Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Devil's Elbow Motel, Ruins Of Route 66
I do not know any of the history of this place, so if anyone has any information, please email me at snoopdorkydork71@gmail.com, or comment below. I would like to be able to piece together the story of this place. I was able to find a vintage postcard of the old motel. The Devil's Elbow Motel is still standing, but is not in any type of a livable condition. It looks like the owners of the property may have turned it into apartments at one time, the present day fate of S&G Motel in Buckhorn, Missouri. However, the units today are uninhabitable, but the office building has been converted into a private residence and is a rental property. The brick wall pictured in front of the office is only a memory. No trace remains of the sign and what became of it is unknown.
A Vintage Postcard of Devil's Elbow Motel
Devil's Elbow Motel, Summer 2009. The backside of a billboard on Interstate 44 can be seen on the right side of the picture. The construction of I-44 was the end of the Route 66 heyday in the Devil's Elbow, Missouri area. Picture by Snoop
Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows.-The Atlantic Monthly. Photo by Snoop.
The section of the motel shown on the right side of the vintage postcard as it looks in August 2009. Picture by Snoop
The two sections of the motel meet. Photo by Snoop.
The section that runs parallel to Route 66. Picture by Snoop.
Another view of the section that runs parallel to Route 66. Picture by Snoop.
The end unit, behind the office. Not visible from Route 66. Photo by Snoop.
Interior of a unit in The Devil's Elbow Motel. Picture by Snoop
Interior of a unit in The Devil's Elbow Motel. Oddly, I do not recall seeing any toilet or shower facilities in this unit. A far cry from the refuge that a traveler of Route 66 would have found during the motels heyday. Picture by Snoop.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Old Brownfield, Missouri?
My brother has been searching for the old town of Brownfield, Missouri. We have located the location of the Brownfield Store, near the Brownfield Baptist Church on Highway K. We are assuming that this area is New Brownfield. Google Maps shows Brownfield as being at the intersection of Flagstone and Fairview Road.
However, on a recent "off the beaten path" trip in Kyle's Bronco, we saw some old buildings that made us think that maybe it was actually located down Fair Road, off of Fairview Road. If you can identify these structures, please email me at snoopdorkydork71@gmail.com
A structure on Fair Road, that we believe may have once been a store. Photo by Snoop
A wonderful old barn on Fair Road, not far from the Pulaski County Line. Photo by Snoop
A sign, done in the style of the sign on the M*A*S*H* television show, pointed us further down the road to Blackberry Meadow, Eagle Point, Gasconade River, Gravel Bar, and Katie Spring. Fair Road was gated before we reached the Gasconade River, but before we got to the gate we found this beauty:
Farm House at End of Fair Road. Photo By Snoop.
I am not an expert on old houses, but I am guessing that this was built in the mid to late 1800's, with the Victorian style front addition built on later. I bet this grand old lady has quite a few stories to tell. If anyone knows of any of them, please share!
I have also learned that there are two cemeteries in Old Brownfield, Missouri. Jeff pointed out a "cemetery" somewhere on this road trip, but I do not recall where we were when we found it. He pointed back off the road, at what he had been told was a cemetery. We will have to go back when the leaves are off the trees to be able to tell for sure.
Nicks Cemetery: Laclede County, on a farm owned by Dr. Harvey Nickels. Highway 17 South to Old Brownfield.
Nicks Cemetery: Pulaski County, on a farm owned by Earl Nicks. Highway 17 South to Old Brownfield.
Cemetery directions from "Tombstone Inscriptions Throughout Pulaski County" available at the 1903 Pulaski County Missouri Courthouse Museum.
However, on a recent "off the beaten path" trip in Kyle's Bronco, we saw some old buildings that made us think that maybe it was actually located down Fair Road, off of Fairview Road. If you can identify these structures, please email me at snoopdorkydork71@gmail.com
A sign, done in the style of the sign on the M*A*S*H* television show, pointed us further down the road to Blackberry Meadow, Eagle Point, Gasconade River, Gravel Bar, and Katie Spring. Fair Road was gated before we reached the Gasconade River, but before we got to the gate we found this beauty:
I am not an expert on old houses, but I am guessing that this was built in the mid to late 1800's, with the Victorian style front addition built on later. I bet this grand old lady has quite a few stories to tell. If anyone knows of any of them, please share!
I have also learned that there are two cemeteries in Old Brownfield, Missouri. Jeff pointed out a "cemetery" somewhere on this road trip, but I do not recall where we were when we found it. He pointed back off the road, at what he had been told was a cemetery. We will have to go back when the leaves are off the trees to be able to tell for sure.
