I grew up using that area as my play ground in the 1950s. I can remember two brothers who lived in the swamp area beyond spring lake. they had a junky old red pick-up truck and i can still see them rumbling down the big hill at the end of Sewell Avenue. They would go down the hill, make a right turn, go all the way down to the wooden bridge and across. From there they turned right and their property was some distance on. They made a living trapping and hunting I was told. They were like hermits. If you got too close to their property, they would shoot over your head or turn their dogs loose. I have been trying to remember their surname. I used to know it, as did anyone who lived in that area. I was wondering if you, or someone belonging to your blog would remember their name.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Peg Henderson-Mills
THIS FROM MY HHS 1951 CLASSMATE, BOB WALTER:
Hi Tom:
The brothers in question were Russ and Bill Abrams, who lived near the White City Lake with their many dogs. they were responsible for patrolling all the land and swamp around the high tension wires, and the cat walks for Public Service. it was all private property. Me and some of my friends used to trap muskrats and duck hunt, illegally i guess, on the property. Russ, more than Bill used to find your traps and keep them, and if he could see or catch you he would put the dogs on you or shoot (rock salt loaded) shot gun at you. Russ was almost like a legend and feared by all the trappers and hunters,(mostly teenagers) like me. I do not know what ever happened to them, and Peg's question brought back memories,good and bad. On a good day you could go from bare ------ beach (white city lake), across the cable bridge on to the cat-walk all the way to the railroad tracks below Deutzville and the Sturgeon Pond near the old " brick yards". thanks,
Bob Walter
THIS FROM PEGGY REGARDING
BOB'S ANSWER TO HER QUERY:
BOB'S ANSWER TO HER QUERY:
TOM AND BOB THANKS FOR FINDING THE ANSWER TO MY MYSTERY HERMITS. AS SOON AS I READ THE NAME, A LIGHT WENT OFF. AS KIDS WE WERE FULL OF STORIES, HALF TRUE AND HALF FABLE OF THOSE TWO BROTHERS. OUR PARENTS KNEW ABOUT THEM AND DID ALWAYS WARN US TO STEER CLEAR. AGAIN THANKS SO MUCH.
PEGGY HENDERSON-MILLS
MANY THANKS BOB!
2 comments:
Tom, Peg and Bob,
Thanks of this information, of value only to kids that explored this area as our wilderness. ;-)
I remember the camp well from just a few years later. The mental images are quite vivid. There was a wire across the road just past the wooden bridge. The camp consisted of an old trailer and/or or some simple structures. THere were a lot of dogs on the loose back there.
We also feared being hit by the rock salt loads from a shotgun - though that may have been an urban legend.
One of the favorite things was the old two-cable bridge that we named the "wiggle bridge" for obvious reasons, and that lead to the cat walks and the largerbody of the swamps.
BTW, we Burg kids use to have the occasional "altercation" with the older White City kids in about 57 or 58. At the time it was more like war, but I sit back and smile at it all now. They were valuable survival skills that we learned.
As a kid, I wrangled horses, and led rides around White City Lake for the late, great, Carney Rose.
Carney Always cauthioned us to bewared of "Chauncy Abrams" Could this be the father of the two mentioned above? This was in the late 1940's.
Mike (Lash LaRue) Kuzma
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