Revised 1997 May 27
I am seeking the aid of former teachers and students to make this report historically accurate. Some details are likely to change.

Claude Eddleman Farm (1939-1958)

Community Activities

Some of the work was done by the community working together. A long steady ring on the telepnone that stopped occasionally meant a fire and if you took down the receiver you would learn where. Luckily that happen only twice in 20 years. The first time Logan Jenkins, Ray's dad, barn was on fire due to spontaneous combustion of new hay. It is always a problem getting hay dry and if you plunge your hand or a thermometer into a loft or bale, you can usually detect some increase of temperature above ambient due to respiration of the dying plant matter or action of microbes. Neighbors threw lots of buckets of water on the blaze, but it was far along before discovery and it is very unlikely that a hay fire can be extinguished. He also lost his wheat grain stored in the same barn. If a barn was lost, a farmer could seldom afford to replace it because lumber cost more than when the barns were built 70 years earlier.

The second time we had a fire in the community it was inside a wall at a stove in the house across the highway from our house. Quick chopping of the wall and two buckets of water ended that fire with only a few dollars damage. As they talked afterward, I learned how plaster was made in the community. The sand came from a small pit on the north side of Pilot Knob hill where the massive Mansfield sandstone had a soft spot. However these were modern times (1948) and they used "store bought" plaster to make the repairs. As usually happened, dad was hired to make the repair. He had the reputation of doing a good job of fixing most any problem and he did not charge much. Often he probably just exchanged his labor for their help with his crops.

Many farm jobs go better if two or three work at the job. Therefore, it was a common practice to help a neighbor and then he would help you. It was customary to settle accounts between christmas and New Years Day--usually at $1 for an eight hour day. Thus, if a neighbor helped you 12 hours more than you helped him during 1942, you owed him $1.50 payable by New Years Day.

Threshing ring

Corn shredding

to be continued.

Suggestions, corrections, and comments are appreciated: Contact Harold Eddleman indbio@disknet.com