Glen Of The Fair Hill - Monty Clendenin

Few of us today remember the farm at Newport. Lee Anthony captured some of the charm in his sketch of the Clendenin Oak and the horse drawn plough. At some point they moved to town and left the homestead and “Old Beauty” behind. We have always just assumed that it was because of the terrible Dust Bowl and the Depression. They lived in at least one other house before they moved near the Railroad tracks and the big concrete “Frady Hole” It always smelled of kerosene because of the old oil lamp. A piece of bacon on a string would keep us busy all day catching crawdads. The lamp is in my kitchen and graces the top shelf of ceramics, fancy German Beer bottles and Dad’s pipe tobacco canister and old pipes.

Granddaddy, as he told it “went to work for the public”, first taking time out to run a team of mules for the WPA or CCC to help build Lake Murray. In time he landed his dream job at the Carter County Court House. I remember him telling and showing us how to keep our shoes shined. He would always point out that the politicians and lawyers always had shiny shoes. – A true mark of success. – For most of my childhood I thought Granddaddy was the Governor of Oklahoma. He would take us on tour of the Carter County Court House and take us downstairs to gaze upon the humongous court record books. He would load us down with as many cigar boxes as we could carry. I knew that only the Governor could do something like that. I remember telling my friend next door that my Granddad was the Governor. He just laughed and humiliated this pre-teen boy by exclaiming that he was just the Janitor. I sent the little shit home with a busted lip and bloody nose. I felt a little better when I learned his title was Building Engineer.

I could go on and on about the wonderful memories of playing with cousins, playing at Murray State Park, skinning my knees while running full speed down the concrete ramp a Tucker Tower, riding and skiing in Sambo’s boat. In his later years our dad would tell us stories about “In my Taxi driving days” or ““Along about here, me and old Beauty pulled a water spicket out of the ground.” Many-a-time Daddy would fall asleep on Beauty after his Paper Route and Beauty knew her own way back home. For many years we thought Daddy’s memory was failing him because he told the same stories over and over. What I came to realize it was NOT a lapse in memory but a desire that we remember him. We do, and in this document is a Christmas Tree Card that is made with his PaClenism’s. This is a good place to stop today. I can’t see the keyboard thru my tears.

Before I close this chapter I’ll throw out some images that echo in my memory and I feel certain they will shake loose a few more from yours. Please add any memories that are special to you on your Family page…………

Remember these:

Granddaddy’s shoe-shine kit.
The stack of Dr. Pepper in the corner by the door from the screened-in porch to the kitchen. (They were “Peppers" before it was popular.)
The first time you had to duck the ceiling fan on the porch.
The crystal bowl of Peppermint Candy.
Granddaddy singing “We will understand it better by and by” as he helped Myrtle wash and dry the dishes.
The big Feather bed.
And of course the big RCA Victor Short Wave Radio.

Glen Of The Fair Hill A History of the Extended Clendenin Clan Monty Clendenin Chater 4The Depression the Dust Bowl And Leaving the Farm

Glen Of The Fair Hill
A History of the Extended Clendenin Clan
Monty Clendenin

Chater 4
The Depression the Dust Bowl And Leaving the Farm