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

area. She knew where the old toll gate had been on Blue rock Road and how farmers would go throughneighboring fields with their wagons and teams to avoid paying the toll gates. She was an interestingperson and I had many happy times with her.Many families had lived in that house during the years Mr. Biddle owned it. The Tertinskys own itnow. They have modernized it and have beautiful gardens, both flower and vegetable.Thinking about the 1937 flood brings back many memories. We were almost completely cut off fromdowntown Cincinnati-Ralph had to drive down North Bend Road into Carthage to be able to go to work.He was a stationary engineer with the Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company, stationed in the old Frontand Rose power plant. He had to make his way into town by way of Vine Street, getting as far as ThirdStreet and going into the plant by boat. Knowlton’s Corner was under water up into the second floor ofthe building’s there. The water was up Hamilton Avenue beyond the railroad tracks and Blue rock. I wasteaching piano classes at the time at Garfield School-of course all the schools were closed, but we werecalled and asked to come into Garfield to help feed the flood workers everyday. You weren’t allowed todrive in those areas without authority, so I was given a Red Cross flag to put on my car so that I could getthrough. The intersection of Colerain and Hoffner was under water and they had taken down sections offence on each street at Wesleyan Cemetery. They had put a temporary gravel road across the corner of thecemetery to permit you to get over to Beekman Street. That stretch of Beekman just beyond the schoolwas under water for some distance past Dreman Avenue. They brought the workers in by truckloads,bringing hot food in for them. It was our job to serve their dinner on the school plates, then clean up andwash dishes. The cafeteria was in the basement and I remember looking out the window at flood water upto the terrace leading down to the playground. I also could see the houses on down Beekman Street whereI knew some of my students lived.It was a frightening time-often Ralph wouldn’t get back home until the early hours of the morning.We couldn’t use the water and I remember going to the corner where Eilers had a well in the yard andgetting water. Gas pressure was low and it was sometimes difficult to cook. Part of the time there was noelectricity.Then there was the horrible fire-gasoline floating on top of the flood waters caught fire and most ofSpring Grove Avenue was ablaze. Many businesses were destroyed. I remember driving down SpringGrove after the water went down and seeing some of the old houses just beyond the Mill Creek bridge.The people living in them had moved all their furniture up into the second floors, which were completelyburned away.I recently learned from Cleon Wingard, who was the Assistant Principal at Garfield, that a NationalGuard unit was housed in Garfield School during the flood and he stayed in the building during the nightand fed the Guards their breakfast in the morning. It was a sad sight to see so many of the homes of ourstudents in the flood waters.I have fond memories of Garfield. It was a wonderful school and was so much a part of thecommunity life. Mr. Miller, the Principal, had a Mothers Choral Group and I was their accompanist. Igave evening recitals every year and had some very fine students. We also had violin classes. There was adrum corps and the students learned to march. They always took part in the Memorial Day Services atWesleyan Cemetery. South Cumminsville was a fine, close-knit community.During the Second World War we spent a lot of time in Colerain Township as Ralph’s sister Carriewas married to Bob Foster. They lived on Banning Road and had an extra lot next to their house, so webanded together and farmed that ¼ acre going there in the evenings to work (we received a gas ration forthis). Also they were members of the Wilmot Rifle Club, which put on a training session to learn to shoot(the Federal Government was encouraging everyone to be prepared to use firearms). This was held in thebasement range of Bob Foster’s building at the southwest corner of Colerain and Galbraith. We also hadbeagles and hunted and trained dogs in Colerain Township. Those war years were frightening times-withblackouts occurring regularly. Ralph was a stationary engineer for CG&E and was deferred because of it.We learned of his youngest brother Billy’s death in the invasion of Africa-he was buried there. Hisbrother, Frank, was stationed in the Pacific. Then came the notice that Ralph was changed to 1A-aworrisome time for both of us, but he wasn’t called because they changed the age limit and he was too238