Memories of Leavenworth, Indiana
From: Suzanne Sloan
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007
To: Ron Yates
Subject: I will share some of my Leavenworth memories with you.
As a child my 2 brothers and myself spent many a Saturday and Sunday in Leavenworth. Our church, as did many churches held picnics on the lawn facing the river by the lighthouse. Those were beautiful summer days filled with games and friends and family. I walked down on the dam many times in the accompanment of Jesse Mix. He had a nickname I believe was "Ding". Isn't it awful when you can't remember things ? He worked on the dam and lived in one of the homes built along the road for the workers. He was married to my aunt's (on my father's side) sister Kathleen Stroud Mix.
We also had a pleasure boat and spent the week-ends in the summer on the river. We would put the boat in right there by the Dock Restaurant. We picked up shells that had the button holes in them from the river bank while waiting for Dad to get the boat put in. I still have some of them and I have found some on our lot . Now when I look down that ramp it scares me just thinking about how Dad squelled tires getting that boat out of the water and back up that hill.
I remember the steamboats. We would ski behind the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen. I loved the Delta. She would play her pipe organ as she came by. My brothers would water ski the waves as they went up or down the river. We would roast hot dogs and marshmellows at night on a sandbar on the Kentucky side of the river. What great times those were. I remember the steamboat festivals. We ate peaches from Towers and my husband picked them as a teenager.
As you can see even tho we lived in Marengo we had a great love for Leavenworth and the river. No surprise that both my brothers and myself have places there. I am the oldest sibling, my oldest brother is principal of the Leavenworth Elementary School. He has a home in Leavenworth and rents a lot on the river where he has a garage to piddle with his hobby of working on cars. His place like ours is on second street. My younger brother is an officer for National City Bank. His place is the last place on the road to the right of "The Dock" , facing the river. He has a nice porch built on his place so we all congregate there at night to watch the barges go up and down the river. As I told you our place is at the end of 2nd Street before you make the curve to go toward the river.
Please feel welcome if you are in the area to stop and visit for a while if you see we are there. My husband is on active duty but stationed in Indiana. He worked as a full-time National Guard Employee until his retirement but the Army enlisted his services before the retirement took affect. We still found time last summer to be there almost every other week-end. Its a great place.
Thanks again for all the good work you did on the website. I enjoyed the pictures of the Mix family since I had a connection of sorts and I will be on the lookout for pictures for you. I took one this summer that is still in the camera and still in the camper that may be a good one. It is a picture of a steamboat coming up the river. Can't remember which one it was but when I get it developed we will know! We were there one week-end when they were having a gathering of steamboats in Cincy. On Sunday night it was a steady "steam of boats" coming down the river to go home. What a sight that was.
Contributor for this information:
Suzanne Key Sloan
January 2007
From: Jim and Ruth Yates
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007
Subject: my Leavenworth memories
My Great Grandfather was a man named Greenberry Ott and he had a blacksmith shop at the bottom of the hill going into old town ...just as you reach the bottom of the hill and turn right..the shop was immediately on the left as you make the right turn. You may have seen a pic of it on Ron's site? I visited there as a boy with my father, Harry E. Yates. I remember in those days many of the streets had the shells lying around with button holes punched in them. We ate in a little restaurant there right on a corner. My roots there were the Otts. A man in Leavenworth who knows a lot about the history is David Wilkins. Many of the Otts are buried there in the cemetery up on top,in Cedar Cemetery.
Couldn't resist writing a short note to you of appreciation for your letter to Ron. It would be nice to visit there sometime with you folk.
Jim Yates,Casey, IL.
Contributor for this information:
Jim Yates
January 2007
From: Karla Schlensker Sneegas
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007
Subject: Mail from Yatesville
Compliments on your wonderful website. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and looking!
I was researching information on steamboats on the Ohio River/ Crawford County and found your website. The photos are priceless.
I am originally from Milltown, IN. My Hoffman branch of the family arrived by the Ohio River. They originated from Erlenback, Bavaria, Germany. Arrived 1850 in New Orleans and came up the Mississippi to the Ohio River to Crawford County.
In your research have you found any information about immigrants arriving in Leavenworth?
Karla Schlensker Sneegas
Indianapolis, IN
Contributor for this information:
Karla Schlensker Sneegas
January 2007