Today’s Reader Photo comes from Jerilynn (“Jeri”) Cooper Marshall, whose younger brother Jerry was good friends with my brother Ward Johnson. When I was a kid, the Coopers lived across the road from the Old Mission General Store, and we lived just to the south of there on the shore. You might remember that Rose Mary Cooper worked at the store for many years, and as with all our friends, Jerry worked on the cherry shaker crew on our farm.
Taken in April of 1959, this photo features Linda Andrus (standing) and Jeri riding Linda’s horse “Topper.” It was taken on the Andrus farm on Eastern Road. If you drive past Haserot Beach and continue for about a quarter-mile past Forest Avenue, you’ll see it on the right.
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The building you see in the background is the Andrus barn that still sits on the property. Directly to the left of the photo is their big farmhouse, which is also still there.
Below is Jeri’s photo from 1959, along with a photo of the same place that I took yesterday. In my photo, you can see the farmhouse on the left and one of the two little cottages on the right. At one time, I believe the house also served as a boarding house for passengers who arrived at the dock via boat at Haserot Beach. The road between the house and the cottages takes you back to the old “Indian Cemetery” (a.k.a. Lakeside Cemetery), which I’ve mentioned a few times on the Gazette.
“I had always admired that horse and dreamt of going for a ride,” says Jeri. “Linda Andrus made my dreams come true that day. I was thrilled!! Quite an experience for an eight-year-old.”
Jeri also notes that before her parents moved into the Lardie house across from the Old Mission General Store, they had the two little yellow cottages that sat next to the Andrus farm (the cottages are also still there). Jeri’s mom, Carol (Chase), passed away in 1952, and Jerry married Rose Mary (Szymanski) in 1955.
Jeri also notes that her grandparents, George and Mary Chase, owned the second little cottage on Eastern Road, and her great-grandparents, Bert and Anna Chase, lived in a white house on Bay Street in the 1950s. This is the second house on the left if you’re coming from Haserot Beach. I believe the Duvernay’s lived there in the 1960s, and Betsy Duvernay was a good friend of mine (not sure of the spelling on their last name).
Linda Andrus passed away about eight years ago, and her brother Tony says she was probably around ten years old when the photo was taken. He also notes that in the background, you can also see their old REO semi truck that his dad, Bud, and uncle used to drive.
Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Old Mission Gazette readers? Email it to me at [email protected], and let me know when and where it was taken, who’s in the photo, and any other details.
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[…] little village, and Jon helped us build our log cabin here on Bluff Road. Here’s a picture of their sister Linda on “Topper” the […]