Nicks Cemetery: Laclede County, on a farm owned by Dr. Harvey Nickels. Highway 17 South to Old Brownfield.
Nicks Cemetery: Pulaski County, on a farm owned by Earl Nicks. Highway 17 South to Old Brownfield.
Cemetery directions from "Tombstone Inscriptions Throughout Pulaski County" available at the 1903 Pulaski County Missouri Courthouse Museum.
Plane Afire; Falls; 30 Die
The following is a newspaper article reporting on the doomed American Airlines Flight 476 which crashed August 4th, 1955 just shy of the runway at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. There were no survivors. It was printed in the Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1955. For more newspaper articles concerning this flight please see: "AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 476 AUGUST 4, 1955", 30 Killed In Flaming Airliner", "Pilot Had 4 Children"
Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Aug. 4 (AP)--An American Airlines Convair, with one of its wings burned off and desperately trying for an emergency landing carried 30 persons to a flaming death on this military reservation today.
There were no survivors. Among the dead were four Chicagoans.
The two engine plane crashed in woods not far from the reservation's housing area where about 5,000 persons live.
Rescue workers, hampered for hours by intense heat from the wreckage and burning underbrush, finally recovered all the bodies. Fewer than a third of the bodies could be readily identified; the rest were charred beyond recognition.
Pilot Struggles to Land
The 27 passengers and three crewmen included eight women, two children and a Catholic priest.
Witnesses said veteran pilot Capt. Hugh Barron of Tulsa, Okla., fought desperately to glide his crippled plane onto the military airstrip for an emergency landing even as one of the wings dropped off in flames.
The plane plummeted in flames a quarter-mile from where the wing burned off.
Eyewitnesses at the housing area told how the stricken plane roar overhead, only a few hundred feet above the ground.
"At first we thought he (the pilot) would make it," said Beverly Streeter, a WAC private from Asbury Park, N. J.
"Then we heard muffled explosions. Parts seemed to be dropping from the plane. We lost sight of it after that."
Near Landing Filed
Over Lebanon, 30 miles away, smoke had been seen pouring from one of the engines.
The heavily wooded area where the plane crashed was only one-half of a mile short of the post landing field. But the terrain was so rugged it took bulldozers two hours to slash a temporary road to the scene.
Between 150 and 200 soldiers joined in fighting the forest fire which spread over a one-third square mile as a result of the crash.
The Convair had taken off from Springfield, Mo., only a short time earlier. It was winging its way from Tulsa, Okla., to La Guardia airport, New York, via Chicago, under clear skies.
Seeks Emergency Landing
Suddenly one of the engines caught fire. Capt. Barron radioed that the No. 2 (right) engine was afire and he was goin to attempt an emergency landing.
An onlooker said the plane barely cleared the reservation administration buildings at a height of about 200 feet. One wing was tipped downward. Seconds later if fell off. And then came the flaming crash.
The priest aboard was the Rev. George L. Krock, 47, a Roman Catholic missionary and member of the Maryknoll order who recently returned from Guatemala where he was assigned in 1950.
With Barron who had been with American since 1942, were First Officer William G. Gates, also of Tulsa, and Stewardess Thelma Ruth Ballard of Salisbury, N.C.
Another American Airlines plane, also a Convair, crashed last March 20 with the loss of 13 lives in coming in for a landing at the Springfield airport, 80 miles southwest of here.
(Capt. Barron was the central figure in a dramatic crash landing at Glenview naval air station last November. His Convair, with 43 persons aboard, including Mrs. William Stratton, wife of Gov. Stratton of Illinois, circled Chicago for 68 minutes while its crew struggled to release the right main landing gear. Then with its fuel supply almost exhausted, the Convair crash landed on the jet runway at Glenview. The airplane rolled on its left landing gear for 4,000 feet before the right wing tip dipped and dragged, and the plane came to a stop. None of the passengers was hurt.)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Suggestions as to Sanitation & Management of County Almshouses
This is part of my ongoing efforts to research the history of the Pulaski County, Missouri Poor Farm. The text was copied from a document found in the 1903 Pulaski County Courthouse Museum. The original document that is in the museum is typewritten on faded, yellowed paper. I do not know if it is an original document to the Poor Farm itself, or if it is a copy that someone typed up at a later time. At this time, I have not done research on this particular document to attempt to date the paper. For further reading, please see my blog entry "Pulaski County, Missouri Poor Farm".
The county Almshouse and inmates are under the control of the superintendent. No inmate shall leave the premises without permission from the superintendent.
Inmates shall arrive at once when the signal sounds and promptly respond to the call to meals.
After breakfast each inmate shall go to work as directed by the superintendent or his assistants.
