some folks have deep roots

—– Original Message —–

Friday, April 18, 2008 12:26:03 PM
Message From: mwdole
Subject: History
To: Steven Duffy

Duffy, I loved your history blogs about Antioch in the twenties. My parents, Margaret and Harvey Welsh attended the college in that era. I think they read in the Readers Digest about the new coop plan that Arthur Morgan had started, At any rate they transferred to the college from Grinnell and the University of Minnesota respectively. My father graduated about 1923 and my mother in 1927. (I attended her graduation.) I have a picture of my father in front of the equipment for Antioch‚s first radio station. My mother had a coop job in Dayton, demonstrating stoves. She later had a part time secretarial job with Senator S.D. Fess (former president of Antioch) whose home was on Xenia Avenue. My folks had a great anecdote about Yellow Springs water. It seems that one of the professors was accustomed to taking his morning shower in the gym. When the village announced that they were temporarily cutting off the town water for maintenance and warned people not to turn the water on until further notice, this professor said he was dammed if he was going to give up his shower. So he went to the gym, turned on the water and soaped up. Suddenly the water slowed and gushed out this horrible yellow slush mixture all over him.

Marj Dole Œ46

Back to the cultivation of Hugh Taylor Birch’s friendship….

The next summer the papers were full of the accounts of another Florida Hurricane. remembering Mr. Birch’s worries over his coconut palms, which had greatly suffered in the earlier storm. wrote him that I hoped they were not badly hit again. My letter seemed to re awaken his interest. After he had investigated and been assured that we lived sufficiently well for him to visit us ( I heard directly), he wired me he would stop for lunch with us. In those days he was good company and really lonesome for companionship. He and arthur found a great deal in common in their love of the out-of-doors. He liked our house The Morgan House on Limestone Street), though he said it was quite too small. Lottie, my cook and friend, and I learned to serve him the meals he had ecied on, alfalfa tea, yolks of eggs without any whites, etc.,etc. Remembering his early days in the Glen as a boy and later as a student under Edward Orton,…. he conceived the plan of purchasing the Glen as a meorial to his daughter Helen, who had died a few year before. He spent a good deal of time with us as he annexed tract after tyract of land along Yellow Springs creek and the the Little Miami River to complete his dream of “Glen Helen”. Almost at once he demanded “a book about it.” Allyn Swinnerton and Ondess Inman complied with good scientifioc descirptions. He looked them over and said, “This is not what I want”. But no one could find out what he did want, so Aniona Spitler, an Antioch graduate, and I went to visit him in his summer house in Massachusetts to see if we could solve the problem. When we settled down to it, it did not take long to find out that he wanted a book about Hugh Taylor Birch, and as his life had been really interesting, we got along very well writing “The Story of Glen Helen” Then he got me to superintend building and furnishing a new home at the southern end of Glen Helen, and he sett;ed down to enjoy it all…….

In the story of Glen Helen, Mrs. Jessie Armstrong’s part must be told. She proposed to Arthur in 1926 a memorial at Antioch to her husband. The Glen had been purchased, but was still unpaid for. She said it was just the sort of thing he would have liked and paid for it. In 1928 when Mr. Birch wanted it, Arthur said, “But it is already given as a memorial.” Mr. Birch brushed that aside with :Oh, let her give something else” That did not seem to us just the proper proceeding, but we did let Mrs. Armstrong know of the propsal, and she generously said..”Surely I will let him have it.” She then gave the money for the college power plant, which though not as romantic, was also a valuable aset to the college, as well as an appropriate memorial to her engineer husband…….. . pioneering days continues on to talk about the Foundry, The Antioch Shoe Company, and the Antioch Press..early industries in YS….

and finally Lucy tawks about her Limestone street home which is now the Bed and Breakfast…

Our house at 120 West Limestone was my dream houese…we had many happy times there/ We took folks in to live with us after both the early college fires, and for all sorts of other emergencies. It was a fine place for parties, but it seemed it must have been fore-ordained as a co-op houyse, for the dumb-waiter, which was a very casual result of a visitor’s suggestion just at a time in construction when it could be easily added, proved to be the indispensible item for the use to which I put it in 1931 and ‘32. It was sad for me to leave the house, but it is a joy to see the students using it.

To all Antiochians and friends of Antioch who read this, Arthur and I send our greetings.

Well..again..non-stop Arthur…it’s part of our colective legacy that we take for granted.

Imagine Ralph Walso Emerson vacating in YS…..

I guess I had a celebrity sit with me in YS as well….remembering Stokely Carmichael and others feasting on Gabby’s ribs in his speak easy on Stafford street circa 1983 or so.

It is a shame for theese light bulbs to go dim….

