Progress Notes

Throughout the more than three years that our website has been up I have written occasionally about some of our better known Miller County physicians. More than likely (depending on if you are close to my age), if you have a heritage in Miller County, you will find something on our website about the doctor you had growing up. Just type the doctor’s last name in our site search tool (one is placed at the top of this page) and see if we have presented that physician’s history.

Through the years a good number of doctors have practiced in the county, some for shorter periods of time such that they didn’t become as well known as others. And the farther back in time they practiced here the less well known they are today. However, the physician I will be discussing this week, whose practice began in the 19th Century and continued until the 20th Century, was very well known and recognized as one of our most skilled and beloved practioners. His name is Grant Daniel Walker M.D. (photo 01).

01 Dr. Walker with first son John

His parents came to northern Miller County in 1845 settling on a farm six miles east of Eldon. In 1891 Dr. Walker married Miss Margaret Haynes, daughter of Joel Jefferson and Anna (Miller) Haynes. Mrs. Walker was a descendant of pioneer families in Miller County as well.

Note: I wrote about Mrs. Walker’s father and family, Joel Jefferson Haynes, in the Progress Notes of May 3.

Dr. Walker was one of the few Miller County physicians who were born and raised here, especially early on in the county’s history.

He attended The American Medical College of St. Louis, a rather prestigious institution of higher learning at the time. Here is a brief description of it:

Congressional Serial Set, Issue 2102
U.S. Document 2102
47th Congress, 2nd Session 1882-83
By United States Government printing Office
p. 150

The American Medical College of St. Louis was the only recognized eclectic school in 1882. The faculty embraced 10 professors and 1 adjunct professor, the students numbering 118, with a graduating class of 40. A good elementary English education is required for admission, and for graduation 3 years of study, 2 courses of lectures of 20 weeks each, and a satisfactory examination at the close.

Here is a photo of one of Dr. Walker’s textbooks in medical School (photo 01a):

01a Dr. Walker Textbook

The next photo is of one of the inside page where Dr. Walker gives his name and address as well as the letters AMC, which referred to the name of his medical school, the American Medical College of St. Louis (photo 01b).

01b Dr. Walker Textbook - Inside Page

While Dr. Walker was in St. Louis studying to become a physician he spent hours giving medical attention to the poor at The Free Clinic For The Poor. He is indicated in this photo by the arrow (photo 02).

02 Dr. Walker (marked by arrow) at Free Clinic
Click image for larger view

Upon graduation from American Medical College of St. Louis, Dr. Walker received his License (or “Sheepskin” as it is called below) to practice medicine in Missouri on June 3, 1890 (photo 03).

03 Dr. Walker Medical License
Click image for larger view

Dr. Walker has been the subject of several biographies which followed him through his career until retirement. The earliest I have found was printed in The Olean Miller County News in 1889. This biography is also on our website.

Olean Miller County News

December 14, 1889

Grant D. Walker is a native of Miller County and is by no means ashamed of the fact. He was born July 8th, 1867, and reared near Pleasant Mount. In the days of his youth he plowed corn, grubbed stumps and pailed the cows on his father’s farm during the spring, summer and fall and attended the district school in the winter months.

He made hay while the sun shown as it were and by closely applying himself became the possessor of a good practical education. He determined early in life that he would educate himself as a physician and this was accomplished when he graduated at the American Medical College of St. Louis in June 1890 at the age of 22. After securing his “sheep skin” he returned to Pleasant Mount and there hung out his shingle.

He built up a good practice, but believing that Olean was a better location he removed to this place in July 1894. Here he has built up a large and lucrative practice and is not only recognized as one of the most successful practitioners but a citizen of sterling worth as well.

Not only has he built one of the most substantial dwellings in the town since he came here but he, in co-partnership with Mr. A.H. Foote, has built a good business house and filled it with a full line of drugs and druggist’s sundries. This store was built in the fall of 1897 and opened for business in November of that year and now enjoys a splendid trade. From the week they opened their store for business there has never been an issue of the NEWS that did not contain their advertisement, and the doctor is very positive in expressing his belief that they have got good returns for every dollar so invested. More such practical business men would prove a boon to the town of Olean although at present we stand head in our class.

