April 26, 2022 - Back in the 1940s this little road was called McElroy Lane. It has been renamed County Road 105 for 9-1-1 emergency purposes. As a young boy, McElroy lane was my very favorite place to ride my bicycle almost every day. It was almost directly across the highway from my home and provided much entertainment for a growing boy.
The dirt road crossed over a tiny creek on an old wooden bridge, and then rose up a small hill to several houses. Just passed the bridge on the left side of the road was a small frame house occupied by Miss Dooley Low, who I would visit occasionally. Further up the road on top of the hill stood a very large, rambling home occupied by the McElroy family. I recall visiting with Mrs. McElroy on occasion, but do not recall Mr. McElroy. Further down the road a left hand bend took me to the McClanahan homestead.
My bicycle treks often took me to the bridge where I would dismount and climb over a barbed wire fence to a stock pond owned by Sandy Murphy. It was in this pond that I learned to swim, and occasionally catch a few small fish. It seems that water moccasins liked the pond as much as I did.
One afternoon after fishing for a time in the pond, I got on my bicycle to ride home when I noticed that a large water moccasin had slithered on top of the bridge and appeared to be enjoying itself sunning and taking up a good portion of the bridge. I was in a dilemma – should I try to scare the snake away? That sounded like a good option but it did not work after throwing rocks and sticks at it with no results. I needed to get home for supper but this reptile was not moving.
I decided to get brave, to “man up” as we say today, and just ride by the snake on my bicycle so fast that the snake would not have an opportunity to strike me. I pushed my bike up to the top of the hill, and then pumped as hard as I could gaining speed downhill. When I reached the bridge and snake, I pulled my feet up as high as I could and whizzed past the snake. It seemed surprised at my speed and made no attempt to strike. My plan had worked.
There were several wild plum trees along the roadbed and I looked forward to the sweet plums every summer. Also, dewberry vines were abundant along the lane which produced large, sweet berries by June.
As time passed I graduated high school, then left for college. I had no time any longer for strolls down McElroy Lane, but my parents did. My mother and dad enjoyed walking down the lane to the McElroy house in the late afternoon for their daily exercise. Mother always carried her .22 caliber pistol with her on their walks “to shoot snakes” as she often explained.
At some point the land, including McElroy Lane, was sold. The new owner erected a large metal gate effectively sealing off entry to the lane. My parents felt that one could not legally seal off a county road, so they kept on walking the lane for several more years. Eventually they both reached the age that a walk like that was not possible.
All the folk that lived down the McElroy Lane have now passed over the river Jordan and other homes have been built to the south. The pond is still in its place but the wooden bridge has been replaced with a concrete culvert. Even with these changes there remain many pleasant memories of a young boy and his bicycle enjoying what nature provided.