Duffy’77

Just a little this and that still from Pioneering Days at Antioch by Lucy Griscom Morgan Antioch Press 1947

When we first settled in Yellow Springs there was much excitement over the land along the Little Miami river that Mr. Bryan, a Cincinnati soap manufacturer, had bequethed to the state. At the demand of some ministerial asociation, the governor had refused to accept it because Bryan was an “atheist” having made the confition that public religious services could not be held there. He also specified that there should be no discrimination on account of race or color. I never heard just what brnad of “atheism” he professed, but a good many people felt that it had not injured the hills and the trees, so a mass meeting was called to remonstrate and we were fortunately numerous and vocal enough to get the legislature to accept the land–over the Governor’s veto. It is now John Bryan State Par. There was considerable feeling about it and Arthur’s part in it was criticised in some quarters……..

….The Little Miami gorge on Bryan farm was the traditional destination of the May walk, originated by Horace Mann “on the first pleasant Friday in May.” In our early days the food was always sent as near to the resting place as possible by truck, but as the present paths had not been made, all such supplies had to be lowerd down the cliff by ropes to the picnic site, which was close to the river and further upstream than the presnet “shelter”.

Those “May Walks” remain delightful memmories in spite of the time all the faculty children got lost and to be hunted in the dark !

…….among the early students we had a variety of background. One girl confided to me thast she had never been on train until she started to Antioch. Another girl from the hills had heard of doorbells but never heard one…..

..admirers of Emerson may be interested to know that when he visited the Horace Manns he liked to sit their house at the window overlooking the campus, which corresponded to the one in the library to the east of the front door, the library having been built on the foundation of the Horace Mann House after it burned. (btw Most recently this window was Risa Grimes’ office before IA was eliminated) ……

Probably the most picturesque experience in my life was finding Hugh Taylor Birch. In February 1929, my friend Sara Chambers and I decided we were too deep in “ruts”. I bought a little two door sedan, Harris Peckham, an Antioch student made it over so we could sleep in it, and off we went. The college badly needed money, and Arthur was in California hunting finances. Just before I left for Florida, Frssa Inman called me in and told me of a wealthy man who had all the graduated in 1869 and could help, but the college had never been able to get the slioghtest response from him, and would I try? The adddress she gave me was Bonnet House, Fort Lauderdale. When we arrived there I inquired for such a hotel all in vain until almost ready to give up. Thern I found that he was an almost fabulous figure there, and the Bonnet House was his difficult to reach home. When we fund it a few miles from Fort Lauderdale, a sign at the entrance warned all intruders to stay out, but we dared all and drove in along a half mile of sandy, rutty road to a lonesome gate with a little bell, but nothing happened. Just before my courage gave out an auto drove up behind me with a very edlderly man in the back seat. Said I, “Could this be Mr. Birch/” Said he “Could this be Mrs. Morgan? I’ve been looking for you for days.”. We were made completely at home. As luck would have it, Sara Chambers and I are both truly interested in trees and plants, and neither of us is afraid of walking in wild places. That litt;le fact probably won Mr. Birch for Antioch. He told us that he knew no other women who would so wander about with him. We hgad a really delighful time seeing all his rare plants, and he asked us to come again, but solmemnly warned me….”NEVER ASK ME TO GO TO YELLOW SPRINGS> I was badly treated there and nothing can induce me to go back.” So I could not give the college a verty hopeful report……

end this transcription stayed tuned

non stop Arthur and the rest…

from bright blue and green YS……commencement is ten daze away.

with a good stretch of warmth…..the violets shoud soon have the company of pink smelly crabapples..and May Apples should be rising in the Glen…

Maybe some of us should take a May walk on that first pleasant Friday..

again non stop Arthur

Duffy ‘77

Since last time Arthur and Lucy got their home…. partial transcription from Pioneering Days at Antioch yes, 1947 Antioch Press and by Lucy G. Morgan…

and a little fast forwarding….

One of Arthur’s original ideas is now so generally accepted that few people realize what an innovation it was in 1921. He felt that neither the old-time college entrance examination nor high-school certification would provide the student body he wanted. He therefore initiated what was then an entirely new method of appraising and selecting students. He gathered information concerning them from a wide variety of sources which included medical examinations, high school and other references, letters from parents, a photograph, and a form of application which required the student to write almost an autobiography. We remember how one applicant ended his paper with the remark, “This leaves me feeling my soul is naked.”

………….fast forwarding a little……

ah some co-op tidbit to come…and other tidbits…

The jobs, too, were pioneering. The Tea Room had its very small beginning that first year. Two girls were given a dingey room on the northwest corner of North Hall. They cleaened and repainted it themselves and served sandwiches, hamburgers, etc..under the supervision of Julia Turner. She told me that a skeptic about the Antioch plan was scoffing at their being any educational value in such work. Julia sent for one of the girls and had the visitor question her. It was Buffy Dennison, Henry Dennison”s daughter, and she rather dramatically said, “If all these alls were lined with shelves and every shelf were full of books and I had read them all, I wouold not have learned as much as I have on this job.”