Here are a couple of photos I copied from an original copy of the newspaper (photos 04 and 05):

04 Old newspaper engraving image of Dr. Walker

05 Dr. Walker Home

Here is a photo of Dr. Walker at the Olean Barber Shop (photo 06):

06 Dr. G.D. Walker at Olean Barber Shop
Click image for larger view

Dr. Walker also was one of the few Miller Countians whose biography was included in Volume III of the book, Missouri The Center State 1821-1915 VIII by Walter B. Stevens published in 1915 by the S. J. Clark publishing Company; Chicago-St. Louis. You can only find this book on the internet, and because there are several editions, getting to the article about Dr. Walker is tricky. However, once there you may find fascinating the other historical articles about Missouri on the site. This article about Dr. Walker was written in 1915, several years after the one copied above from the Olean Miller County News. I will copy the article below but refer to the above highlighted link if you want to look it up on the internet site:

Missouri the Center State 1821-1915
Walter B. Stevens

p. 142

Grant D. Walker M.D.

Dr. Grant D. Walker, a physician and surgeon of Eldon, where he has followed his profession for the past fourteen years, has been unusually successful as a representative of the medical fraternity and is one of the well known physicians of central Missouri. He is numbered among the worthy native sons of Miller County, his birth having occurred on a farm six miles east of Eldon on the 8th of July, 1867. His parents, John J. and Eliza (McKinney) Walker, were born reared and married in Wayne County, Kentucky. Immediately following their marriage, in 1845, they came to Missouri, locating on the old home farm six miles east of Eldon, where they spent the remainder of their lives. John J. Walker passed away in 1901, at the age of seventy nine years, while his wife was called to her final rest in 1907, when seventy eight years old. They were well known and highly esteemed throughout the community which remained their home for so many years.

Grant D. Walker, the youngest in a family of ten children, was reared on the home farm and educated in the district schools. His youth was one of arduous toil, for he assisted his father in the work of the fields from the time he became sufficiently tall to reach the plow handles. On attaining his majority, in 1888, he took up the study of medicine, reading under the preceptorship of Dr. H.H. Brockman, then of Mount Pleasant and now a resident physician of Eldon. In the fall of 1888 he entered the American Medical College of St. Louis, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1890. Locating for practice in Mount Pleasant, he there remained for a period of four years and subsequently spent about five years as a successful practitioner of Olean. In 1900 he came to Eldon, which city has since remained the scene of his professional labors. An extensive practice is accorded him, for he has met with a well merited and gratifying measure of success in the administration of remedial agencies and the restoration of health. His standing among his professional brethren is indicated in the fact that he is now serving as president of the Miller County Medical Society. Dr. Walker likewise belongs to the Missouri State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He acts as local surgeon and examiner for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and is a member of the board of directors of the Eldon Building & Loan Association.

In 1891 Dr. Walker was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Haynes, of Eldon, Missouri, by whom he had three children, two of whom survive, Freda and John S. The Doctor gives his political allegiance to the Republican Party, while in religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Christian Church, to which his wife and children also belong. Fraternally, he is identified with the Mason, belonging to Ionia Lodge, No. 381, A.F. & A.M.; and Eldon Chapter, No. 128 R.A.M. He is also connected with Eldon Lodge, No. 462, I.O.O.F., and is a member of the Eldon Commercial Club. His upright life has gained for him the respect and good will of the general public, while his methods of practice and his conscientious service have won for him the unqualified regard of his professional brethren.

By the time Gerard Schultz wrote his History of Miller County in 1933 Dr. Walker had been in practice for 42 years, most of that time in Eldon excluding his first few years in Mt. Pleasant and Olean. Schultz’s biography adds to the narrative of Dr. Walker from the perspective of his having been a popular and respected physician in Miller County for many years:

GRANT D. WALKER
By Gerard Schultz, 1933

Grant D. Walker, widely known in the field of medicine in Missouri, was born in Miller County, July 8, 1867, of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. His father, John J. Walker, was born May 10, 1822, in Wayne County, Kentucky, where his mother, Eliza Bond (McKinney) Walker, was born May 30, 1828.

