"Yanceyville Memories"
Below are the Yanceyville Memories of Richmond Stanfield (Rick) Frederick, Jr.
I grew up in Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina. Over the years I collected Caswell County anecdotes and stories. Below are some of my favorites.
1. Pool Room_______________
1. "Pool Room: Henry Hooper and Duke Tatum"In his later years Mr. Henry Hooper played pool infrequently at Alex's Café, preferring to watch and occasionally comment. However, one day he was playing nine ball and had a long shot on the nine ball for the win. He chalked, and stroked, and stroked, and stroked, but could not seem to pull the trigger.
Side bets were being made by onlookers. One said, "Five bucks says he makes it." Another said, "Ten bucks says he misses."
Duke Tatum was sitting on the old oil-burning heater in the corner drinking a beer. When it got quiet and Mr. Hooper was still looking above his spectacles and taking preparatory strokes, Duke said: "Hell, I bet twenty bucks he don't shoot!"
All broke up, including Mr. Hooper. He then resumed his shot, made it, and picked up his winnings. I was there.
Posted 21 February 2022
2. "Halloween Window Soaping"
It was Halloween and the tradition was to "soap" the windows of businesses on the Square in Yanceyville. However, one year Charles Henry Hooper and younger brother Jackie Hooper decided to take steps to deter such activity at W. H. Hooper & Son, their father's store.
They went on the roof of their father's building with a hose and buckets of water -- just waiting for us kids (all boys) to come along. Some got wet! But, I do not know if the store window escaped soap.
I was there.
Posted 21 February 2022
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3. "Pea Shooters"
Back in the day, W&W Grocery occupied several different locations, one being beside what became "Watlington's On the Square." This was the mid-1950s when young boys used a plastic "weapon" called a pea shooter. The ammunition source - a small bag of hard dried peas - was really cheap.
Several of us, including Larry Stogner, had just replenished our arsenal of peas at W&W. The preferred technique was to keep a sufficient supply of peas in one's mouth to achieve the intended objective.
We were fascinated by a dark green sports car parked on the Square just outside W&W Grocery. It was a Triumph -- very odd among the Chevrolets and Fords. So, we "hung" around.
From one of the stores came a nice looking woman who apparently was headed for this odd-looking car. She had a certain anatomical part irresistible to young boys with pea shooters. Yes, we did it -- and yes she was surprised. I was there.
Years later I learned she was Mary Preston Foote from Milton.
Posted 21 February 2022
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4. "Bo Brandon's Chevrolet"
It was a hot summer Saturday afternoon in Yanceyville. Several of the younger boys had gathered at the Drug Store for a beverage. One boy usually asked Clarence for a cherry-Coke that was mostly the red cherry syrup with a hit of Coca-Cola for some fizz.
The boys took their drinks outside the Drug Store and sat on the sidewalk steps to consume the cool concoctions.
Just to the right parked adjacent to the alley that ran between the Drug Store and the Bank of Yanceyville was a beautiful white 1958 Chevrolet Impala owned by Bo Brandon. An example of this car is shown below. It was just drop-dead gorgeous. But, boys will be boys.
One of the group challenged the boy with the mostly red syrup cherry-Coke to pour it on Bo Brandon's car. The dare was accepted, and the this boy showered the hood of the beautiful white car with red cherry-Coke. In the afternoon sun the red against the white of the Chevrolet looked like a painting. But, there would be repercussions. The boys waited a safe distance away until Bo Brandon and two of his friends came from Alex's Café. Needless to say Bo Brandon was not pleased.
That summer was the great time of the Caswell County Baseball League, and there was a game that night at the high school baseball diamond between Yanceyville and another team in the league. The aforementioned boys attended, including the one who had accepted the dare and bespoiled the beautiful Chevrolet Impala.
The identity of the boy who accepted the dare had been discovered. Bo Brandon knew who he was. At some point during the baseball game this boy was walking behind the bleachers along the third base side. Several larger older boys grabbed him, took him to the parking lot, and poured several very sticky soft drinks on his head. One was Bo Brandon, who said something like: "This will teach you not to mess with my car." This is the family version of what he said, as the language used was more colorful.
The boy, realizing that he probably got off lightly, walked home, took a shower, changed clothes, and returned to the baseball game. However, he remained outside in the woods off the first base side with several others hoping for foul balls.
I know this story because I was there. After this event, I always had Clarence make me a plain Coke, no cherry syrup.
Posted: 22 February 2022
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5. "Clarendon Hall Excursion"
Growing up in Yanceyville, North Carolina, was a real treat for a young boy. There were so many attractions and places to explore. One attractive nuisance was "Clarendon Hall" (see photograph below). While large and imposing, "fearless" young boys could not resist.
I do not remember what time of year it was, but four of us (including Larry Stogner, Keith Stogner, and Jimmy (Slick) Foster) decided to "explore" Clarendon Hall. No one lived there. We walked around the grounds, where there was a very old abandoned car. I can still remember sitting in it, holding the steering wheel, and marveling at the "dials" in the instrument panel.
