by D. L. Dennis
Not many pumpkins were grown in the surrounding small communities because it was hard to compete with the Calvary Pumpkin Patch. Calvary was known for miles around for the perfectly shaped pumpkins that were grown in the Pumpkin Patch. It was somewhat of a status symbol to have made the trek to the Calvary Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin for your Jack-O-Lantern.
No one could explain why Calvary’s pumpkins were so perfect nor could they explain why the harvest in the Calvary Pumpkin Patch was so plentiful each year. The local children thought it was a magical place. As soon as the vines began to pop through the soil, they loved to walk through the rows of vines and look to see how many blossoms had popped out since their last visit. They would squeal with delight when they spotted tiny pumpkins on the vines and loved to make numerous visits to watch them grow bigger and bigger.
No one could remember when the first pumpkin was grown in the Calvary Pumpkin Patch, but stories had been handed down through the families that a mysterious old man who lived in a rundown shanty near the forest of trees close to the river had grown the first pumpkin in a tiny patch of ground. His shanty was on a road which led off the main road into Calvary, and he was rarely, if ever, seen in town. When the old man died, he left his meager belongings and a little patch of ground covered in tangled pumpkin vines to a local church. The only grain of truth in the story that could be substantiated was that there was a small plot of ground with pumpkin vines on it left to one of the local churches. No one seemed to recall how the story about the old man originated, but no one disputed the truth of it. Even the adults loved to pass the story along and wanted to believe that Calvary’s Pumpkin Patch was a special magical place. And, it did, indeed, produce an over-abundance of pumpkins year after year. They were as perfect as any that could be found for miles around the countryside.
Not only did the Calvary Pumpkin Patch grow the most perfect pumpkins, it was also the site of the largest pumpkin patch for miles around. It belonged to Trinity Church, which was one of the four churches in town. No one in the church had any idea why the old man had left his little plot of ground to the church, which only added to the mystery of it all. Anyone who was involved with the pumpkin patch knew that it was a blessing. After the church became responsible for taking care of the pumpkin patch, those involved called it “God’s Pumpkin Patch” because of the plentiful harvest each and every year. They believed that only God could perform such a miracle year after year. Trinity Church was easy to find because it was the only church that had a steeple with a bell in it. Every Sunday morning, that bell could be heard throughout the little community announcing that it was time to come to church. It was the responsibility of the church custodian to ring the bell, and most of the time, you would find a couple of the children tagging along after him asking to help. The custodian always let them climb the steps with him to where the rope hung down. He would put his hands up high on the rope and let them tug on the bottom of it. They would giggle as the bell tipped from side to side ringing loudly. If it was their first time, they usually would let go of the rope and hold their hands over their ears. That would be the highlight of the day. No one knew who had the most fun – the custodian or the children!
As funds became available throughout the years, the church had purchased additional land adjacent to the first little patch of ground that was given to them. After many years, the patch had grown so large that when the pumpkins were almost ready for harvest, they could be seen from far away. It looked like the earth had been splashed with various shades of orange with squiggly lines of curly green stripes. Even an artist could not have painted anything more beautiful than what nature did with the pumpkin patch.
Unless people were visiting relatives in Calvary, there were not a lot of new faces to be seen except during the fall months, when the pumpkins were being harvested. There was not much else in Calvary to draw visitors, but for several weeks, the Calvary businesses enjoyed the extra revenue they earned from all of the visitors. They made a special effort to be friendly and tried various ways to entice the visitors to come into their place of business. Some businesses put large banners in their window welcoming the visitors and others would give out a small souvenir or lollipops to the children. Most of the businesses in Calvary were closed on Sunday except during pumpkin harvesting time. During this period, many of them would open their doors on Sunday at noon. Sometimes the revenue the businesses took in during these fall months was as much as what they took in the rest of the year so they were happy to see the visitors rolling into town.
When the pumpkins got large enough to harvest, you could see them dotting the ground from quite a distance as you approached Calvary. The children would watch out the car window to see who would be the first one to spot the pumpkin patch and the pumpkin stand. A weathered, wooden stand stood on the side of the highway going into Calvary from which pumpkins were sold. The stand had been built and was maintained by volunteers from the church on the weekends. The church volunteers knew that not everyone wanted to tromp though the pumpkin patch to pick one out, but would rather stop at a stand to buy their pumpkins. As soon as the pumpkins were ready to be picked until there were none left in the patch, there was always someone at the pumpkin stand from mid-morning to late afternoon to take your money. A volunteer would load up his truck with pumpkins from the patch and take them to the stand on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, no pumpkins could be purchased on Sunday until church was out at 11:00 a.m. Most everyone who stopped to buy their pumpkins at the stand drove on to Main Street. Buying pumpkins in Calvary was a family tradition which usually included lunch and a little shopping.
