A Little piece of Paradise… College Hill, Ohio - SELFCRAFT

Chapter 34 Life at The OaksBy Chilton ThomsonThe Oaks, at 5907 Belmont Avenue, was extensively remodeled during 1919-1920. I, the writer, wasbeing ‘modeled’ to be born there in May, 1920, the house not quite complete....nor was I, but that’sanother story. The First World War was over; the family and the house had done their part throughvictory gardens, animal husbandry (four cows, six swine, a work horse), Red Cross and HomeGuard....there was a lot of catching up to do. A new guest-room suite out of the two small NE rooms onthe second floor with white-tiled bath and foyer; new bath, dressing rooms and sleeping porch for themaster suite on the SE and re-decoration throughout. ‘Modern’ wiring, with push-button switches andporcelain-plug floor outlets; RUUD constant-flow hot water heater to cope with endless baths, dishwashes and laundry; all gas lighting eliminated with `electroliers’ and wall brackets in all major rooms.An amazing total of eight electric circuits, with the fuse box outside the master bedroom and the masterswitch next to the huge coal-fired furnace in the old stone cellar.The kitchen and laundry on the west end were up to their task, supplying a major manor. The formerwas insulated from the western sun by a stair well to the cellar and a large storage room cum larderhousing the dozens of bowls and pans needed to cook for an AVERAGE of fifteen people. The range hadtwo coal ovens and four stove rings, two gas with six rings and a broiler big enough to handle two dozenchops. The giant ice-box, built into the wall of the kitchen and the all-weather porch, could take twohundred pounds a day from D. D. Peters’ wagon. The kitchen was connected to the dining-room by apantry larger than most modern kitchens which had two sinks about 3’ X 3’ and 14” deep, wooden drainboards and towel racks beneath. Cleaning supplies above in closed cabinets, five pairs of glass frontedcabinets surrounding the room which housed five sets of china, numerous serving pieces and drawers fullof flat silver. In the porch was the broom closet, a huge built-in container for trash bins and vegetablestorage, the stairs to the cellar and the entrance--the only one--to the laundry.Alice Walton, who lived in the ‘sub’ presided over the laundry daily from 1911 to 1925. She had twosets of tubs, one on the south and one on the west, a huge center table for sorting and folding, a gas firedmangle which could do double sheets I one pass, two pairs of twin-burner gas rings for boiling and acopper washing machine whose slow clunk-suck, clunk-suck could be heard all through the house everyMonday and Wednesday. Alice was helped by `fill-in’ girls but did all the hand ironing herself with sadirons heated on the `rings.’ When she retired, Mamie Thomas took over until the laundry was closed anddid the hand ironing with an electric iron.Sallie Dowtin, who’d worked for Mrs. Thomson’s mother since 1886, joined the staff in 1920 as‘fill-in’ on Thursdays and Sunday afternoons. Arthur ‘Shinny’ Chenault, ex-Pullman porter and prizefighter, started the same year as heavy cleaner. Ernest (last name forgotten), the man to be immortalizedon the Cream of Wheat box, was butler and Carrie Payne was cook. Outside, Phil Zimmerman had justreplaced famous Joe Riis as gardener (Gustav Eckstein wrote his story; Alexander Woolcott reprinted it inhis Second Reader aided by Walter Robinson, who had gone to College Hill’s school with Mr. Thomsonin the ‘80s. All of these wonderful people were to stay into the ‘30s; Sallie until The Oaks was closed in1940.In 1930, to ease working conditions and create jobs, the Thomsons decided on major revamping ofthe facilities. The laundry was given up when Mamie retired; the Avondale Steam Laundry took on thehousehold as a ‘run.’ By this time, the country place in Indiana added tremendously to the laundry loadwith week-ends not infrequent bedding thirty, one time forty-two people. A new kitchen was developed inthe former laundry space with a hotel sized Kitchen Aid and three giant sinks taking the west-end, atremendous four door refrigerator (with compressor in the cellar) on the north, cabinets on the south andan all gas range on the dining room wall. A marble-topped center table could seat six, the normal numberfor lunch or dinner; over-flow, particularly when the children ate in the kitchen ‘when the old folks wereout,’ tipped chairs against the cabinets.213