Jeffery Cocansparger of South Main...

I had mentioned Waterworks Park earlier. I don’t know what was so special about it. Maybe all the tall trees or all the playground equipment. It was just a cool place. There were always people there. Lots of kids. Fine place for picnics also. The park was old you could tell by the age of some of the equipment. It was opened in 1923 and as far as I know has remained open since.

I don’t remember a lot about living on South Main Street but I do remember a kid name Jeffery Cocansparger. Jeffery was a neat kid. He was funny and I liked being around him because he was always laughing. His ears stuck out from the side of his head and he had a long with an oval shaped face he was just cool looking. Add the laugh and there you have him. Jeffery. We played together a lot whenever he could get away from his house. I don’t remember where I me him. I do remember his mom was like the wicked witch of the west. She always wore a frown. Jeff lived in the very last house on South Main Street on the corner lot when you took a right to go over the canal bridge. I believe his dad may have worked at the post office. One day Jeffery and I were playing in the backyard of an old abandoned house. It was located about halfway between my house and his. You could tell someone still owned it as it was being taken care of but I don’t remember anyone ever living there. It was always empty. Out of the blue Jeff picked up a stone and threw it at a glass window of the house. It broke out rather nicely I’d say. Well I think that someone living very close by saw what happened because it wasn’t even a few minutes later here come Jeffery’s mom like a tornado. She marched up to Jeffery and grabbed him and then looked at me and said “You are the trouble of all this” and then proceeded to haul Jeffery off. I was dumbfounded. What the hell did she mean by that remark? I didn’t talk him into throwing the stone. He was on his own. I hadn’t even picked up a stone. Oh well, maybe she was mad because he got into trouble and I didn’t. I didn’t see Jeffery for a long time but I can assure you it wouldn’t be the last time you’d hear of us getting into trouble together.

Photo Credit:

"Bandstand at Waterworks Park" Courtesy of Delphos Historical Society Published on Web site:http://www.delphos-ohio.com/history/Holdgreve/Waterworks_Park.htm Window to the past - Waterworks Park History by Bob Holdgreve