No lights will be allowed after eight o’clock p.m. except in rooms where there are sick persons.
Quarreling and use of profane or obscene language is expressly forbidden.
No spitting or filth of any kind will be allowed on the floors, or to be thrown out the windows. Spittoons must be cleaned everyday.
Every inmate will have to bath when admitted, and once a week, or oftener, thereafter, if required by the superintendent.
Smoking in the sleeping apartments, or in other rooms, except the sitting rooms, is prohibited.
Inmates in good health will not be allowed to occupy the sleeping apartments during the day. The rooms will be closed when the inmates leave them in the morning and remain closed until bedtime.
Each person will be held responsible for the care of his room, seeing to it that the same is kept in good order.
It is the duty of the superintendent to enforce these rules strictly and impartially. Inmates refusing to comply herewith are liable to be punished as the superintendent may deem necessary. Any inmate showing violence, disobedience, or disrespect to the superintendent or his family, or to any assistant, shall be liable to be imprisoned or discharged.
Some kind of chemical fire extinguisher should be placed on each story of the building and two or more members of the family taught to use it.
Complete medical and physical examination should be made by a physician of each patient on his or her entrance to the County Home.
A sufficient supply of clothing should be furnished to the inmates in order for them to present a clean and tidy appearance.
When inmates are sick their relatives should at once be notified of same. When death occurs, if the body is not claimed after sufficient time has elapsed, the body should be interred at institution and the name, place of birth, and age marked upon a stone and placed at head of grave.
Suggestions as to Sanitation & Management of County Almshouses
The county Almshouse and inmates are under the control of the superintendent. No inmate shall leave the premises without permission from the superintendent.
Inmates shall arrive at once when the signal sounds and promptly respond to the call to meals.
After breakfast each inmate shall go to work as directed by the superintendent or his assistants.
No lights will be allowed after eight o’clock p.m. except in rooms where there are sick persons.
Quarreling and use of profane or obscene language is expressly forbidden.
No spitting or filth of any kind will be allowed on the floors, or to be thrown out the windows. Spittoons must be cleaned everyday.
Every inmate will have to bath when admitted, and once a week, or oftener, thereafter, if required by the superintendent.
Smoking in the sleeping apartments, or in other rooms, except the sitting rooms, is prohibited.
Inmates in good health will not be allowed to occupy the sleeping apartments during the day. The rooms will be closed when the inmates leave them in the morning and remain closed until bedtime.
Each person will be held responsible for the care of his room, seeing to it that the same is kept in good order.
It is the duty of the superintendent to enforce these rules strictly and impartially. Inmates refusing to comply herewith are liable to be punished as the superintendent may deem necessary. Any inmate showing violence, disobedience, or disrespect to the superintendent or his family, or to any assistant, shall be liable to be imprisoned or discharged.
Some kind of chemical fire extinguisher should be placed on each story of the building and two or more members of the family taught to use it.
Complete medical and physical examination should be made by a physician of each patient on his or her entrance to the County Home.
A sufficient supply of clothing should be furnished to the inmates in order for them to present a clean and tidy appearance.
When inmates are sick their relatives should at once be notified of same. When death occurs, if the body is not claimed after sufficient time has elapsed, the body should be interred at institution and the name, place of birth, and age marked upon a stone and placed at head of grave.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Pulaski County, Missouri Poor Farm
I intend to write articles about the Pulaski County Poor Farm as I research this overlooked piece of Pulaski County's past.
Pulaski County Poor Farm, Resident's Home, 2009. Photo by Snoop.
During the Summer of 2008, Terrie and I, went to the Old Courthouse Museum in Waynesville, seeking information on an old bridge located in Pulaski County. We toured the museum and at the top of the stairs, leading to the court room, is a display with an old ledger. The ledger grabbed my attention. This summer I decided to go back and take another look at the old journal. I returned to the Museum and after explaining my mission to Marge Scott, I was allowed to read and record the names listed in the book. Marge let me set up shop in the old vault of the 1903 Court House, armed with a notebook, a pen, and the camera on my cell phone. Some would think that I was crazy for wanting to spend an August Saturday afternoon in an 106 year old room, with no air conditioning, reading through a book that is possibly 135 years old. The people who are listed in this book have a story to be told, and I hope to be able to tell it.
The Pulaski County Poor Farm, or County Farm, is not often referenced. It is mentioned in Chapter 6, “The Late Nineteenth Century Landscape”, of an unknown book by an author whose last name, I believe, is Smith. I think this report was written in 1993. The author states:
“For the mentally incapacitated, and the destitute, a Poor Farm was established in 1876, two miles south of Waynesville. In 1889 it had 100 acres under cultivation but the buildings “are in somewhat inferior condition.” The farm had four male, eight female inmates, two of them being of “unsound mind.””
