Georgia Culpepper Archives
Model T Days in Lone Oak
By
Eleanor Culpepper Willingham
For her 100th Birthday

October 14, 2008
Edited by Nancy Grace Johnson Gray

Lone Oak is located in the northwest corner of Meriwether County. It was incorporated November 15, 1901.

This record will include facts about growing up in Lone Oak. The main characters are three people, two sisters and one first cousin, Margaret 1906, Florence 1907, and Eleanor 1908. They lived in Lone Oak on opposite sides of the road. They played together and often had meals together.

Margaret and Eleanor were daughters of Dora and Homer Culpepper and Florence was the daughter of Grace and George Culpepper. Also living in the Homer Culpepper household were Dora’s parents, Louise D. Ellis Herring and James Stokes Herring. Louise Herring was very well educated and had taught French at LaGrange College. She had a great influence on both households. Her husband was blind.

Homer’s first automobile was a Maxwell. During the years he had two other Ford automobiles. The last one had a canvas top and in case of rain curtains could be attached at the sides. Sometimes he had to heat water and pour on the manifold to be able to crank it by hand. This was in cold weather. My sister would sit in the front seat to work the levers to help start it when it sounded like it might start.

Uncle George owned a large dark horse named Dock. He always kept a good buggy . Homer owned a smaller Bay mare named Kate which was a saddle horse. These animals played a big part in our daily lives. We learned to hitch the horse to the buggy.

Both families had cows and churned the milk to make butter. Hogs were also a part of the farm animals. We learned to milk the cows. Chickens furnished food and eggs for home use and for sale.

At the first of the week we never knew what our activities would be during the week.

For breakfast we would have scrambled eggs, ham or sausage and hot biscuits. Our grandmother has a “Special” dish she used for making “soft toast” from toasted biscuits. We drank what we called “hot water tea”. This was mostly sweet milk with hot water.

Description of Meals

We had meals prepared from vegetables grown in the garden for dinner. Since there was no refrigeration, supper was composed of leftovers from dinner. Food was left on the table and covered with a cheese cloth. Our drink was usually buttermilk. Sometimes on the week end we had ice tea. We would go to the store and buy a chunk of ice and bury it in cotton seed hulls at the barn until we used it.

Meals were cooked on a wood stove. My mother was a wonderful cook and made delicious cakes. When electricity came to Lone Oak, she changed to an electric range. Her days were spent preparing for the family. In her spare time she made certain that we had good books to read and encouraged us to speak correctly.

Our families had wonderful gardens with all types of vegetables. This was an asset to the food supply. Fruit trees were bountiful and afforded enough for eating and canning.

Our mother taught us to do general house cleaning, how to make beds and leave the covers spread up neatly. We helped in the kitchen by washing and drying dishes. At meal time she taught us how to set the table, (we always used cloth napkins beside the plates). We helped in preparing vegetables for cooking and she instructed us in the methods of cooking and seasoning foods.

We swept the yards outdoors. No grass grew in the yards and we swept with “brush brooms” made from switches cut from fine limbs of trees. Since we had a wood stove, we carried in stove wood and picked up chips at the woodpile to help with the fire in the fireplace.

Tricks Played on Eleanor

Growing up as the youngest of three was not easy. Margaret and Florence were full of foolishness and liked good clean fun. I tried to cooperate and do everything they asked me to do.

In growing up a teenager did not rate unless she owned a pair of black bloomers. I was so proud of mine. One day we were playing in the pasture and Margaret and Florence took me by the hand and started to run down a sloping hill. I fell down and since this was a cow pasture, the rest of the story was that my black bloomers were ruined as I was dragged along.

They put me in a chicken coop and mashed my little toe. When I cried out Mama came to my rescue.

Florence’s Mother had a beautiful plant of cayenne pepper which was loaded with red and green pods. They each took a pod of red pepper and put it in their mouths pretending to chew it. Of course, I took one and chewed it with drastic results.

In the stream below the house they made a pond about one foot deep and put me in an oval shaped tub to sail down the stream. Naturally it turned over and I crawled out.

Each of us had bicycles. Margaret and Florence had new ones. Mine was second-hand. We took rides around the house and on the sidewalk, but not in the road. My bicycle was not running well and sometimes it would just stop and the wheels spin and I could not keep up with them. I cried for them to wait for me.

They put me in a wicker baby carriage and placed it on an incline and pushed it down. Fortunately it hit an obstacle and stopped.

The next item was fun for all. Whenever a hard rain came with no thunder and lightening, we put on old dresses and had a grand time getting soaked by the rain

In playing in the pasture, there was a ditch about 5 feet wide which we called the big gully. Margaret and Florence could jump across with little effort. They told me that I could do it if I would get a running start from a slight hillside. I ran up the hill to get started and when I got to the edge of the ditch coming down I stopped. I fell in the ditch which was full of trash, briars, and possibly snakes, of course was very funny to them after they pulled me out of this gully.