Of course, there was also a pumpkin stand at the church. Pumpkins decorated the church lawn along with a large hand painted “For Sale” sign which stood in one corner of the lawn. The children of the church were encouraged to help with selling the pumpkins at the church on Saturdays and after the service on Sunday. Most all of them were excited to help when they turned six and were allowed to help out. With pumpkins on the side of the road, at the church and in the patch, when you drove to Calvary, you never left without at least one pumpkin!
Sometimes the church pastor was approached by people from other communities asking if they could harvest a truck load of the pumpkins. The answer was always “no” no matter how much money was offered. The church had adopted the philosophy that if someone wanted a pumpkin from the Calvary Pumpkin Patch, they had to come to Calvary.
Many pumpkins had to be picked for the pumpkin stand and the church lot, but a large portion of the patch was always left unharvested for the youngsters (and some “oldsters”) who wanted to roam through and pick out their own pumpkin. Little tykes could be seen struggling out of the patch with a pumpkin that weighed almost as much as they did. The church volunteers loved seeing the big grins on the faces of the children of all ages as they raced up and down with their parents tagging along after them. They tried to keep a few wagons available for those pumpkins that were just too big to carry.
There were always a few of the town folk who grumbled about the streets being crowded with strangers during those fall months, but most were happy to see some new faces – and the revenue they brought to Calvary. Visitors brought an air of excitement with them. It reminded some of the old timers of the days when Calvary was a thriving little boom town before the “Big Road” was built and by-passed their little metropolis. Since then, Calvary had slipped into the sleepy little town where no one was in a hurry, there was not much variation in the day, and most of the time it was not hard to find a parking place on Main Street. Life was slow and easy. Everyone seemed to know everyone, and only the young people looked forward to traveling to the “Big City” to the east as a big adventure. For many old timers in Calvary, they rarely ventured to the “Big City” – it was another world to them. But, most everyone did enjoy having the visitors in the fall. They enjoyed hearing the peals of laughter out of the children, seeing families enjoy time together and chatting with them in the
restaurants and stores.
The Calvary Pumpkin Patch was quite unique in that it was taken care of solely by volunteers, most of them individuals who attended the Trinity Church. Occasionally, even the custodian of the church could be seen working in the patch after he had finished his workday. For all of those involved, whether they were part of the church or not, working at the pumpkin patch or the pumpkin stand appeared to be a labor of love.
Everyone was always amazed at how much money was raised each year in spite of the fact that many pumpkins were given away to families who could not afford to buy a pumpkin. It seemed like the more pumpkins the volunteers gave away, the more money they raised; the more they gave away, the better the crop was the next year. No one tried to explain it other than it was a miracle!
When the last pumpkin was sold, or given away and the money was counted for one last time, the dollar amount earned would be written on a large piece of paper and posted in the window of the local newspaper office. The sales for the previous year would also be shown. The final count was usually done shortly after Halloween each year. On November 1st, people would start watching for that notice in the window. Even those individuals who were not directly involved with the pumpkin patch were eager to see what the final tally was. Each year the goal was to exceed what they had earned the year before, and rarely were they disappointed.
Chapter 3
ANDERSON CALVARY ORPHANAGE
Calvary did have something else that caught people’s attention – an orphanage. The orphanage was not far from the river or the pumpkin patch, so those who visited the pumpkin patch could see it off in the distance. First time visitors were always very inquisitive as to how it came into being in such a small community. Calvary did not seem to be a likely place for an orphanage. They wondered where the children came from and how it stayed in operation in such a small remote community. It was rather mysterious even to those who lived in Calvary. Occasionally, curiosity got the best of some in a car filled with visitors, and they would drive down the little lane trying to get a closer look. They could only go so far, though, until they came upon a large, locked wrought iron gate which prevented them from going any closer. The grounds at the orphanage were completely surrounded by a tall wrought iron fence and were totally off limits to visitors, unless prior arrangements to be on the property had been made. Mrs. Miller was the director of the orphanage, and she was very protective of “her” children.
The structure which housed Anderson Calvary Orphanage had not originally been built to be an orphanage. The structure had been built on several acres not far from the Calvary River and was situated on a gravel side road which led off of a main road going into Calvary. It was a massive two story structure made of gray stone with four large pillars across the broad front porch. A wide set of stairs led up to the concrete porch. Several tall windows were all across the front on the first floor with smaller ones on the second story. Some people said it looked like a colonial mansion from the Civil War era even though it was not white as were many colonial mansions. A few of the old timers in Calvary were alive when the original structure was built. Very few Calvary residents could claim that they had ever been in the structure, but when asked about it, there was always a story to be told. If you lived in Calvary for any length of time, you had heard the story many times and in a short time, considered yourself an expert. And, as stories go, it got bigger and better with each telling.
Before the structure was turned into an orphanage, it was always referred to as the “Big House.” It stood vacant for many years before being turned into the orphanage. There had been an air of mystery surrounding the “Big House” from the day the first construction truck turned down the rutted lane to the property, then while the “Big House” was being built, and throughout the time it was used as a residence. The “Big House” then stood empty for many years and interest in it died down, but was revived again when construction trucks once again bumped down the lane and a flurry of activity could be seen. The day the large white sign with bold black lettering, “Anderson Calvary Orphanage” was hung, for weeks it was the topic of conversation in the early morning hours at the Corner Cafe.