The author lists his source for this tidbit of information as Goodspeed Publishing, History of Laclede, etc., p. 809. I believe that Goodspeed may be off a year or two, because the earliest entry in the ledger is that of Christine Skaggs, who was admitted July 1, 1874.
Coincidently, the work by Smith, speaks of old roads in Pulaski County in the late nineteenth century. I was able to locate the Poor Farm by his description, but hesitate to disclose the location, as the property is currently abandoned. The property has 110 years of County Farm history attached to it, and I would hate for it to fall victim of vandals. For those genuinely interested in the history of the Pulaski County Poor Farm, please email me at snoopdorkydork71@gmail.com and I will provide you with directions.
Pulaski County Poor Farm is also mentioned in “History Pulaski County Missouri, Volume II” published in 1987. The article was written by Adlyn Shelden Willits. This book is still available for purchase at the Courthouse Museum. The research for her article also included conversations with people who remembered some of the residents of the Poor Farm. Mrs. Willits’ article states “There is a large cemetery on the grounds where about 100 people are buried.”
After conducting research on the names recorded in the Pulaski County Poor Farm Ledger, I have been able to confirm the burials of 22 souls who were laid to rest in this forgotten cemetery. I will post those names on this blog next Saturday after I have handed the list to Marge Scott, the Curator of The Pulaski County Courthouse Museum.
There is already a published record of one of the individuals whose final resting place is The County Farm Cemetery. The same volume of History Pulaski County Missouri, has a short article about the life of Charles H. Rickerson. The article was written by John Andrew Rickerson, a great, great grandson and confirms the burial of Charles H. Rickerson, a Civil War Veteran, in the abandoned cemetery of the Pulaski County Poor Farm.
During the Summer of 2008, Terrie and I, went to the Old Courthouse Museum in Waynesville, seeking information on an old bridge located in Pulaski County. We toured the museum and at the top of the stairs, leading to the court room, is a display with an old ledger. The ledger grabbed my attention. This summer I decided to go back and take another look at the old journal. I returned to the Museum and after explaining my mission to Marge Scott, I was allowed to read and record the names listed in the book. Marge let me set up shop in the old vault of the 1903 Court House, armed with a notebook, a pen, and the camera on my cell phone. Some would think that I was crazy for wanting to spend an August Saturday afternoon in an 106 year old room, with no air conditioning, reading through a book that is possibly 135 years old. The people who are listed in this book have a story to be told, and I hope to be able to tell it.
The Pulaski County Poor Farm, or County Farm, is not often referenced. It is mentioned in Chapter 6, “The Late Nineteenth Century Landscape”, of an unknown book by an author whose last name, I believe, is Smith. I think this report was written in 1993. The author states:
“For the mentally incapacitated, and the destitute, a Poor Farm was established in 1876, two miles south of Waynesville. In 1889 it had 100 acres under cultivation but the buildings “are in somewhat inferior condition.” The farm had four male, eight female inmates, two of them being of “unsound mind.””
The author lists his source for this tidbit of information as Goodspeed Publishing, History of Laclede, etc., p. 809. I believe that Goodspeed may be off a year or two, because the earliest entry in the ledger is that of Christine Skaggs, who was admitted July 1, 1874.
Coincidently, the work by Smith, speaks of old roads in Pulaski County in the late nineteenth century. I was able to locate the Poor Farm by his description, but hesitate to disclose the location, as the property is currently abandoned. The property has 110 years of County Farm history attached to it, and I would hate for it to fall victim of vandals. For those genuinely interested in the history of the Pulaski County Poor Farm, please email me at snoopdorkydork71@gmail.com and I will provide you with directions.
Pulaski County Poor Farm is also mentioned in “History Pulaski County Missouri, Volume II” published in 1987. The article was written by Adlyn Shelden Willits. This book is still available for purchase at the Courthouse Museum. The research for her article also included conversations with people who remembered some of the residents of the Poor Farm. Mrs. Willits’ article states “There is a large cemetery on the grounds where about 100 people are buried.”
After conducting research on the names recorded in the Pulaski County Poor Farm Ledger, I have been able to confirm the burials of 22 souls who were laid to rest in this forgotten cemetery. I will post those names on this blog next Saturday after I have handed the list to Marge Scott, the Curator of The Pulaski County Courthouse Museum.
