Back in the late 50's I was an egal scout with troop 7 at the local Catholic Church. We went to the boy scout camp on Lake Bonapart. the troop spent the night and the next day we started hikeing back to town. the trip was aboout 35 miles and about 1/2 way back was a drive-in where we were going to spend the night. the next morning a school bus was comming to pick us up and take us the rest of the way back to town.
About two hours into the hike one of the boys fell crossing the ditch beside the road after reliving himself in the bushes.
Back i9n those days if there was no blood gushing, nothing was done about it. But, it slowed us down. When it begasn to get dark, the scoutmaster John hicky, suggested that we find an aulternate place to camp. There was a small white house just off the road and I was sent to ask if we could camp in the field next to the house. Jphn also wanted to use their phone.
AN OLD MAN ANSWERED THE DOOR AND i BREIFLY EXPLAINED OUR delema.
He explained that there were animals in that field and he didn't want us to disturb them, however, we coujld camp at the end of the driveway,
then he said that we could use the spring house for water and the outhouse, pointing to them as he spoke. He said that if we wanted to have a fire that there was wood next to the barn. We were to stay away from the house as they were old and retired early. He also said that he didn't have a phone so John went down the road to find a phone.
we setteled in and camped for the night. About 11 o'clock the boys setteled down and we all went to bed. About 2 hoours later I woke up and left my tent. John was sitting by the fire.He told me that he was worried aboout Bucky, the boy that fell into the ditch. I spent a rather restless night.
Just at dasylight John came into my tent. he was white as a sheet. He told me to get up and just as fast as i could get the boys up and get the packed and on the road as fast as I could.
I crawled out of my tent and much to my surprise there was no house, no buildings what-so-ever!
Needless to say we were on the road in less than 10 minutes. gear wha just throwen together and the half asleep boys grumbled as we almost ran from the scene.
When I got home I told my father what had hap-pened. we went back out there and my dis-beleiving Father bercame a beleiver.
the nicely mamicured lawn was overgrowen and there was a cone shaped pile of toilet paper where the boys had used the outhouse. the tall grass had been pushed down where out tents had been.
there were no buildings the spring bubbeled out of the ground instead of out of a pipe in the side of a well house.
My father went to the first farm and told the farmer what we said had happened.
Hs said," well, I guess the scouts ment the Williams. I have never ment them, myself, but Many people have."
John would never speak of the iccident, but dad spoke of it often.
A side note, someone put a double wide hoouse trailor on the sight and everytime I drive by it it is for sale by a different realitor.
