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| Mr. and Mrs. Edmon Clark Chambers |
Life is the opening to many doors. But there is a single door one may open without fear, confident of what lies on the other side. That is the door of memory. For most of us, it becomes an increasing pleasure to open that door more often and take a restful mental stroll back down past corridors.
Mr. and Mrs. Edmon Clark Chambers moved to Florence, Louisiana in early January, 1905. The first year my parents came to Florence, Louisiana, they boarded with Mrs. Joe Bryan for several weeks, until they could find a place to rent. They rented the Old Bennett House on the banks of Lake Louis, just beyond where Clarendon and Mamie Dell Peck now live.
We lived in the Bennett house only one year. The following year, our parents rented a house about one-half mile from town, on the Peniston place, living there until 1912. Darris and Luceil were born there. This road is now highway number eight.
Our parents rented the Steele house (that is where Bruce and Mildred Edmonds live now) in 1912. That was indeed a terrible year for our family. Mearine, Darris, Luceil and Ollie had typhoid fever. The only help our parents could get was an old colored woman named Annie Barkshare.
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| Steele House - Storm Cellar, bottom right corner |
There seemed to be many tornadoes or hurricanes at this time. There was a storm cellar in the side yard in easy access to the front porch, in which our parents kept a lantern, plenty of matches in a can, fresh water was kept in jars or bottles, also quilts for us to sleep upon. There were benches in the storm cellar.
Annie Barkshare always came to our house to join us in the storm cellar. Our parents always had a big can that had a top on it, in which they kept canned foods, vienna sausage, potted meat, crackers, and cookies. If Mama had time, when we went to the storm cellar, she took cottage cheese that she had made, also fresh milk. Fortunately, we never had to stay in the storm cellar long enough to use up all the food. However, you can imagine with four hungry girls, Annie Barkshare, and Mama and Papa that a great deal of nourishment was consumed.
In 1911, Papa opened a butcher shop, in a small building on Main Street. Papa only sold fresh beef on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. There was very little refrigeration at that time to keep a shop open all week.
In 1913, we moved in a house that was on the plot of land where Kitty and Marvin Nolen now live. At the end of the year 1913, our parents bought the Old Miller Home and started the co-enterprise, Sycamore Boarding House and Livery Stable Business.
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| Chambers Hotel, 2011 |
Sycamore House was enlarged in 1918 with the addition of four bedrooms on the North Wing and one bedroom on the South Wing. [Note: Sycamore House was also known as The Chambers Hotel]
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| Chambers Hotel, 2011 |
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| Chambers Hotel Office, 2011 |
My father made daily round trips to Harrisonburg, Louisiana, the parish seat, using horses and buggies. It wasn't long before they were replaced with Model-T Fords. About this time, Papa acquired a contract to carry mail to and from Sicily Island to Harrisonburg. Other activities included farming and raising cattle.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Edmon Clark Chambers and daughters |
In 1919, our parents bought the Old F. O. Denham place, at the foot of the Ouachita Hills, near Leland. Later on Papa rented Lakeview, on the Tensas River, for farming and raising cattle.
When we went to the store on Saturday mornings, each of us had a nickel to spend. We always bought something different. Afterwards, we came home and sat on wooden blocks and divided equally what each one had bought. A nickel bought a lot in those days.
My first Christmas memories were in Sicily Island. There was a tall Christmas tree in the First Methodist Church. I saw a big doll on the tree and how I wished for it. I couldn't believe my eyes when Santa Claus handed me the doll. I cried from joy. Mama and Papa looked so pleased, as I was so happy.
Mama had a cow named Old Maggie. I'm not sure who did the milking before Mearine started when she was old enough. She wanted me to try, but I fooled them. I just could not get a drop of milk, so Darris took over, delighted to have the job. Luceil and I never did milk that cow.
Late in the afternoon, mama would permit us to take off our shoes and make footprints in the dirt road. Then we had to come in for a good foot washing. After we went to bed, we made shadows on the wall. A lamp was kept lighted in our room that made it possible for us to create unusual shadows.
One day I did something that I was forbidden to do, consequently, Mama broke off a small branch from one of the peach trees and switched me with it. I remarked, "Mama, we won't have any peaches if you do this often". Mama said, "If you would listen to me, this won't be necessary again".
We had two double beds in our room. Mearine and Luceil slept in one and Darris and I slept together in the other bed. Darris was always wanting me to move over, so one night I got out of bed and came around to her side of the bed. All of a sudden I heard Darris crying. She had fallen out of bed and landed between the bed and the wall.
Papa bought us our first basketball. He had a goal put up for us in the backyard for us to practice goal throwing.
[Note: Mearine was a member of the Sicily Island Central High girls basketball team as well as the State basketball team. She is pictured below (4th from Left) with her high school teammates.]
Mama taught us to dance. We learned to waltz and to do the two-step. We were permitted to have parties at our house. Mama always had nice refreshments for us. It might be pull candy, popcorn balls, lemonade, or hot chocolate. One of our favorites were her delicious pop-ups.
Some of the highlights were going to public dances, which were always well chaperoned. One that we particularly enjoyed was held at the Old Gillis Home, an antebellum home on Lake Louis, and the music was by Bud Scott's Band, a well known black musician from Natchez, Mississippi.
My grandfather, Lewis West, my mother's father, lived with us a number of years. He always sat on the front porch, with his hat on to prevent the glare in his eyes, and smoked his pipe. He showed us how a frog could not jump or hop. He would throw a ball bearing to the frog, which the frog swallowed, and then he couldn't jump. Then Grandpa would hold up the frog and shake him. The ball bearing would fall out and the poor frog would hurriedly hop away.
I remember when Darris jumped off the back porch, before it was screened, and cut her foot very deep. Dr. Gordon was out in the country on a call. But fortunately Mr. Squires came by and saw Darris was bleeding so much, he asked Mama if he could help. He reached under the steps and got a hand full of cobwebs and added sugar to the cobwebs, and that really stopped the bleeding. We were all amazed.
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| Sicily Island Teachers - Darris Chambers standing to the right of the flag pole |
Kit Carson came to Sicily Island in the fall of 1919 to become the principal at the Consolidated School, which was located over a mile from town. He boarded in our home. My parents liked him very much and only charged him very little for living quarters and meals. When the school year ended, Kit returned to S.L.I. in Lafayette, Louisiana and completed courses for his B.S. Degree.
Every summer, my parents invited Kit to come and spend a few days fishing and during the Christmas Holidays to come and go deer hunting. When I entered Normal College at Natchitoches, Louisiana, Kit began sending me candy and sheet music ever so often. That is when I realized that he was interested in me as a real friend. After the first year at Normal, Kit came to see me in Sicily Island. He came every summer and during the Christmas Holidays afterwards.
We became engaged during the Christmas Holidays in 1927. He gave me my engagement ring. How happy we were and so were my parents. We were married August 15, 1928 in my home, with Reverend W. T. Woodward officiating.
August 15, 1987, we celebrated our 59th Wedding Anniversary in Baton Rouge.
Laura Ollie Chambers Carson died on June 25, 1989. Francis Marion "Kit" Carson died on September 2, 1989. Both are buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery near Sicily Island.
Laura Ollie Chambers Carson died on June 25, 1989. Francis Marion "Kit" Carson died on September 2, 1989. Both are buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery near Sicily Island.
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