My cousin, Traci, lives in Minnesota. She makes her way to Tennessee usually once or twice per year. She was fortunate to spend some of the pandemic months in Hilton Head. On her way home, she made a stop in Johnson City. Her and my uncle C (her Dad) came by the house to see the progress. I think she mostly thought we were crazy for tackling so much work. While she was there, she mentioned the leaves in the brick on the front steps.
I had forgotten about the leaves, but when she mentioned it, I knew exactly what she was talking about. After she left, I went out to get some pictures. I also sought out the story of the front bricks from my family. It is more of a story about my Papaw, who I never got to meet. I'm going to do my best to tell a little bit about him here. I am still learning about him, so I expect as I continue to tell our story, I will be able to share more about him.
Today, he is celebrating birthday number 101 with his beloved wife, Evelyn. It's been 45 years since they were able to celebrate his birthday together and I imagine it is a mighty fine affair. 💙
My papaw, Carl Cavada Williams, Senior, was born in July 16, 1920 to Sallie and Noah "Hop" Williams. He had 5 brothers (Hunter, Ernest, Ted, Nelson) and 6 sisters (the only one I know is Daisy). Papaw was the youngest of the 12. Just after his father died, Papaw went into the Army to help his family. He was only 17 at the time. I remember hearing stories of how he told the recruiter he was 18 so he could join early.
Papaw was sent to boot camp at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was later transferred to Cape Wheeler, Georgia. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was transferred again to Camp Landing, Florida. In April of 1942, while on leave, he and Mamaw married. He returned home as often as he could to visit. Mamaw became pregnant with their first child, a son, who was named Carl Cavada Williams, Jr. Mamaw had to send him a message in the military to let him know! Papaw was granted a short leave to return home and meet his son.
In 1943, Papaw was transferred to France, where he fought in World War II. He was part of the Battle at Normandy. Luckily, he was in the back of the attack. He suffered injuries from a hand grenade and spent considerable time in the military hospital. When he returned to battle, his job was not combat, but rather supply delivery. Soon after the war was over, Papaw was discharged from the military. My cousin, Jeylin, wrote about his return home in an essay several years ago, "When Papaw Williams came home, Mamaw was mopping the floor, and their first child was in his high chair in the kitchen. Mamaw heard him say, "My mama's mopping". Mamaw looked up and saw her husband standing in their kitchen." I can only imagine the joy that must have exploded in the kitchen that day.
Papaw worked for General Shale Brick Company in Kingsport for many years in the kilns firing brick. There, he also learned to repair the kilns. He also worked in other places that allowed him to gain other skills like brick laying and stone work. Robin remembered how they used to walked up and down Myrtle everyday at 6pm, pushing Denny, and watching for Papaw to come home. He rode the bus to Kingsport and home each day. This was before the Interstate highway was constructed nearby. Robin recalled they never went beyond the corner, but they were always there to meet their Daddy when he arrived home.
Papaw's brother Ted also worked for General Shale, but he was in Johnson City. Ted and Papaw were close. Robin said Ted really looked to Papaw to help him figure things out. He would ask, "Don't you think so, Carl?"
Papaw was certainly a family man and he loved his wife. Mom shared some of her memories of him and Mamaw. She said they loved to roller skate and they were very good at it. She also remembered them dancing together. She said, "He was a big guy but he was light on his feet. He loved to dance with Mamaw and they would dance at the house." They also liked to sing together, especially during Sunday drives in the car.
This is Papaw holding baby Denny in 1957. Denny was the youngest child. My beautiful Mamaw is watching with so much love.
His female namesake, a granddaughter named Carla Michelle, was born in September of that year. 💙
The summer after Papaw passed away, his brother Ted and two of his friends, Leo Croy and Al Harris, built the steps on the front of the Myrtle House out of brick, replacing the wooden steps that were original to the house. They also built a ramp for my Uncle Denny, who was wheelchair bound for most of his life. Mamaw bought long 2x4's for them to measure and build the ramp out to the front walk. They didn't use them and the ramp ended up far too steep for a wheelchair. Mom said she didn't remember Denny ever using the ramp. I remember playing on it as a child. It was a great place to let Matchbox cars race and balls roll.
The bricks used in the steps have leaves imprinted on them. I have searched high and low for an explanation, but I can't find anything! I talked to Mom, Robin, and my Uncle C (the first born mentioned earlier in this post). None of them knew anything about the leaves. Here are some close up pictures. See if you can find the designs.
My uncle C and I talked about the patterns in the bricks. He spent some time working with brick. He said the patterns in the brick happen before they are fired in the kiln. You can press any 3D object into a brick before it is fired and it will keep the shape. I found a website where you can order custom bricks with a pattern of nearly anything. Click here to go to the website to learn more about custom bricks. There is even a brick on that site with a leaf print!
The imprinted leaves in the brick are another reminder of what makes this house so very special. My Papaw spent his life working with brick, and while this may not have been his brick project, it will always make me think of him.
I have learned so much during this adventure - not just about home renovation, but about my family and our history. I have also learned a lot about myself along the way. I am so incredibly grateful for this journey. 💜
I hope I was able to paint an accurate picture of my Papaw in this post. It is my absolute honor to share about him on his birthday.
Many thanks to my Mom, Robin, C, Traci and Jeylin for the inspiration and information in this post. Special thanks to Mom for sending me the pictures of Papaw to share in this post. Her and Robin have tirelessly scanned hundreds of photos, which makes them easy to share.
No comments:
Post a Comment