Walking the old farm road along the creek, crossing the creek and following the road diagonally up the back hill to the remains of the old barn where it was said that someone hung himself.
Exploring the remains of the old barn and carriage house near the bottom of the driveway, with the stables on the lower level, the hayloft above, and the drive through area on the side for a wagon.
Finding the cistern down behind the barn and carriage house.
Exploring the foundation and the little cabin where Nauni lived just down the hill from the summer kitchen.
Exploring the deep stone walled, dirt floored original cellar under the southeast corner of the old house.
Hearing stories of how the wooded back hill used to be pasture and farmed on the more level area on the top.
Finding the terraced areas on the hillside south of the house that used to be filled with grape vines.
Playing in the creek, building little dams, and looking for crawdads and fossils.
Walking the Hill property and walking up the creek to the west up through Metz fields looking for birds.
The white painted wood fence along the driveway over to Eckerles. At Eckerle’s walking down the long narrow steps and playing pool in the poolroom in the basement.
Sharpening a large scythe on a grinding wheel in the old barn on the south side of the circle.
Using the outhouse attached to the back corner of the barn.
Periodically emptying the pool when the water turned green with algae. Hand scrubbing down the sides, particularly at the water line, and the floor. Then refilling the pool… This was before we had a filter and chemicals.
Filling the pool with on old fire hose run from the fireplug next to the barn.
Learning to swim, and practicing swimming laps in the pool.
All of the volley ball games in the pool.
Trying to get the ball out of the sharp grass on the south side of the pool.
The two rows of fruit trees and the path through the hay from the front of the old house down to the old barn.
The whole hillside of hay (that had to be mowed with a scythe each year) along Queen City Ave. Remembering just a few apple trees near the top of the driveway.
The narrow old stone driveway up the hill and the story about a milk wagon and team of horses that went off the driveway and tumbled down the hill.
Dad’s big old Buick rolling down the hill between the old barn and the pool landing in the creek bed.
All of the grilled wieners, hamburgers, and picnic suppers on the Hill.
Later, all of the cocktail hours before the picnic suppers.
Wally Sheblessy’s slot machine in the lodge.
All of the baseball games that we played in ball field after we finally got the grass cut and a backstop up in the old vegetable garden.
All of the poker games in the evening in the lodge.
Listening to a radio while sitting on a bench overlooking an empty pool the night of Dec.7, 1941 and hearing that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.
Mid 30s:
I don’t remember much before the summer of 1934 when we moved into the 3rd floor attic at 2230 Burnet Ave. (We had been living with Grosspapa and Grandmother Trefzger in Westwood.) Jim was 2 ½ and I was 8 years old at the time.
Pop and Mom had remodeled the attic of Grandpa and Grandma Heinzman’s home in Mt Auburn. Dad had put in a small room containing a toilet and wash stand. He had also installed a sink and stove for a kitchen in another area. There was no air conditioning. I doubt there was any insulation. In the summer it was extremely hot under that roof.
Mom would pack a picnic basket and after work we would all be packed in the auto and off we would go to the Hill. But the real reason we spent every evening we could on the Hill was the fun we had with family and friends.
This continued for the next 8 years until Mom & Pop bought the home in Westwood in 1942.
The big event in 1935 was Aunt Elsa’s marriage to Walter J. Meyer, Jr. on June 6th. The reception was held on the Hill. All of the grass had to be cut. Everything had to be in good shape. I was impressed with the wedding reception and all of the people.
During the 30s, dressing rooms for the pool were in a converted chicken coop. The small building, about 30 feet up from the pool, had been cleaned up and painted. It was divided in two, one side for the men and the other for the women.
In 1938 Rick and Ron Berger were married. Jeff Meyer was born. My brother Paul was born in 1939.
The Old Homestead:
We always had to stop in the old house first to say hello to Aunt Anna. She sat in her chair by the window in the living room and would see your car come up the driveway.
Mrs. Richter (Norma’s mother), and Norma were living with Aunt Anna in the early days. I don’t know when Mrs. Richter died, but after her death Norma lived with Aunt Anna for a while.
Aunt Teresa moved back with Aunt Anna after Uncle Jack Sheblessy died in the fall of 1938. Although they lived in an apartment on Digby in Clifton in the winter Aunt Anna and Aunt Teresa were always in their old homestead all summer, that is, until Aunt Anna died in 1954.
Burning the Pool Grass:
The last activity in the late fall or very early spring before anything began to sprout was burning the palm like 6’ high and 5’wide thick sharp grass foliage around 3 sides of the pool. On a very calm day we would all get our brooms or shovels to stamp out any spreading fire and the tall dry grass would be lit. It would be quite a sight to see the dry grass burn. Flames would shoot up 20 or 30’
The Pool Railing:
In those days the pool had a pipe railing about 36” high around all four sides of the pool with just an opening at the steps into the pool. The pipe railing went down the edge of the steps.
