Season 1, Episode 18

Marge Click with grinder/stone

Still living on the family land

When Marge Chambers Click's great-grandfather settled in eastern Columbia County between Atlanta and Calhoun, he recognized the value of land.  It was fertile for crops and livestock, with streams and springs nearby attracting all kinds of wildlife.  If you take care of the land, it will support your family. 

The land in Lower Arkansas had been inhabited by the Caddo Indians, and the trails they had blazed served the early settlers as well. The "Indian fields" nearby sat near the springs which provided water year round. The abundant wildlife and the corn they planted provided food. Plenty  of relics, turning up as the American farmers later tilled the land, attested to the earlier Indian presence. The grinding set pictured above along with numerous arrowheads, pottery sherds and even clay pipes for smoking bore testimony. 

Marge's father shared with her the memory he had as a young boy when the last of the Indians came down the trails, asking permission to camp one last time near the springs where once their ancestors called home. The story of the fate of the first Arkansas residents is chronicled elsewhere, but the early settlers of our county saw the value of the land and many, such as Marge's family, have cared and tended for it with the same reverence.

As a little girl, Marge remembers walking over to the Jameson-Baker cabin to play with the Stroman daughters less than a mile away as the crow flies. No paved roads but she knew the way through the woods, being cautious of the dangers there but more concerned about crossing the log that served as a bridge across the creek.

I was struck by the different generations that have occupied that particular piece of property over the last two centuries. Literally within the generational memory of this special lady, this area has seen peaceful Indians, early settlers, and trails and pathways replaced by paved roads, electricity, telephone, Internet and computers.

When Marge's husband, Gerald Click, first proposed that the couple build their retirement home at this special site, she was at first reluctant. A forester by trade, Gerald loved the trees and creeks and wildlife. But Marge didn't share his vision for a future home on that spot. But finally, she proposed a compromise. They could build their home there on one condition. What was that one condition? It was a proposal that could have come straight from the pen of O. Henry. To find out what she asked in exchange for her agreement to build their home, you'll just have to listen to the podcast and let Marge tell you!

I hope you enjoy the visit as much as I enjoyed recording it. Oh, and I wish you could enjoy some of the delicious tea cake cookies Marge was pulling out of the oven just as I arrived! Click the play button below while I eat another cookie....