Church Affiliations

All characters mentioned were members of Old Prospect Church (now Allen Lee Memorial UMC). Homer Culpepper was Superintendent of the Sunday school. Louise D. Herring taught the primary class. There were other good teachers for all classes. All family members attended Sunday school and Church Services. We had new dresses for special occasions. Our Mother remained at home with our grandfather due to the fact that he was blind. We children asked our father for a penny to put in the Sunday School Collection. Aunt Grace and Uncle George Culpepper were faithful members. She taught a class of young men. They drove old Dock to church and hitched him to a tree near the church. Florence happened to look out the window and saw that he had gotten loose from the tree. She left her seat in church and went out and brought him back to the tree.

Christmas Dinner

It was the custom for the whole family to go to Greenville for Christmas dinner at the home of Ellen and Simeon Culpepper, our grandparents. We started out in the old Ford and when we were about half way, the car broke down. Our dad knew a reliable black man who had a good mule and buggy. He borrowed the mule and buggy and we returned home to a Christmas dinner of cold sweet potatoes. My sister and I were so dressed up with new hair bows and clasps that we wanted the family to see.

During the summer months, we enjoyed exchanging visits for a few days a week with our cousins. They lived in Greenville and it was a treat to be in Town.

Digging for Indian Relics

In wandering over the farm we found many arrow heads. We had the idea that Indians had occupied the territory near our house.

We had a family of black people on the place that had two good size boys. We employed them to dig for relics. They dug deep holes which resembled a gully, but we never found anything. An older man on the place told us where some additional graves were located, but we discarded the idea of any further digging. The holes we dug are still open on Nancy Gray’s grounds.

Swimming Pool

In the 1930’s, a swimming pool was built on the property of my father, Homer L. Culpepper, under the supervision of Sanford Prickett and other interested individuals. The walls of the pool were made from planks of green lumber, thus preserving the walls. The pool was filled by water from a wonderful fresh water spring. A tenant house was used for a bath house. We built a hammock from barrel staves held together by wire. This lasted for several years giving much pleasure to young and middle age people.

Visits With Our Uncle Edgar At His Home

Our favorite uncle Edgar Culpepper, who was confined to his home with arthritis, lived next door. We three children visited with him and played Set Back. He could handle the cards and it helped to pass the time for him. Frequently two of us would get irritated with each other and he would say, “hear me, hear me, if you all don’t quiet down you can go home.” In other words we listened to him because we liked to play at his house. He was very cheerful in spite of his health problems. He sat on his front porch and we enjoyed playing around in the yard.

Story Telling by Homer Culpepper

Our dad was a good story teller. He often entertained us in this way. One year he had planted some corn and later discovered it was planted too thick. He carried the three of us to the field to help him thin the corn. As soon as we undertook the task, he began to tell us tales. As we were going along at the job a black runner came out of the weeds in front of Florence. He continued telling tales and told us the snake would run from us. We continued our task until the patch was clean. He made a good crop.

On other occasions, he looked after the farm a few miles from home. He always went in the buggy and my sister and I went with him. I always had to sit in the foot of the buggy, facing my dad and sister (back to the horse). On day the grass was green and the horse had been grazing the green grass. All of a sudden I cried out “my back is wet”. They almost wanted to make me walk back home. When we arrived I was almost in tears because they had laughed at me so much. Mama wanted to know what the trouble was and of course provided clean clothes for me.

The Buzzard Story

Whenever either household had a chicken to die, they threw them in a nearby ditch. We decided that we wanted to get close and look at a buzzard, when it came to devour the chickens. We found just the place to watch under some low limbs of a pine tree. We called our cousin, Thomas Culpepper, who was visiting our Uncle and Aunt next door. All were well hidden under the limbs. After a while, the buzzard came on the scene. The conversation went something like this, “now Eleanor you be sure and be quiet”. About the time the buzzard got on the ground, I hollered “SHOO”. We never got a good look at him and of course I was blamed for failure of the plan.

Christmas With Santa Claus

At Christmas time we hung up our mother’s everyday black stocking. Santa put nuts, oranges, dried raisins on the stem and candy. Then he brought us big dolls with real hair and eyes that would close. My doll was named Sara, Margaret’s was named Mary and Florence’s was named Lucile.

One Christmas, Santa brought us the book Pollyanna. In the front of the book the following was written. To: Margaret and Eleanor, From: Santa Claus. We recognized our mother’s handwriting.

Playing With Dolls

We made play houses in a tenant house on our place and after playing a few months moved upstairs to Florence’s house. There was no electricity but we even tied some discarded light bulbs from the ceiling to pretend we had electricity. At intervals Santa brought doll beds, chairs, doll carriages, tea sets and other household items. We moved back and forth to the tenant house every few weeks.

Pets

We had grown dogs and puppies. We always had a little house dog and cats and kittens. We liked to watch the kittens play and their mothers take care of them. We also had a calf which made a good pet. We had a pet crow which we tamed with a whistle. He liked to play with the kittens. He remained with us for about a year. He finally heard the call of the wild.