When we were old enough we would sit on top of the railing with our feet on the horizontal pipe about 18” high and dive into the pool. We were quite proud when we were old enough stand and balance on the top pipe to dive into the pool. The other big feat was to stand on the grass on the outside of the railing and dive over the railing into the pool.
First the railing at the edge of the steps rusted and was cut off. Later, a low rock wall and sidewalk was built by Wally Meyer and Wally Sheb on the north side of the pool, and the north railing was cut off. When the present dressing rooms were built the walk was extended on the west side of the pool and the west railing was eliminated.
Cutting Grass:
In the 30s we had only hand pushed lawn mowers. The grass grew very fast and very thick on the hillside each spring, so we were only able to keep a small area above the pool cut. The whole top of the hill wasn’t kept cut as it is today. It wasn’t until the 40s that we had a gas powered lawn mower and were able to keep a larger area cut.
It was not until shortly after Aunt Elsa and Uncle Wally Meyer moved into the Eckerle home in 1952 that Unc bought his Wheel Horse. Then we were able to keep the entire hill top cut.
The Pool People:
Aunt Elsa and Uncle Wally Meyer, Wally & Jean Sheblessy, Uncle Fran, Aunt Marie, Patricia and Susan Trefzger, and the Herb Trefzgers were always there.
Often Elmer & Jean Strasser, Len & Meryl Gorian, Art & Edna Spreen, and Pop & Mom Evans would be with us.
Occasionally Buddy & Babe Niland, Lucy & Bud Rooney and family, Rick & Ron Berger and the girls, Alfred & Florence Berger and their family, and Adel & Joe Colvin and family (until the moved to Texas) would come.
The 40s:
Early in the spring of 1940 work started on the lodge. I was just finishing the 8th grade. Wally Sheblessy was the Architect, and he and Uncle Wally Meyer were the contractors. They used any laborers that happened to show up. It was this spring and summer they taught me to use a surveyors level, a hammer, and an electric saw. I learned to read architecture drawings and saw how a small building was built.
In August 1940 when Wally Sheblessy married Jean Nerpel the lodge was moving right along. Wally Meyer still has some stone work to finish on the fireplace. Uncle Fran Trefzger was the master painter and head of the painting crew.
When the lodge was completed it had an almost square room in the center. The men’s dressing room with entrance was on the north, and the women’s dressing room with steps to it’s entrance on the south side. It wasn’t until after the war that the interior walls were torn out, the interior expanded, and Wally Meyer built the bar.
I started driving June, 7, 1942. Mom & Dad bought Dr. Dash’s house in Westwood in the fall of 1941, but I continued to live with Grandma Heinzman in Mt. Auburn because Grandpa Heinzman had been hit and killed by an auto in 1940 and because I wanted to finish high school at Roger Bacon.
In the spring and summers of ‘42 and ’43 I cut the grass at Norbert Berger’s home in Clifton and at Aunt Nellie Berger’s on Hosea, as well as doing odd jobs such as weeding and washing porches for Aunt Nellie, and for Aunt Teresa on Morrison. I also spent a lot of time on the Hill cutting grass and loafing. Many of my ‘dates’ included a late swim on the Hill.
I don’t remember when Wally Sheblessy and Wally Meyer went into the service, but right after I graduated from Roger Bacon in 1944 I went into the Navy V-5 program.
Aunt Amanda Eckerle died in July 1944. Linda Meyer was born in December 1945.
When my Grandmother Tillie Trefzger died July 13, 1946 I got permission to go the burial in Peoria. Then I was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago, and was discharged in August.
Knowing Wally Sheblessy and the experience of working on the lodge is what influenced me to study Architecture. In September I transferred my credits from the Navy and started at U.C. studying Architecture.
After the War:
I don’t remember much about the building of the new dressing rooms, but I do remember that the men changed clothes in the 2nd floor of the old barn on the circle for a while. I was busy co-oping at U.C., studying Architecture and working with Dad while starting a sales agency. Wally Meyer was a sales agent or broker of leather. He was an excellent salesman, and dressed impeccably. He taught me how to tie a tie perfectly. I think knowing him influenced me to start a Sales Agency.
The 50s:
I graduated in June 1950, and married Lydia a week later. We had our reception on the Hill on a sweltering hot June Saturday afternoon. After our honeymoon in Puerto Rico we began to get out on the Hill more.
1951 was the year of babies. Lydia and I had Janet, Wally and Jean Sheblessy had Jan, Al & Florence Berger had Kia, and Rick and Ron Berger had Barbara about 6 months before. Now the talk about babies and care of babies started for us.
Then more babies: our Joan in ‘53, Steve Sheblessy, Billie Overbeck and Dianne Rooney in ’54, Lou Ann Trefzger in ’55, Scott Trefzger and Annie Overbeck in ’56, our Dave and Toni Trefzger in ’57, and Lynn Overbeck in ’60.
In the fall of 1961 we moved out of an apartment in Walnut Hills and bought Mrs. Spragen’s home on Craig behind Mom & Dad in Westwood.