Dr. Walker was reared in the Mount Pleasant community, and in 1890 he began the practice of medicine there. He moved to Olean about two years later and practiced until 1902. In that year he went to Eldon, where he is still located. He has established himself firmly in the confidence and respect of a large patronage. In addition to his medical duties he engages in farming and in the dairy business, being one of the owners of the Ozark Dairy.

Dr. Walker has always allied himself with movements which have made for the betterment and advancement of the community. He has been mayor of Eldon, president of the Eldon Building and Loan Association, and president of the Miller County Medical Society. He is a Republican and a member of the Christian Church.

On January 28, 1891, at Eldon, Dr. Walker was married to Miss Margaret Haynes, daughter of J.J. and Anna (Miller) Haynes. Mrs. Walker is a descendant of pioneer families in Miller County. To their union three children were born: Lillian Walker, Freda Walker, and John S. Walker. Mrs. Walker is an active member of a number of social and civic organizations.

More information about Dr. Walker after he came to Eldon can be obtained from two articles from the Advertiser. The first was published in 1940 celebrating his fifty years of practice in Eldon:

Miller County Autogram
June 6, 1940

Dr. G.D. Walker Honored by County Medical Society

Eldon Physician Honored At Luncheon Commemorating His fiftieth Year of Service in Community

Dr. G.D. Walker, of Eldon, who for the past fifty years has served the Eldon community and Miller County as a practicing physician, was guest of honor at a luncheon at the American Legion hall in Eldon last Sunday afternoon. The luncheon was sponsored by the Miller County Medical Society and about twenty five visiting physicians were in attendance.

Dr. Walker, member of the American Medical Association and  of the Missouri Medical Association, and one of the most highly respected men in his profession, is now 72 and still maintains active practice in his community and the county. He has never missed a single call during his long career except during a brief period of illness a number of years ago. He was born on a farm in Miller County near Mt. Pleasant and received his elementary education at the little Buchanan school. He was graduated from the American Medical College in June, 1890, and, with the exception of two years of lecturing in the American College and in the medical department at Drury College, Springfield, has practiced in this vicinity ever since. He began his practice at Mt. Pleasant and later moved to Olean. He left Olean for Springfield and upon his return to this community resumed his practice at Barnett. He moved to Eldon in 1901 and has been there ever since.

The twenty five doctors from neighboring towns who attended the luncheon Sunday in Dr. Walker’s honor, were unanimous in their praise for his faithfulness to his patrons and for his loyalty to the medical profession. Dr. Walker has been a familiar and loved personality in many homes of Miller County for many years. It is said that his debtors will almost equal the population of his community.

A second article published in the Advertiser has more information about his family on the occasion of his fiftieth wedding anniversary:

DR AND MRS. GRANT DANIEL WALKER
Eldon Advertiser
Published 1941

Dr. and Mrs. G.D. Walker, residents of the city of Eldon since 1902, celebrated their Golden Wedding January 28, 1941. Last year Dr. Walker celebrated his 50th year of medical practice in Miller County.

Dr. and Mrs. Walker, children of pioneer families of Miller County, were married January 28, 1891. He is the son of Kentucky bred pioneers of Miller County and was born on a farm in this county near Mt. Pleasant July 8, 1867. His parents were John J. Walker and Eliza Bond McKinney Walker. Mrs. Walker was born on a farm at south edge of Eldon on September 17, 1869. She was the oldest of Joel J. Haynes and Anna Miller Haynes who were pioneer families of Miller County.

Dr. Walker received his elementary education in Miller County schools and graduated from the American Medical College of St. Louis, doing his post graduate work in St. Louis hospitals. He was a charter member of the Miller County Medical Society and a member of the Missouri State and American Medical Association. He served as mayor for 3 terms and President of Eldon Building and Loan Association. Both he and Mrs. Walker are members of First Christian Church of Eldon.

