KOCKINGTON LOCKS

This is the Lock tenders house. It looked pretty good. We knew the peple that lived in this house too. I don't know if they bought the house or not.

During the time when the locks were working the town was quite prosperous. They had Drs, undertakers, post office and of course saloons. They had 2 churches when I was a kid. I wish I could have been a mouse during this era. Old guy in town when I was a kid talked about ice skating all the way to Sidney, Ft Loramie or whereever he wanted to go in the winter time.

When I was a kid we played around the locks, went sliding. We would ride our bikes down the steep slopes. The town would also have movies on the banks. We'd bring blankets and popcorn, I think we had to pay a nickel or dime. That was a real treat.


Well kids I wrote this for you. Thought maybe you might enjoy a little of my childhood. Wish my parents would have told me more about their childhoods. Maybe you won't enjoy it, but the older we get our memories mean a lot to us.


Thought for the day "What a grand world it would be if we could forget our troubles as easily we do our blessings".

LOCKINGTON LOCKS

At the end of the first lock there was a big open space called a spillway. This was filled with water the boats could turn around in here, load or unload. There was also a building on the site called the inn. I'm sure the people could bathe, have a hot meal or stay overnight. When I was a kid we knew the people that rented that house.

This was a picture of the lock that someone had posted at the block

LOCKINGTON LOCKS

This is the continued story of the Miami Erie canal that I put on the blog before. According to the Ohio Historical society the Lockington Locks are the most extensive and spectacular series of structure whichexisted on the canal. The lock walls remain in their original condition, changed only by the elements.

When Lowell was taking these pictures he said he would just walk the plank across to the other side. I told him to leave me the camera so I could take a picture of him in the bottom.
These locks were built in 1825 - 1847 and were used till the flood of 1913 shut everything down. They were Ohio's first transportation system

This is the second lock.

Loramie summit(Lockington) was the highest peak in the locks. They are called the Stair Step Locks. They lowered the boats 67 feet in a half mile. The locks were 90 feet long and 15 feet wide. The boats were 32 feet by 14 feet wide. The lock was only 15 so they only had 6 inches on each side. They sure had to keeep the boat on the straight and narrow going thru.

DOWN MEMORY LANE

This was the back of the building where we had our grocery store. Couldn't believe my eyes.

Then the folks bought the Ford Dealership garage put a bigger grocery store in it. This house didn't look like this either it was fancy had a furnace and shower in the basement. Our first shower. This was where I lived when we got married. Then we rented a double across the street where Dee was born. We bought the grocery store and I run it while your Dad worked in the factory. We rented the building off the folks and they built a knotty pine SMALL 2 bedroom apartment. Then when I was pregnant with Ersta we sold the store and bought the same double house and moved in there. Ersta was born and we stayed there till we moved to Pleasant Hill where Leesa was born and we stayed there till we started full timing.

Now maybe you understand why we have a soft spot for Lockington. We were in school together this was where your Dad courted me. His Dad said Lowell came in every night and lit the street lamps. We were married here 60 years ago. Lowell's family went to this church too. They tore down the school, closed it when I would have been in the fourth grade. Went to Houston to school. Never got a picture of it like a dummy.

The old fire house was in the Inn on the canal spillway. My Dad helped start the Fire Department and was Fire Chief for I don't how many years.

DOWN MEMORY LANE

Went to a public sale Sunday for a couple of old school chums. Then we headed thru Kirkwood and past the stone quarry my folks owned. We crossed the Miami River where the old covered bridge stood and headed for Lockington. I lived along this river when I was little, but that will have to wait till another time.

Lowell lived west of Lockington on the Fessler Buxton road pass the cemetery. This is the Lockington Cemetery where all of our parents are buried. He came into the store when he was little and my mother thought he was the sweetest little boy (maybe it was because she didn't have any boys) she always loved him.

Yours truly lived in 5 different places in Lockington one place twice. The above picture was my first place in Lockington and I helped my Dad build a garage there. I wss the closest thing to a boy he had I was always with him. This house is right along the canal. It didn't look this good when Dad put a grocery store in the front. Then we moved to another place, just around the corner like. It was a grocery store too. It was called Coonies grocery. When my folks moved to Lockington, Coonie told Dad he'd never make it. Well Dad and Mom bought Coonie out. We moved into their house fastened on to the store. It was fancier and bigger. It looks so HORRIBLE Sunday I couldn't take a picture.

Big Cedar Lodge

He made me feel small till I got ome and stepped on the scales.

Any body you know.

Two old goats? No just one.

This is our gracious host The Watkins.

Big Cedar Lodge

The street markers.

The original well.

Pure Herb Convention

It is just breathtaking. We walked down to the Devils Pool restuarant. We joked about the sloping paths, they are just plain steep. That was Sandy from Pure Herbs in the other picture, she calls me troublemaker, but I don't understand why.

Pure Herb Convention

These were pictures from our room. Beautiful sunsets, from our balcony. We no longer arrived here at Easy and tookj off for Big Cedar lodge. It is unbelievable here. So peaceful and quiet except for the waterfalls. You drive thru water to get to your room, 3 times we were in the Falls Lodge. We stopped at Mike's on the way out and the way back.

Summer

Big baseball game,

A J running the bases.

Great Grandpa holding the football for AJ to kick.

Summer

They tore down our old school that our three girls and all of our grandchildren graduated from. This is the only tree left in the front yard. The school is great but so are the taxes.
Newton won their first state champion the High School girls fastpitch team won, a big congratulations to them. Pleasant Hill now has a pretty sign as you come in to town. I keep forgetting to take a picture, maybe some day.

Summer

Lyns and Clinton had one birthday party for Wyatt and Morgan. It turned out really nice and everyone was happy.

AJ and Morgan were cooking up something, with those two it could be most anything.

The future PGA golfer?

Ashley ready for a soccer game, they had a good game. We haven't gotten to one of Wyatt's game but I understand Wyatt got a goal. His team is a very young team, but he loves it. Amanda was playing for Piqua but she is going to Newton this year and it is too late for her to sign up. Jeanette moved to Troy but Cory gets to finish school in Piqua and we are so thankful.