INTERVIEWER: Tell me what you remember about the Iron Furnace.
RODNEY: Well the old mansion house, I’ve been in it many-a-time, and it
would have had my name if it was standing, in several rooms. And then there
was one more little house, that’s all I remember about houses. But the
church, I’ve been there several times too.
INTERVIEWER: In relation to the mansion house, where would you locate the church?
RODNEY: Well further in. A quarter of a mile, I expect from the mansion
house. The reason I went there, I never went to any services, I don’t
remember them ever having any. But the Christian Church used to have a
festival there every summer. And they’d go out there and they would have the
festival. I’ve been to several of them. That’s about all of the places you had to
go to in them days. Festivals or something like that you know. Go out there
and buy a saucer of ice cream for a nickel, 2 glasses of lemonade for a
nickel. And bananas a cent a piece, I think.
INTERVIEWER: Now when you were out there at that time, there used to be a
big pond, if you’re going toward the Furnace, it’s on the right hand side, there
used to be a big pond about a mile and a half across on the right hand side of
Old Furnace Road. You know there are two little bridges.
RODNEY: Which way were you going in from?
INTERVIEWER: Going in from Route 12, from Salisbury Road let’s say.
RODNEY: Up there by Albert Ardis’s?
INTERVIEWER: Yes, going in…..
RODNEY: Well we always went in the other way. The dirt road, you know,
came in there.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, you went in that way. If you came in that way, the pond
would have been on your right.
RODNEY: But we never saw any from that road.
INTERVIEWER: I really don’t think it was there at the turn of the century. I
think it had just grown up, into what it is now. Because it was…..
RODNEY: You wouldn’t seen it, we traveled high land, you know, and after we
crossed over there and through Nassawango Church and that bridge there,
why it went through the woods, and comin’ in from the other way, why you
cross bridges and, but I’ve never been either way on the water from there.
INTERVIEWER: You said your grandfather worked there?
RODNEY: My Grandfather Bounds worked there?
INTERVIEWER: What did he do?
RODNEY: I don’t know, I can’t tell you about that. One thing I remember him
tellin’ about oxen, blinded oxen. And an old mule that they called Jack. You
go to the stable and call him, why whoever, there wasn’t but one or two that
could handle him, I reckon. And go there and call him and he would come
around to the stable, but if you didn’t give him a chew of tobacco, he’d turn
around and kick at you.
INTERVIEWER: That’s a good one, I hadn’t heard that one.
RODNEY: You go up there on that bridge, you would have to blindfold them or
use blinders and you’d go up and turn around and come back. But that’s
about as much as I know. It’s just about like the first time I ever saw it, as it is
now, I guess. Maybe they repaired it a good bit.
INTERVIEWER: They’ve repaired it right much.
RODNEY: I’ve known it for 75 years anyway, if not more.
(END OF TRANSCRIPT)
The portion of the transcript published today was an excerpt. The full interview can be viewed at the following address where the audio is available as well.
(Corrected link address)
Bounds, Rodney (1892-1990) - Oral History & Folklife Portal - LibGuides at Worcester County Library
Check next Saturday for another interview in our Recollections series at The Pocomoke Public Eye.
No comments:
Post a Comment