They first resided in Mt. Pleasant, then moved to Olean where Dr. Walker practiced before coming to Eldon in 1902. Mrs. Walker was active in the First Christian Church, the Euterpean Club and P.E.O. She was instrumental in starting the Eldon Public Library and in World War I was chairwoman of Red Cross work in the county – a great lover of flowers and civic improvements.

Dr. and Mrs. Walker had 2 children: John S. Walker and Mrs. Curtis G. Weeks, and 4 grandchildren: John Walker and Margaret Rose Weeks Wright, George Robert Weeks and Donald Walker Weeks.

Here is a photo of the Walkers’ with their grandchildren from the above article (photo 07):

07 Dr. Walker with Grandchildren
Click image for larger view

A number of people in the county are old enough to remember Dr. Walker, especially since his practice extended over so many years. He passed away March 22, 1949 at the age of 81 years. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer with metastasis, one of the most painful medical conditions known, both at that time and as well as today. Medical or surgical cure is rare. His physician was Edward Olney Shelton M.D. (photo 08).

08 Edward Olney Shelton, M.D.

A second Miller County physician I will present this week is Glen Parnell Kallenbach M.D., born near Tuscumbia January 29, 1913 (photo 09).

09 Dr. Glen Parnell Kallenbach

Dr. Kallenbach, although born and raised in Miller County, did not practice here. However, his distinction is that he was the first Tuscumbia graduate to become a physician. He is the son of William and Cora Belle (Thompson) Kallenbach, who lived their lives on the old Kallenbach farm three miles north of Tuscumbia on what today is known as Woods Road. Many, perhaps most of those who knew him early on, called him Gus rather than Parnell. He attended Wright elementary school near his home north of Tuscumbia and later attended Tuscumbia High School. He was one of 11 surviving children of William and Cora Kallenbach.

You can read more about the Kallenbach family and Parnell at these two previous Progress Notes:

http://www.millercountymuseum.org/archives/080707.html
http://www.millercountymuseum.org/archives/090601.html

After graduating from Washington University School of Medicine of St. Louis in 1940, Dr. Kallenbach entered the U.S. Army where he served in North Africa until 1945 when he was discharged with the rank of Captain. At that time Miller County had several doctors with well established practices located in its various communities so Dr. Kallenbach decided to begin his practice in Mexico, Missouri where he served the community as a family doctor until he retired in 1986. During that time he delivered more than four thousand babies. After retirement Dr. Kallenbach wrote a very interesting and informative autobiography, especially about his early years growing up on the farm. We have a copy of his book in our library.

In his book Dr. Kallenbach relates anecdotes and stories of his career as a general practitioner who owned and managed a clinic in Mexico Missouri. He practiced medicine well up into his 80's but was forced into retirement because of visual acuity deficits due to macular degeneration. He is now blind and living in a retirement center. However, he still owns a 2000 acre working farm which is managed by his wife and family. Dr. Kallenbach will be 98 next January 30.

Upon graduation from Washington University Medical School in 1940, the Miller County Autogram featured Dr. Kallenbach in one of its front page stories:

Miller County Autogram
June 20, 1940

Parnell Kallenbach, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Kallenbach, of the Little Saline community, who has been in college for the past seven and one half years studying medicine, recently received his Medical degree from Washington University Medical School of St. Louis. He now is at the home of his parents for a vacation. He recently completed his examinations from the state board of examiners for a license to practice medicine and the license will be granted in the near future. Then Parnell will merit the title of a full fledged M.D. For the past two months Parnell has been serving an internship at Barnes hospital in St. Louis, a coveted training granted only to the most brilliant medical students emanating from Washington University. After a two weeks vacation, he will return to St. Louis where he will enter St. Luke’s hospital for a year’s internship and intensified graining.

Dr. Kallenbach, so far as we are able to determine, holds the distinction of being the only boy from Tuscumbia to receive an M.D. degree. He is a graduate of Tuscumbia High School, Iberia Junior College, spent one half year in Central Missouri State Teachers College, two years in Missouri University, and graduated from Washington University, St. Louis. Parnell has spent the past several summers at Camp Miniwanca, Shelby, Michigan, where those college students are employed who hold a high standard of scholarship.