The next year two boys had the Tea Room in the Horace Mann House, and when that burned they moved to the old house, which in its enlarged form is the Tea Room.

fast forward some…During the first few years there were many co-op jobs in Dayton and the group of boys and girls working there organized a ahouse to live in. We had sewing parties in our living room to hem curtains, etc., for them……

In 1929 Arthur was about to start for New York and as usual, he knew he would have to face questions about the educational value of jobs in accrediting Antioch. In those days I knew a number of the students quite well, and I went over to the Dining Room at breakfast time and asked about a dozen students to write in a few minutes what they learned on their jobs. Their replies were so intelligent that the college reproduced them in a very effective leaflet, “Dick Whittington finds Antioch.” I remember another time when we referred a skeptic to the students. A man from the General Education Board could see no value in the Glen, so Arthur said, “Go ask the students.” He came saying he felt from their response that he had almost risked his life when he had raised the question with them. Julia Turner, who had charge of fedding students did a great deal in popularizing the Glen. Sometimes on good days she would announce a picnic, telling everyone to take alunch fromthe dining room and go. She began serving meals in North Hall when the kitchen floor was only clay..

.end this installment.

I would wish that things might work out so some of this year’s freshmen might be able to have that co-op job experience. It is really only been a partial Antioch Adventure for you.

Duffy

For those of you out there….this is the last fortnight of the current College..maybe ..I hope the next “pioneers” will do as well as Arthur and Lucy. No running water and no paved streets.? Now people go ballistic when a server goes down and the inernet is unavailable for twenty minutes… or stressed that the photopcopier doesn’t staple their copies automatically…

It is like a one liner from Elayne Boosler, comedienne..who tawks about the modern age and herself…saying..yeah..put it in the microwave and hurry up. whadya think I got all minute?

Don’t know if I signed out appropriately last time

….Non stop Arthur!

or because

From Pioneering Days at Antioch by Lucy G. Morgan 1947 Antioch Press

Back to the early and roaring 20’s…..

The village had no water supply. Luckily, Arthur knew the Ohio Conservancy Act which he helped write for the flood protection work at Dayton, and knew that al almost identical law had been re-enacted for water supply districts. Under this the Yellow Spring (along with the Glen) could be appropriated as a source of water for a sewer system. Those of us who lived there will never forget the deposits of iron and lime left daily by Yellow Springs water in all ou sinks and basins, but it was wonderful to have running water. Primarily it was even more important in preventing the Glen being sold as an amusement park, as we found had been planned.

The scarcity of houses then was, as always acute. The Nashes camped out temporarily in North Hall. As soon as we knew we were to live in Yellow Springs, I began to agitate to get a house on what as then cllaed the “Means Lawn.” It had been the home of Judge Mills, who gave the original land for the college, but l;ong ago he has sold it to Mr. Means, who by 1921 was a 90 year old invalid. The property was then taken in the name of his son-in-law, W.A. Julian, of Cincinnati. We were told b y everyone that many people had tried in vain to buy it. One day in the summer of 1921, while we were living at the Englewood Dam, Arthur had a phone call from Cincinnati, saying that we could have the sixteen acres if we would pay cash. Arthur called me from Dayton to ask about our finances. Luckliy by using all our bank account and getting a mortgage for the rest, we were able to close the bargain. Next day, Julian said he preferred to keep it himsrlf, but we had it and could start planning the faculty houses. Louis Grandgent, who had recently graduated in architecture from Harvard, and had specialized in colonial houses, was added to thefaculty, and our building program was started, using college endowment funds for the college faculty homes, while we financed our own. As jobs had already become scarce, some college boys worked on the houses. For some years afterward I would frequently hear some boy at a party reamark “I helped carry the bathtub up in this house,” etc. etc.

The old Horace Mann house, (btw now Weston) on the foundation of which the college library was later built, was still standing, but Mrs. Weston, who had tried living in it, warned me, “It is a woman-killer” At any rate, it was needed as a college dormitory, so we started to build the Morgan House on the Lawn and were fortunate enough in being able to buy a brand-new house on Davis Street as a temporary home. Until after Christmas that first year, we amomg newcomers had the only house, and it became a center of social life. We had been so anxious for a home that we bought it over the telephone “sight-unseen”, and moved in without any idea of its internal arrangement. Knowing George Drake, of whom we bought it, we felt entirely safe.

By autumn Mr.eans had died, and the college was legally entitled to that big house, but “Miss Pearl” his daughter, always had some excuse for not moving out……..stay tuned for Part 3

Duffy