Then, after poking around a while outside (including several outbuildings), we decided to go in. Both the front and back doors were securely locked. So we looked around, found some crates or such, and looked in one of the east windows. Giving it a bit of a push, it opened. However, it would not stay up. We took a stick or branch from the yard to prop open the window. Then, in we went.
The house was full of furniture. I later learned that most of it was Thomas Day pieces. We knew that Giles Jones (and/or his family) owned the house. Later I learned that Giles was one of the foremost collectors of Thomas Day furniture. We walked around, went upstairs, and generally just snooped without intending to or actually doing any harm.
Then it happened! We heard the front door being unlocked and opened. Of course panic ensued as four boys flew through the open window by which we had gained entrance. However, Keith Stogner was the youngest and smallest. He was the last to jump through the window. His foot hit the stick/branch holding the window up. The window came down with a bang. We thought Giles Jones was shooting at us and seriously lit out!
Keith Stogner ran south until he hit Country Line Creek. The rest of us regrouped behind the Courthouse. We did not see Keith for hours.
As "Clarendon Hall" apparently had no security system, how did Giles Jones know we kids were "visiting"? Later I learned that Burch Blaylock from his office in the old Caswell County Courthouse had a view from one of his windows that looked southwest and included "Clarendon Hall." He saw us and telephoned Giles Jones.
I was there.
Posted: 22 February 2022
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6. "Bomb Squad"
Back in the day the sale of black powder and fuse was not regulated. Many general stores carried it. Why, I do not know. Perhaps farmers had a need (blowing up stumps and such).
So. Watlington's in Yanceyville sold black powder by the pound and fuse by the inch.
Watlington's was owned by the grandfather of brothers Larry and Keith Stogner, both of whom are involved in this adventure. We decided to make some "bombs" -- using black powder, fuses, newspaper, and small Coca-Cola bottles. How Bill Moorefield came into the picture I do not remember. However, after the Stogner brothers obtained the supplies, we convened at the basement entrance to the Agriculture Building, which was somewhat shielded from public view. There, with the Coke bottles, black powder, newspaper, and fuses, we assembled our "bombs." I do not recall how many we made.
Then the question arose: what to do with them?
Bill Moorefield had his father's mint-green International Harvester pickup truck. Thus, we loaded the munitions into the truck, piled in, and took off. While there was no plan, one developed: Why not blow up mailboxes? Thus, we drove down the County Home Road looking for mailbox targets. We had not tested a "bomb" prototype, thus not knowing if the device would even work. Nor did we have any idea that "tampering" with a mailbox was a federal criminal offense.
However, before our assault on mailboxes, someone suggested we drive down a dirt road and light one off. This we did. We placed a "bomb" on the ground in a ditch and drove down the road a bit. Nothing happened. Just as we were about to turn around and go back home, which would have taken us by what we thought was a dud: KABOOM! Gone was most of the ditch, all the nearby vegetation, a big hunk of the bank, and part of the dirt road. A crater at least two feet deep resulted. It truly was a "bomb." This was not like a cherry bomb firecracker, but a serious explosive device.
This explosion made us rethink the mission. Thank goodness we did not blow up a mailbox. We did not detonate another "bomb." I do not recall what we did with the remaining explosive devices (probably tossed them in a ditch), but Bill Moorefield panicked. It was his father's truck we had used and he was overdue returning it home. Bill dropped the Stogners off at the Square in Yanceyville and deposited me at Billie and Dixie Atwaters. He was so flustered that in front of the Atwater house he said: "Get in, get out." I jumped out and went in to see the Atwaters.
We were not punished for this roadside vandalism, but nevertheless learned a lesson.
I was there.
Posted: 22 February 2022
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7. "Electrical Fireworks"
As a young boy, growing up in Yanceyville was an adventure. We often played in the large yard between Honey Johnston's house and that owned by Joe Powell. There was a utility pole at the rear of this area with a transformer. It apparently served electricity to both houses (and maybe more, including the Christenbury house).
One day, Barry (Turk) Murphy and I were playing with others in this yard and for some reason discovered the utility pole was not stable. We pushed on it and the wires hit causing sparks. Actually, we did not actually push the pole, but tugged on the "guy" wire supporting the pole.
A while later I was spending the night with Barry Murphy on what now is know as Murphy Street in Yanceyville. We "snuck" out of the house late at night and sort of looked around. I do not know why, but we recalled the sparks we made when shaking the utility pole between the Johnston and Powell homes. So, why not do it again, when it was dark?
We did. The wires touched and made some great small sparks. So we pulled on the "guy" wire even harder, which caused the utility pole to sway.
Then it happened! There was a magnificently great large series of arcs and sparks that lit up the sky. Then all went black: the houses, the street lights, everything. I guess we had not only blown out the transformer on this pole, but the main transformer at the street. Both transformers "exploded." We hid in the bushes at Honey Johnston's house.
After a while a utility truck came and we took off.
I do not know how Frances, Bill and Betty Gay did not hear us leave the house (or come back in).
I was there.
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