The Arrowood Trail Thru the Mountains: The Boy and the Ice Wagon

WELCOME

~ The pieces are all sewn together, stitched with love.........and a quilt tells a story and the story is our past ~

The Arrowood family immigrated from England to Maryland in the 1700's. They went south, eventually settling in the mountains of North Carolina. Later , some went further south, into the Piedmont of North Carolina, in search of work and a better way of life.

I am in search of my family.

I search for those that came before me, and lived their lives as best they could. I am in search of their stories, how they lived, and how they loved.

I shared this love of seeking the past with my Dad, sharing each new finding with him, the thrill in his heart intermingling with mine. I continue this search in his honor, and hope to know these people of ours when I join up with them all in heaven.

~ Steve Lewis Arrowood 1932-2008 ~

Come with me, back to a simpler time and place. A place far removed from the hectic pace of today. To a time when life was hard, but the rewards were great. When your quality of life was determined by your own sweat, your own toil, and your own ingenuity.

Would you like a glass of sweet tea? Let's sit out on the porch where we will catch the sweetly scented breeze of summertime. Maybe Grandma will fry up some of her wonderful chicken... Time slows here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us, but what we leave behind."

~You live as long as you are remembered.~

"Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories. " Author: Unknown

"But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, September 7, 2009

The Boy and the Ice Wagon

My Dad lived not far from Lineberger’s Park growing up. It was a hilly and open park, and had a great creek running through it. This creek was perfect for performing daring Superman feats of “creek jumping”, “bridge flinging”, or “stump jumping”, and the like. The park was a great place for a kid to play when he had his trusty bicycle.
One day when Dad was about 6 or so…he decided to prove his ‘Superman abilities’ by going airborne over the creek on his bicycle. He pedaled up the steep hill overlooking the creek, and came flying back down it at break-neck speed, and went flying over the creek. His ‘Superman abilities’ were definitely put to the test and he crashed into the creek.

The jump just proved to be too far, and he was not able to make the span of the creek to the other side.

He was knocked out and it was not good.

Luckily “Old Man” Coletta was happening past with his ice wagon and he either heard the crash , saw it, or saw the aftermath. However it happened, it was lucky for our little “Superman”, that he happened along at just that moment.

Coletta was an man that operated the ice company and ice cream store in town. He was an Italian immigrant and started his company in 1915. He had a horse drawn wagon that delivered ice in town to his customers. In the 1921 Gastonia City Directory on page 145, there is listed, a ‘Charles Carmine Coletta, ice cream manufacturer’ at 312 South Willow Street.

Well, “Old Man” Coletta, as Dad called him, loaded the unconscious boy onto the back of his wagon and took him home..He apparently knew Dad and where to take him. So the kindly man delivered the limp bundle to his no doubt, scared to death parents..Imagine the shock of seeing that!

Dad was “out of it” (his words) for three days. Imagine keeping the kid at home during that episode these days! I suppose the Doctor was summoned to the house to attend to him.

Happily, he recovered, and decided that being Superman wasn’t as great as it was cracked up to be and he tempered his actions from then on.
Well…probably not, he was six, afterall. Grin.

They have completely restored Coletta’s Ice Wagon and it is on display in Dallas. Coletta’s Ice Cream is still in business and very much in demand in Gastonia these days. I went in and got a shake just the other day. Still wonderful ice cream.

I guess, if not for that ice wagon “save”, I may not even be here today. Something to ponder as I eat that wonderfully creamy, cold treat.

The horses, hitched to that wagon, grew to know the path of the ice route very well, over time. They would continue on - without Mr. Coletta, if they thought he was taking too long after stopping at a customer’s house. He would be seen running down the road to catch up with the wagon. That had to be a sight.