In an interview with Dr. Kallenbach Tuesday, regarding his location following his internship, he stated that he definitely intended to enter private practice and in all probability would locate in some small community, where there is a dearth of the medical profession.

Citizens of this community predict a successful career for Dr. Kallenbach in his chosen profession.

Dr. Parnell Kallenbach is just one of many of the Kallenbach family who were born and raised here but served very well the communities to where they moved to establish their careers.

In a couple of weeks (May 31) the original Tuscumbia Presbyterian Church Bell, now being displayed on our museum campus near the entrance to the museum, will be 120 years old, assuming it was made the year it originally was delivered to Tuscumbia in 1890. The delivery of the bell to Tuscumbia was by steamboat as recorded in this paragraph from the June 5, 1890 edition of the Tuscumbia Autogram:

Tuscumbia Autogram

June 5, 1890

“The members of the Presbyterian Church received their bell on Saturday. It was placed in position in the tower the same day, and on the day following called the Sunday School together for the first time. It is bell metal and weighs 720 pounds.”

The story of the bell is told in this previous edition of Progress Notes:

That narrative not only gives its history here but also the story of its thirty plus years residence at the School of the Ozarks to where it was moved in 1981, a few years after the Presbyterian Church was closed here in Tuscumbia in 1978.

Here is an old photo of the Presbyterian Church displaying the tower and belfry where the bell originally was placed (photo 10).

10 Presbyterian Church Steeple and Belfry

Dr. Howel W. Keeter, Vice President of School of the Ozarks, not only was the person who came to Tuscumbia to direct onsite the operation to remove the bell and take it to the School in 1981, but also was the one who arranged for us to return it home again once we had a place for its display. Here is a photo of the bell’s removal from the church in 1981 (photo 11):

11 Removal of bell from Presbyterian Church
Click image for larger view

And here is a photo of Dr. Keeter and myself the day we loaded the bell for the trip to Tuscumbia in December, 2008 (photo 12):

12 Joe Pryor and Vice President Howel W. Keeter

Once we arrived back in Tuscumbia with the bell and unloaded it from the trailer, I took this photo which reveals the stamp of the bell’s maker, the H. Stukestede Company of St. Louis (photo 13).

13 Cast by H. Stukestede and Co. St. Louis, Mo. 1890

Later, board member Jim Clark built a very substantial and sturdy structure near the museum entrance to display the bell (photo 14).

14 Jim Clark in front of Bell

Last year Patsy Adcock Wickham (shown here clowning with her father Garland’s corncob pipe) (photo 15), donated some large portraits to our museum of members of the Abbott side of her family (her mother, Edna, was a daughter of Oscar Abbott).

15 Patsy Adcock Wickham with father Garland's Corn Cob Pipe

These portraits now hang on the west wall of the upper floor of the new addition to the museum. Oscar was a brother of Charles Elmer Abbott (known locally as “Charlie Bill”) who was a well known farmer in Osage Township. Here is a photo of Oscar, Olive (their sister) and Charlie Bill Abbott (photo 16):

16 Oscar, Olive and Charles Abbott

These three siblings’ father was William Roundtree Abbott (photo 17).

17 William Roundtree Abbott - b. 31 Mar 1860 - d.15 Feb 1931

The Abbott/Abbett history in Miller County goes back a long way leaving many descendents today who live here. I always wondered why some of the family spelled their name with an “o” and some with an “e”. My curiosity was peaked I’m sure since my grandmother was an Abbett spelled with an “e”. She was the daughter of Eli Abbett. I was told by Patsy that around the turn of the last century the family had a small disagreement which got out of hand and that the Abbott spelling began to be used by some members. Nancy Thompson has researched the Miller County Abbott/Abbett family which you can peruse if you wish here (photo 18).