There is already a published record of one of the individuals whose final resting place is The County Farm Cemetery. The same volume of History Pulaski County Missouri, has a short article about the life of Charles H. Rickerson. The article was written by John Andrew Rickerson, a great, great grandson and confirms the burial of Charles H. Rickerson, a Civil War Veteran, in the abandoned cemetery of the Pulaski County Poor Farm.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Vernelle's Motel, A Survivor's Story
Terrie and I took a short trip exploring Sugar Tree Road on July 30th. Our first stop was to pop in and visit Ed Goodridge at Vernelle's Hotel. Ed waved us across and we visited with him and Foxy for a bit before we headed down the road to John's Modern Cabins.
Vernelle's Motel opened in 1938 and has endured all the road alignments that have occurred in the past 7 decades. Ed was quick to remind us that he is still open for business. For those who love The Mother Road, an overnight at Vernelle's is a must. His business card advertises Clean Rooms and Reasonable Rates.
Vernelle's history can be traced back to the late 1930's when it first opened as Gasser Tourist Court. The name was changed to Vernelle's after Fred and his wife, Vernelle, bought the tourist court from Fred's uncle, E.P. Gasser. The couple expanded on the original tourist court, which consisted of six cabins, a novelty store, and a gas pump. In 1952 Fred and Vernelle Gasser built a hotel and a restaurant on the property. Travelers refueled at Cities Service Station. A petting zoo was used at one time to entice travelers to come off the road and part with some of their cash.
In the book The Route 66 Cookbook: Comfort Food From The Mother Road, written by Marian Clark, Vernelle states “We served a lot of barbecue and chicken. Soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood were some of our best customers.” Sadly, the restaurant closed in 1957, to make room for the new four lane alignment of Route 66. A part of Vernelle’s Café lives on in The Route 66 Cookbook. Marian Clark shares Vernelle’s recipe for Vernelle’s Café French Dressing.
The hotel has changed hands in it’s 71 year history. Forest Riley purchased the place and then sold it to Nye Goodridge in 1960. The Route 66 icon has stayed in the Goodridge clan since then with Ed at the helm today.
The Vernelle’s Motel sign, a mainstay, on Route 66 is original, dating back to 1952. The Route 66 preservation group, Friends of The Mother Road, gave the sign a fresh coat of paint in the last few years.
Vernelle’s Motel is off the beaten path, not even visible from the most recent round of road improvements of Interstate 44, and almost 60 years from today's interstate traffic. A visit with Ed and a stay at the motel is good for the soul.
For more information or to make reservations at Vernelle's Motel, contact Ed Goodridge at:
10891 Sugartree Outer Road
Newburg, MO 65550
Phone: (573) 762-2798
http://www.route66motels.com/vernelles/vernellesmotel.html
Pilot Had Four Children
The following is a newspaper article reporting on the doomed American Airlines Flight 476 which crashed August 4th, 1955 just shy of the runway at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. There were no survivors. It was printed in the Florence County News, August 5, 1955.
NEW YORK, Aug. 4 (AP) Capt. HUGH C. BARRON, pilot of the American Airlines Convair plane which crashed today at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., killing all 30 persons aboard, was the father of four children.
The 46-year-old flier, American Airlines officials here said, joined the line in 1942 after owning and operating a flying school at Macon, Ga. He was born in Laurens County, Ga., and lived at Tulsa, Okla.
Other crew members aboard the plane were:
First Officer WILLIAM G. GATES, 35, of Tulsa. Born at Tyrone, Pa., he had been with American Airlines since 1945.
Stewardess THELMA RUTH BALLARD, 21, a native of Salisbury, N. C., but now of Tulsa, was graduated only last May from the airline's school for stewardess at Chicago. She has a sister, MRS. G. O. BARGER, of 133 Jackson Homes, Charlotte, N. C. Her mother is MRS. MAUDE BALLARD of Salisbury.
NEW YORK, Aug. 4 (AP) Capt. HUGH C. BARRON, pilot of the American Airlines Convair plane which crashed today at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., killing all 30 persons aboard, was the father of four children.
The 46-year-old flier, American Airlines officials here said, joined the line in 1942 after owning and operating a flying school at Macon, Ga. He was born in Laurens County, Ga., and lived at Tulsa, Okla.
Other crew members aboard the plane were:
First Officer WILLIAM G. GATES, 35, of Tulsa. Born at Tyrone, Pa., he had been with American Airlines since 1945.
Stewardess THELMA RUTH BALLARD, 21, a native of Salisbury, N. C., but now of Tulsa, was graduated only last May from the airline's school for stewardess at Chicago. She has a sister, MRS. G. O. BARGER, of 133 Jackson Homes, Charlotte, N. C. Her mother is MRS. MAUDE BALLARD of Salisbury.
Florence Morning News South Carolina 1955-08-05
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