If you are taking Route 79 from Ithaca, after the small town of Richford, you are on what
is known locally as the ‘hog’s back’ (the road follows along the crest of the
hills). At one point, you can look to the right and follow the hydrolines and
in the distance, on another hill, see Adin’s farm! When we saw that as kids, we
knew we were almost there.
Come down the hill and into Center Lisle itself. On the left
is the Congregational Church, the same church that was so large a part of Kate
Baker and Lill B. Howland’s lives. It is the center of social activity and has
a part-time minister (he has two or three other churchs). This is the church
that for years, Adin said he’d left beer stock to in his will to and if they
were smart, they’d keep it (a will was never found for him, but he did give the
church beer stock—whether or not they kept it, who knows?)!
Next to the church, to its left, there is an empty lot
between the side road and the creek. Here is where Aunt Lil’s store used to
stand. A typical countrystore, it was originally a garage in which Uncle Elmer
fixed early autos, bikes, dispensed gas and oil, etc. By the 1930’s, the store
part had taken over—as well as staples, there were animal medicines, a pop
cooler, boots and enamel pails and pots hanging from the ceiling, overalls and
shirts, and, most important to us, a big penny candy case! What bliss when Aunt
Lil would fix a bag for us, full of whatever she wanted to get rid of!
In a lean-to room was the meat cooler and in another next to
it, a ‘privy’ with all kinds of graffiti on its walls. This is where I first
read ‘fools names and fools faces, always appear in public places’.
In a little kitchen to the rear, Lil used to always be
‘pickling’ in season. I am sure she gave most of the cans away. Here also, she
would fix us breakfast, the likes of which we NEVER had at home! Two fried
eggscooked in the fat of all the bacon you wanted, then cold sliced potatoes
chopped with onion and browned in the same fat. Unbelievable! With this, she
served us a mug of coffee heavily laced with sugar and evaporated milk. Here
too, back in the late 1930’s, she outfitted her daughter, Gladys and me with
boys overalls and long sleeved shirts, preparatory to our going blackberry picking.
Grandma (Kate Baker) was scandalized, for girls did not wear ‘pants’ then!
In 1935,
a flood had created mayhem in the area, so Route 79 was
moved 100 feet
away and a new bridge built. Therefore, the old road goes behind the lot where
the store stood. If you crossed this old road, there stands a tiny house with
an enclosed front porch. This was where Aunt Nell and Uncle Dell lived. She was
Byron Baker’s sister, therefore, my great aunt. We always ran across to visit
her because she was such a good listener. It was her husband, Dell, who in his
later years, as his ears, then his eyes dimmed, originated the famous
phrase as he looked at Dad (Jack
Kinsella), ‘Who be ye?’
Walk up the old road to the edge of town and there, nestled
against the hill, is Aunt Lil’s house. We were all very close to Lil’s four
girls, so we spent a lot of time in this house. They used to have a player
piano which we pumped silly!
In the cellar, Gladys and I found dandelion wine which we
sampled and in the upstairs of the garage is where we had a cigarette factory!
Gladys started smoking very young and she would grab a bag of shredded tobacco
and stash it up there along with her cigarette machine which we’d use to roll
cigarettes by the hundreds. I never indulged—that came later—but it was fun to
make them. We also used to sleep three to four in a bed, crosswise, after we’d
skip over to the grange hall to watch the dancing. Uncle Elmer played the
fiddle and called some square-dancing.
Back down to Route 79, and cross the bridge, turn right at
the first junction up the Caldwell
Hill Road. A short ways and you’ll find a left
turn dirt road up a hill. There should be a plaque here. It’s where Gladys and
I, who were always thicker than thieves, had our only fight! It was a lulu—hair
pulling, knock down, drag out—then I proceeded up the road to Grandma’s and
Gladys turned around and went home. We’ve never been able to remember what we
fought about! Anyways, take that left dirt road and on top of that hill you’ll
find the cemetery, a really pretty one.
Buried here:
Byron Baker—1858-1925
Kate Youngs Baker—1864-1955
Nancy Borthwick Baker—1838-1916
Leonard Baker—1832-1900
Tina S. Baker (Byron’s first wife)—1858-1884
Ira Baker—1883-1883-son of Byron and Tina
Baby—First child of Byron and Kate—
Ruth Baker—1891- 1904
Adin L. Baker—1889-1964
Gladys H. Wood—1927-1997
Elmer Howland—1880-1953
Lil Baker Howland—1892-1984
Ed Youngs—1861-1960
Lida Youngs—1871-1954
William Youngs—1828-1898
Diadamia Youngs—1832-1922
Francis H. Young (husband of Florence)—1846-1933
Florence Youngs Leet (aunt to Ethel)—1874-1959
Bertha Youngs (daughter of Ed and Lida, first cousin to
Ethel)—1898-1930
Rosena Youngs Spencer (daughter of William and Diadamia,
sister of Kate)—died at age 26—1856-1883
Delbert Barrows (Uncle Dell)—1871- 1957
Nell Baker Barrows (Aunt Nell)—1863- 1955
Wendell Elliott Henderson—1942-2006