18 Descendants of John Abbet
Click image to view complete PDF document

I also always wondered how Charlie Bill got his middle nickname since his given middle name was Elmer. I was told by David Bear that two Charlie’s with the Abbett/Abbott surname lived in Osage Township then and that to distinguish them apart the local people used as a middle name the given first names of their fathers. For example, Charlie Bill’s father’s first name was William, commonly known as Bill, so his son was called Charlie Bill. The other Charlie Abbett/Abbott in the area was Charlie M. Abbett. His father was Eli Abbett so he was locally called Charlie Eli.

Charlie Bill was perhaps one of the better known Abbotts’ because of his outgoing personality and friendly behaviour. He was known well by the farmers who lived in the Osage Township area because he owned a threshing machine and travelled from farm to farm helping his neighbors with their harvesting. My Uncle David Bear was a boy then and remembered Charlie Bill:

"I saw my first car when I was four or five years old. One of the earliest machines I remember seeing was a wheat threshing machine pulled and operated by a large steam boiler (photo 19).

19 Threshing Machine

Charlie (Bill) Abbott owned the equipment. He would go from farm to farm traveling at a speed of about two miles per hour. It would enter the field and set up at a spot picked by Charlie. The thresher had two components: the boiler and the separator. On the road the separator was towed by the boiler, but in the field, the position of the two changed. The separator was then connected to the boiler by a huge belt which transferred the power from the boiler to the separator. The fuel for the boiler was wood which had been previously cut someplace nearby. Prior to the arrival of the thresher, the wheat had been cut with a wheat binder. The binder also tied the wheat stalks into small bundles (about an armload) and dropped them on the ground. These bundles were then gathered and put in shocks to dry. When the threshing machine came a few weeks later, several farmers in wagons with hay frames on them would load up the bundles of wheat and haul them to the threshing machine. At the machine, the wheat bundles were tossed into the separator by someone using a pitchfork. The separator had a string cutter to cut the binder twine before the wheat went in to the separator. As the bundles of wheat went through the separator, the grain would come out in a chute at the bottom where someone would be holding a sack to catch it. The blower blew the straw and chaff into a big stack. It was blown through a metal pipe about eight inches in diameter. A large number of people was required to perform all the jobs of threshing. These were hard working days for the farmers and it usually came on a very hot day. It was a great day for small kids. I was too young to work, so I watched in awe. The women always had a tremendous spread of food. Mom and the neighborhood women had many kinds of meat, pies, cakes, canned fruit, pickles and many other items. These great banquets will be in my memory as long as I live."

Charlie Bill was elected sheriff twice for Miller County. He married Ollie Roberts, a daughter of Monroe Roberts of Tuscumbia. Here is a photo of Ollie, Charlie Bill, and their son, Walter Gail Abbott (photo 20).

20 Ollie, Walter Gail and Charlie Bill Abbott

Our present sheriff, William Abbott, is the son of Walter and grandson of Charlie Bill (photo 21).

21 Sheriff William Abbott

Here is a short article in the Miller County Autogram announcing Charlie Bill’s candidacy for sheriff:

Miller County Autogram
February 1, 1940

Charles E. Abbott Is Candidate For County Sheriff

Seeks Republican Nomination; Served One Term in Sheriff’s Office, 1929- 1932 Inclusive

Charles E. Abbott of Osage Township is this week officially announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Sheriff of Miller County, subject to the primary election, August 6, 1940. Mr. Abbott was born and reared in Miller County, near Tuscumbia, is 51 years of age, married and has one son. He has been engaged in farming all his life with the exception of the four years he served his county as sheriff. He was elected to that office in 1928 and served as a public official in a capable and efficient manner. Mr. Abbott was also engaged in operating threshing machines and sawmills in his section for several years, where he is known for his geniality and resourcefulness in serving the public. Mr. Abbott has also practiced the auctioneering profession for a good many years.

Mr. Abbott was sheriff of this county during the time Bagnell dam was under construction, and his added duties in dealing with a transient public gave him a lot of experience which he has reason to feel particularly fits him for the office he seeks. He made a dependable, capable and painstaking peace officer, and he is entitled to every consideration by his party for a second term.

