DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Reuben Gaines' memoir, undated

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Page 6

PAGE 6. Buxton
the colored Principal; the school directors were William Bailey and J. E. Mills 
Some of the teachers were: Mrs. Potter; Nellie Leftage; Lola Hart; Reeves Gertrude Lucas;; Georgia Blackburn; Nell Calloway; Mamie Fleming; Ella Lucas Willis; Mae Ida Davis; Solo Billings; Grace Hutton; and Mrs. Minnie B. London. 
Many prominent people and "shows" visited Buxton throughout the 22 years even though it was an unincorporated town; On one occassion an 18 Car Train load of circus performers and animals came into Buxton for a one day stand which covered the area where the second bass Ball field was located; It was not an enormas size of Barnum and Baily; Ringling Brothers or Hagenbeck and wallace but it was a big circus under the Big Tent. Also Williams & Walker came with their special train; and the Smart Set with S. H. Dudley and his mule The mule was dressed in human clothes and S.H. Dudley talked to the mle as a human being for I still remember that in an argument with the mule he said "If his head had been as long as the mules head he would have been president long ago". Many other high class shows came into town, white and black. 
Prominent individuals came into come as a speaker or to observe or had acting cababilities such as Blind Boone who was born blind  and gave a Musical Concert which was unique and unusual for after his recital from the Old Masters he would call some body from the audience to play any composition and at this time it was a Mr. Jackson an employee of the Monroe Mercantile Company who played the music and Blind Boone emulated him exactly as it was played. 
Madame Walker from St.Louis came I believe as a speaker for she was well known at least by women because she had made millions from her hair product. There were numerous others that came for one cause or another. Blind Boone was there in 1913 or 1914 and stayed in the Hotel in which Charley White and I, Gaines Jr. operated at that time. Hobe Armstrong owned a farm which was seperated from Buxton proper by a Highway leading to Albia; His eldest daughter Lottie was no. one teller in the Bank located in the Southeastern corner of the Monroe Mercantile Store; he also owned and controlled the Meat Market with his oldest son Charley as manager with several other meat cutters as helpers. By the year 1922 he had increased his land holdings to a dozen farms in Monroe and Mahaska County. 
Reuben Gaines Sr. owned a farm of 80 acres in Mahaska County; a few people owned acregas; Claton Foster; Humbles; Ashby; London; Edd Jones and Emanuel Lobbins. All of the Armstrong family was born in Muchakinock in Mahaska County Lottie; Ide; Anne; Nettie; Ethel; Stella; Hobe Jr. Ralph; Art; Charley and Emory with nobody alive at this time. Louis Reasby had a franchise from the Coal Company for a Sanwich Shack located in an ideal place which was 100 feet South of the Company Store and 100 feet East of the Y M C A door entrance This right was given him because of an injury to one of his sons.

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PAGE 6. Buxton the colored Principal; the school directors were William Bailey and J. E. Mills Some of the teachers were: Mrs. Potter; Nellie Leftage; Lola Hart; Reeves Gertrude Lucas;; Georgia Blackburn; Nell Calloway; Mamie Fleming; Ella Lucas Willis; Mae Ida Davis; Solo Billings; Grace Hutton; and Mrs. Minnie B. London. Many prominent people and "shows" visited Buxton throughout the 22 years even though it was an unincorporated town; On one occassion an 18 Car Train load of circus performers and animals came into Buxton for a one day stand which covered the area where the second bass Ball field was located; It was not an enormas size of Barnum and Baily; Ringling Brothers or Hagenbeck and wallace but it was a big circus under the Big Tent. Also Williams & Walker came with their special train; and the Smart Set with S. H. Dudley and his mule The mule was dressed in human clothes and S.H. Dudley talked to the mle as a human being for I still remember that in an argument with the mule he said "If his head had been as long as the mules head he would have been president long ago". Many other high class shows came into town, white and black. Prominent individuals came into come as a speaker or to observe or had acting cababilities such as Blind Boone who was born blind and gave a Musical Concert which was unique and unusual for after his recital from the Old Masters he would call some body from the audience to play any composition and at this time it was a Mr. Jackson an employee of the Monroe Mercantile Company who played the music and Blind Boone emulated him exactly as it was played. Madame Walker from St.Louis came I believe as a speaker for she was well known at least by women because she had made millions from her hair product. There were numerous others that came for one cause or another. Blind Boone was there in 1913 or 1914 and stayed in the Hotel in which Charley White and I, Gaines Jr. operated at that time. Hobe Armstrong owned a farm which was seperated from Buxton proper by a Highway leading to Albia; His eldest daughter Lottie was no. one teller in the Bank located in the Southeastern corner of the Monroe Mercantile Store; he also owned and controlled the Meat Market with his oldest son Charley as manager with several other meat cutters as helpers. By the year 1922 he had increased his land holdings to a dozen farms in Monroe and Mahaska County. Reuben Gaines Sr. owned a farm of 80 acres in Mahaska County; a few people owned acregas; Claton Foster; Humbles; Ashby; London; Edd Jones and Emanuel Lobbins. All of the Armstrong family was born in Muchakinock in Mahaska County Lottie; Ide; Anne; Nettie; Ethel; Stella; Hobe Jr. Ralph; Art; Charley and Emory with nobody alive at this time. Louis Reasby had a franchise from the Coal Company for a Sanwich Shack located in an ideal place which was 100 feet South of the Company Store and 100 feet East of the Y M C A door entrance This right was given him because of an injury to one of his sons.