Uncle George, Florence’s father, made a halter for our pet calf so that we could lead him around. We had a small wagon, but the hind wheels had been taken off or lost. We hitched the calf to this wagon and when we tried to drive him, the body of the wagon began to strike his legs. We turned him loose and a handy man who helped around the farm caught him. Our pasture joined a neighbor’s pasture. In the runaway deal the mule in the pasture brayed and the cow mooed. Everyone hollered except Johnnie, the handy man.

Games We Played

We played hopscotch, jackstones, marbles, mumble peg, jump rope, played ball and hide and seek. In the pasture below the house a good stream of water afforded wading and at times we built a dam to make a pond about knee deep. In the branch we learned about tadpoles and how they became frogs. When we found a good patch of sand, we poured water on it and barefoot made frog houses by covering up our feet and pulling them out leaving holes for the doors. 

In the dry sand we had a little verse to make a doodle bug come out “Doodle, Doodle come out of your hole and I will give you a lump of sugar.” We tied a thread to the leg of June bugs to see them fly around.

We took long walks in the woods, under the supervision of our Aunt Margaret who taught us lots about nature. We climbed trees and had an acting pole about three feet from the ground. When fruit was ripe, we climbed the fruit trees and ate all we wanted. We had, peaches, pears, apple and plum trees. I had gained weight and Uncle Edgar nick named me “Chunk”.

Cooking on a wood stove

Before electricity came to Lone Oak, my mother cooked on a wood stove. She made delicious cakes. Her days were spent in preparing things for the family. In her spare time she made certain that we had good books to read and encouraged us to speak correctly.

The First Radio

The first radio we had was operated by batteries. Later we had one operated by electricity.

Telephone Line

Citizens of Lone Oak invested in a telephone line. This covered the territory occupied by the citizens. We were able to make calls to town. Whenever the phone was out of order, someone would check it and find wires crossed. This was usually the cause for trouble. The telephones were mounted on the wall in a convenient location. People really visited over the phone. Each family had a different ring. At our house our ring was three shorts.

Joy Ride by Margaret and Florence

Margaret and Florence wanted to visit a cousin several miles away. Uncle George hitched up old Dock to the buggy. They had to go through the middle of Lone Oak, where Mr. Burrell Wise, who had a store, had a little motor he used to charge batteries for lights. When they started home and reached the middle of Lone Oak, Mr. Wise started up the motor and old Dock put his tail in the air and started to gallop toward home. Florence had the lines and was trying to calm him and Margaret was saying “Hold him in the road Florence, hold him in the road,” repeating every breath. When they reached the corner at driveway he turned (almost on two wheels) and carried them to the barn. Uncle George took charge.

A Trip to Florida

This item involves my mother, Uncle Albert, Florence, Margaret and Eleanor. My Aunt Margaret, who married late in life to an old flame had moved to New York. They bought a few acres in Florida, and built a small house. He returned to New York and left Auntie in Florida.

We started out in a Model T Ford. We had trouble about 40 miles on the way, but finally reached our destination. Florence did most of the driving and Mama sat on the front seat with her. Uncle Albert sat with us on the back seat. He loved his chewing tobacco. Such a sprinkling we did get as we drove along. He had carried a small bottle of liquor along in case of snake bite he said. He was not a drinking man.

On the way back we had a flat tire. A man in a truck stopped and repaired it. Uncle Albert offered to pay him, but he refused the pay. Uncle Albert gave him the bottle of liquor, saying you are a “good fellow”.

School Days

The school building was located near the cross roads in Lone Oak. It was about one half mile from our homes. We walked to school every day and carried a lunch. Some of the pupils had lunch boxes. Our dogs followed us to school almost every day. We were very much amused when “Old Sager” stole a pupil’s lunch box and carried it home.

The building consisted of two rooms. One was smaller and we called it the little room and the other one the big room. Pupils sat in double desks. Girls sat on one side of the room and boys sat on the other side. Only ten grades were offered (five in each room). Pupils were called to the front to sit on a recitation bench for the lesson.

We had good teachers. A couple, man and wife, and some younger teacher and a good principal. They taught us songs as well as studies in the book.

We played various games at recess and lunch time. We had 30 minutes for recess, morning and afternoon, and one hour for lunch. At intervals we recited poems which we had learned in class for afternoon program. If a shower came up at closing time, we were glad to see Florence’s mother driving old “Dock” to take us home with hoods. Our mothers had bought us raincoats with hoods and of course, we were glad to try them out along with the leather lap robe to keep rain off.

We were allowed to visit with our friends after school for a short time, but we knew we had to get home, and after eating supper, get to the kitchen table and study for tomorrow by a kerosene lamp.

As we got to be teenagers, we were allowed to go to Hogansville to the movies under supervision. We had friends to come in and play cards. We got to be very good bridge players. All in all, growing up was a very rewarding experience.

The old Ford is ready to be retired to the shelter. Toot, Toot.

After we began to think about completing high school beyond the 10 grades offered in Lone Oak, Margaret and Florence, along with several friends entered State Normal School at Athens, Georgia after finishing high school they went on to enter college. All graduated and went into the teaching profession. I entered Grantville High School and graduated with first honor in 1925