The one fact that did not change as stories were told about the “Big House” was that it had been built on land purchased by a very wealthy couple whose last name was Anderson. This fact could not be disputed since it was in the county records. No one knew where the Andersons came from, or why they chose to purchase property in their community. Of course, lots of ideas were bantered around, but it was all speculation.
Rarely did anyone ever see Mr. or Mrs. Anderson unless they happened to be on the highway headed toward the “Big Road.” When they saw a shiny black Rolls Royce headed in that direction, they knew that the Andersons were headed to the “Big City.” It was certain that no one in Calvary had a car like that, so it had to be the Andersons. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Anderson ever came into any of the stores or restaurants in Calvary. They remained a mystery for the short time that they resided in the “Big House.”
On rare occasions, the gardener, or one of the household staff was seen in the local grocery store or the hardware store. Whoever came was always cordial, but did not fraternize with the town residents so no one was able to learn anything about the Andersons. Their lack of information, though, was not for lack of trying. Everyone was very curious about the Andersons and took every opportunity to ask a question or two. They just never got any answers!
Everyone who worked for the Andersons lived at the “Big House” with them. Evidently part of the house had been built for the purpose of housing the staff. Of course, no one in Calvary knew how many people were employed by the Andersons, but they did see cars occasionally leaving the property being driven by various individuals. The whole situation was very puzzling to the Calvary residents and gave them a lot to talk about. The “Big House” represented another world unknown to Calvary residents.
Even though the town residents knew very little about the “Big House” and its occupants, they were quite proud that such a wealthy couple had chosen their little town to build such an impressive structure close to it. Aside from the fall months when pumpkins were being harvested, not a lot happened in Calvary, so the Andersons and the “Big House” gave those who gathered in the Corner Cafe, and the other public places, something to chat and speculate about.
The town residents were fascinated with the entire construction process of the “Big House” from the time the first truck rolled down the lane until the last one left. Once the construction and landscaping were completed, it was truly a stunning estate, even from a distance. The spacious yard was turned into grounds that looked like a well-cared for park. Trees with broken limbs had been cut down, scraggly bushes had been removed, weeds pulled out and the ground had been smoothed over. The landscapers toiled long hours planting flowers, hedges and flowering trees and bushes which bloomed at various times of the year. From early spring when the purple Iris burst into their majestic blossoms until late fall when the buds of the mums broke out into full bloom, the yard was ablaze with color. The red Cannas that bloomed late in the summer months stood tall and regal against the gray stone and surrounded the house. Hollyhocks, with their bell shaped flowers of many colors, stood tall on one side of the wrought iron fence. Saplings of various fruit trees had been planted on the back of the property. Watching the landscape bloom at the “Big House” was like looking through a kaleidoscope with ever changing colors. It was worth the drive down the gravel road several times from spring through fall just to see the various blooming trees, flowers and bushes even though it was only at a distance, and the Calvary residents did just that!
Quite often, curiosity got the best of some of the locals, and they would drive down the gravel road at various times of the day and evening just to see if they could see any activity around the “Big House.” Of course, they had to turn around when they got to the wrought iron gate, but one or two always came back with a story about what they
saw, or thought they saw. No one ever knew for sure if any of the stories were true, or a figment of someone’s imagination.
Early one morning, the Corner Cafe was abuzz with chatter about what the latest trip by the “Big House” had revealed when a local had taken a trip down the lane. If you could bring back a tidbit about the “Big House”, you would be the center of attention for days. On one particular trip, a large swing set had been erected on one side of the massive yard. No children had ever been observed in the yard so why would a swing set have been built? They speculated that it must be an indication that there would be children in the “Big House” soon! Now, there was one more mysterious happening at the “Big House” for them to chat about!
Chapter 4
TRAGEDY STRIKES
As the months passed by, talk about the “Big House” died down. Nothing unusual seemed to be happening on the premises and no one ever caught more than a fleeting glance of anyone associated with it so it faded into the background of the daily happenings in Calvary. Life hummed along at its usual slow pace until just before noon one day a couple of years later when one of the local doctors received a frantic call at his office to come immediately to the “Big House.” He had never been to the “Big House,” nor had he ever met the residents so he was quite surprised to receive the call. He could hardly understand the person screaming on the other end of the phone line, but quickly determined it must be an emergency.
Doc grabbed his jacket, tore out of his office, jumped in his car and sped down Main Street as fast as he dared go. It was a Saturday morning so a lot of people were milling around on the sidewalks, in the stores and restaurants. Everyone could hear the car roaring down the street and the horn honking warning everyone to get out of the way. Those crossing the street hurried to get out of the way and scratched their heads. They all wondered why the doctor was in such a hurry and where he was going. Others popped out of the stores asking what was going on.
