good provider and that is the way I’ll remember him. His wife’s name was Peg. Peg from Texas. Harold met her while he was stationed there in the army I believe. Peg was tall, leggy, long dark hair, and a Texas drawl that went on forever. She kept house and to herself mostly. Nice woman, never saw her mad at all. They had 2 children Kathy and Mike. Kathy was about my age and Mike was maybe a year or so younger. They were good kids. Strict Catholics they were. Nice family all around. Harold liked big old cars and he had a couple of them that he liked to polish up on the weekends. I remember the red convertible. Man, Harold loved to cruise in that one. When he was coming down the street he was just so laid back enjoying the ride. I’d swear he’d learned the Detroit Lean from somewhere.
* End note. I have no idea of the correct spelling of the families names so I have spelled them out best I can remember them sounding. The names are real as are the families...
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The move to 729 South Erie Street, Delphos, Ohio (Marbletown)
Somewhere between kindergarten and 1st grade we moved from South Main Street to South Erie Street. The move was still inside the city limits of Delphos but Erie Street was on the other side of the canal from where we had been living. We would now be living in Van Wert County instead of Allen County but still in Delphos.
Erie Street was on the edge of town. All around us were fields of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. In fact what dad had bought was a corner of a large triangular shaped field. There were houses in front of ours but to the side and rear were wide open fields. There was a small paved road which bisected the field and also made up one side of the triangle. Beyond that the land dropped off gradually then into a tree line. Erie Street made up the second side of the triangle and then another street made up the third side. Nobody lived on the triangle but us.
The house we moved into dad had built with his VA benefits I'm sure. A light brick rambler with a white roof. It had 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, dining room, and front room. And then we had a really large family room which is also where the washer, dryer, and freezer were. The windows in the bedrooms were located very high and were long. My brother and I shared one room; my sister had one room, and then my folk’s room. It had a sliding glass door off the kitchen going out the back to a cement slab patio which had a cement sidewalk that went from the patio over to the side of the house where the driveway was. The driveway came up from the street to the side of the house. There was a side door that went into the family room. The driveway was asphalt. We had a front door which also had a cement sidewalk which ran over to the driveway.
I don't remember much about the move other than my brother David and I wound up with a new pair of bunk beds that we didn't have before. I do remember the yard was huge. I mean huge. I know I mowed it most of the time. No one else had one as big as us unless it was a field. We also had a TV antenna mounted on a tower. The tower was very high. How high I have no idea. I would guess maybe 35 to 45 feet. I used to climb it all the time. Good view.
So now I was an official resident of Marbletown. Marbletown was pretty hard to define. There were no signs, nothing on the map, hardly a word about it anywhere. But, nonetheless, it existed. Just like the air we breathe. We can't see it but we know it's there. Everyone in Delphos knew where Marbletown was. When I'd tell people where I lived they'd say "Oh, you live out in Marbletown". I have no idea where it starts or where it ends and I don't think anyone else does either. It is an area of Delphos defined by its location and as far as I know unless you are from Delphos you won't know it exists at all. The only Marbletown listed that I know of is in New York State. Marbletown...what a place to grow up. I wouldn't trade all days I lived in Marbletown for one single tomorrow.
Erie Street was on the edge of town. All around us were fields of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. In fact what dad had bought was a corner of a large triangular shaped field. There were houses in front of ours but to the side and rear were wide open fields. There was a small paved road which bisected the field and also made up one side of the triangle. Beyond that the land dropped off gradually then into a tree line. Erie Street made up the second side of the triangle and then another street made up the third side. Nobody lived on the triangle but us.
The house we moved into dad had built with his VA benefits I'm sure. A light brick rambler with a white roof. It had 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, dining room, and front room. And then we had a really large family room which is also where the washer, dryer, and freezer were. The windows in the bedrooms were located very high and were long. My brother and I shared one room; my sister had one room, and then my folk’s room. It had a sliding glass door off the kitchen going out the back to a cement slab patio which had a cement sidewalk that went from the patio over to the side of the house where the driveway was. The driveway came up from the street to the side of the house. There was a side door that went into the family room. The driveway was asphalt. We had a front door which also had a cement sidewalk which ran over to the driveway.
I don't remember much about the move other than my brother David and I wound up with a new pair of bunk beds that we didn't have before. I do remember the yard was huge. I mean huge. I know I mowed it most of the time. No one else had one as big as us unless it was a field. We also had a TV antenna mounted on a tower. The tower was very high. How high I have no idea. I would guess maybe 35 to 45 feet. I used to climb it all the time. Good view.
So now I was an official resident of Marbletown. Marbletown was pretty hard to define. There were no signs, nothing on the map, hardly a word about it anywhere. But, nonetheless, it existed. Just like the air we breathe. We can't see it but we know it's there. Everyone in Delphos knew where Marbletown was. When I'd tell people where I lived they'd say "Oh, you live out in Marbletown". I have no idea where it starts or where it ends and I don't think anyone else does either. It is an area of Delphos defined by its location and as far as I know unless you are from Delphos you won't know it exists at all. The only Marbletown listed that I know of is in New York State. Marbletown...what a place to grow up. I wouldn't trade all days I lived in Marbletown for one single tomorrow.
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