Strolling down
the streets of Pleasant Lake last Saturday was almost like walking through a
history book. Photos and stories of this small town were posted up and down
Main Street, much like the old-fashioned Burma Shave. The fun part about
Pleasant Lake is that it truly does combine the past with the present. It is
like a dormant Rip Van Winkle. Of course, that is a fictional story, and he
only slept for twenty years. In this case, how long did Pleasant Lake sleep,
and who was the magical fairy with the wand who brought it back to life?
The first two
names who wooed the town out of the deep sleep are Elten and Carolyn Powers.
Elten grew up in Pleasant Lake, moved away for his teaching career, and then
headed back home. I am sure when he and Carolyn built their house and
established their prairie that they never dreamed what would come next! What
did come next?
The Pleasant
Lake Museum was the first to arrive on the scene with hard work, community help
and a vision like no other, the museum was built. Donations of money and
artifacts began to fill in the blank spaces. I love visiting this little museum
and seeing the beauty of Pleasant Lake in this once-upon-a-time time travel. The
museum is open every Sunday afternoon from 2-4. Take a leisurely drive and end
up at the museum. You definitely will feel as I do.
What came next,
you ask? I believe Kelly Lynch brought his world famous (at least in these here
parts) steam engines and other passenger trains to the Pleasant Lake Depot and
the Angola Depot. On this particular Saturday as I meandered between past and
present, the train whistle blew depicting the departure of the ice cream train.
I took my Littles on that train a couple of years ago…ice cream in hand, eyes
wide open, and the roar of the whistle as we found our seats. How many of us
ride trains these days? Kelly has worked with the Fort Wayne Railroad
Historical Society and brought it to us wrapped in a red ribbon. Just open the
package and inside is the ice cream train, the picnic train, the whiskey train
and so many more. Dress up if you would like. I know that is my favorite thing
to do.
Moving on from
the railroad and the museum, I headed down to the park where folks were
gathered for great food and music. The Pleasant Lake Lions club provided a
cookout sending the scents of summer into the air. I put my twenty-dollar bill
into the donation box and took a plateful over to sit with Carolyn at the
membership tent. Yes, we are both members! After we closed up for the
afternoon, I was off to the last bit of bygone history…the opening of the
Pleasant Lake Barbershop. Yes, another one of Elten’s visions!
As I meandered
up the street from the park, folks were walking and chatting, pushing
strollers, carrying toddlers. If I closed my eyes (and I did), I could see
women in long dresses with parasols and men with derby hats and long coats. My
imagination does get the best of me sometimes, but there we were standing in
front of the barber shop built in the 1880’s. It is one of the oldest buildings
in Steuben County. The last barber retired in 1984 and walked out the door
leaving it as it was. It was left alone for 40 years…double that of Rip Van
Winkle.
With community
support with various donations and grants, new life has come to fruition. As I
walked up the steps, I noticed a sign in the window, “Haircuts. $3.” Not bad, I
thought, three bucks for a haircut. When I walked in, I had to laugh as the men
were all lined up waiting for their own $3 haircut. Doing the cutting on
Saturday was Josh Kline who owns The CombOver Barbershop. The barber chair was
original as were many of the fixtures in this tiny little building. A new
floor, air conditioning (that was nice on Saturday) and a few amenities, but we
were right back to 1880.
I sat in one of
the chairs and waited my turn. I couldn’t wait to sit in that chair. Of course,
I donated another twenty-dollar bill so Josh would not cut my hair!
A stroll from
the past to the present. Pleasant Lake is on the map!
No comments:
Post a Comment