He will appreciate any and all favors shown him during the coming campaign and kindly solicits the support of the Miller County voters.

In 1930, Charlie Bill attended a conference of the Sheriff’s Peace Officers Association in Kansas City. He is seventh from the right in the bottom row of this photo (photo 22):

22 Sheriff Peace Officers Association Meeting - 1930
Click image for larger view

Some readers may remember a couple of weeks ago in the Progress Notes which discussed the home and store owned by George Nichols, that I quoted Judson Berry who commented he had sold George Nichol’s store (which Judson owned at the time) to Charlie Bill and Ollie Abbott who then lived in the upper level of the store for a while. I have noticed when reviewing old newspapers that back in those days people seemed to move from place to place frequently at times.

We are thankful to Patsy Adcock Wickham for bringing the Abbott family portraits to us and supplying some of the information recorded above.

One thing I have noticed while reviewing newspapers from the 19th century era is that it was common for reporters to write very descriptive articles about the details of traumatic tragedies which occurred in the community. Some of these were farm accidents and many had to do with farm animals. For example, my great grandfather, Eli Abbett, died after being kicked in the stomach by a milk cow! I am copying below a short narrative I read in an old edition of the Miller County Autogram:

Miller County Autogram
May 8, 1890

Young William McCrory, whose father keeps the Camden County poor farm, situated on the southwest border of this county, met with a terrible death last Saturday night. While attempting to ride a mule, which had thrown him once before breaking his arm, the mule gave a sudden jerk and William was dislodged and in falling off, the trace chain wound itself around his foot and fastened itself by a small hook at the end. The mule turned and seeing the boy prostrate on the ground, gave one terrific kick, which struck the boy in the left temple, and then ran for about three miles, with the boy dragging behind. When the animal was finally stopped it was found that the boy had been stripped of his clothing except the collar band to his shirt and the shoe on the foot held by the chain. The flesh on his body was but slightly broken, but it seemed from an examination that every bone in his body had been beaten to pieces. The body was brought back home and was laid to rest in the Brumley cemetery.

I understand that even today statistical analyses have indicated injuries on farms occur more frequently than in any other occupation. Presumably, nowadays the injuries more often are associated with mechanical equipment.

We have a new display in the lower level of the museum featuring a number of antique cameras which have been donated over the years (photo 23).

23 Camera Display

We still have some shelf space open which is addressed by the sign which goes with the display (photo 24):

24 Camera Display Sign

The following photograph and caption was copied from the Autogram a couple of weeks ago (photo 25).

25 Jack and Larry Racing

Photo caption from Autogram Newspaper:

Ready, Go! - Despite a spring downpour, residents still came out for the “Needmore” Block Party, Saturday, April 24, in Ulman. The event featured barbecue and drag races, such as the one pictured above between Larry Flaugher of Eldon and Jack Brumley, in which Brumley’s 1959 Chevy Impala (left) defeated Flaugher’s 1955 Chevy. Flaugher said this was being done as a kick-off to opening races at the Dallas County Speedway in Urbana. (Photo by Jeremy Hulshof)

Jack Brumley is a member of our Miller County Historical Society Board and Larry Flaugher is President of the Tuscumbia Alumni Association.

The Open House last Saturday was very successful welcoming more than one hundred visitors on a rainy Saturday. All four display floors of the museum were filled with visitors most of the day. In one of the areas of the lower level the Joe Jeffries Band played to appreciative guests who would take a rest from the museum tours to listen to the old time hill country music Joe’s band performs so well (photos 25a and 25b).

25a Kevin Kennedy, Clifford Hill, Amber Byrd, Joe Jeffries, Judy Smith and Gary Williams

25b Open House Guests

Here are some more photos of the Lake area from Mike Wieneman (photos 26 - 30):

26 Ha Ha Tonka

27 Rescue Island

28 Duckhead Point

29 Bagnell Dam - Night View

30 Horse Shoe Bend

That’s all for this week.

Joe Pryor

Previous article links are in a dropdown menu at the top of all of the pages.