It seems that teenagers always had a favorite place to hangout back in the 50’s. When Mary Alice and I were dating, our favorite place was Barbecue Cottage. It was a drive-in restaurant where we ordered from a speaker at our parking spot. A young girl brought the food to us on a tray that hooked onto the car’s window. Of course, some of the guys had hotrods, with loud mufflers, and loud music not only blared from car radios but also from the restaurant’s speaker. We went there on our second date, and Mary Alice insisted on giving me a quarter for her barbecue. (Contrary to what some might believe it wasn’t my idea for going “Dutch”.) I still have the quarter.
Recently, I received a call from a local farmer, saying that I should write an article about Luther Fleming and his little store in Windfall. He went on to say that, during the early 50’s, Luther’s store was the popular hangout for young people in the Windfall area.
Since I had never heard of Luther or the store, I began inquiring about him, and I heard over and over again that “Old Luther was quite the guy”. Now, I was curious about this man, Luther. What made Luther’s store a popular hangout for kids? The store was only one room, with Luther’s living quarters in the back. Luther slept on an old couch that had several springs showing through the leather. A kerosene stove, on which he made his meals, also heated the store.
I was told that the store was never locked. If someone wanted a midnight snack, they simply walked in; turned on the lights; got their snack and left the money due in a metal box that Luther used as a cash register. I doubt whether there are many businesses that would do this today. Luther would allow the customers to occasionally buy on credit, and only a few neglected to pay what was owed.
Luther never appeared to become upset. He had a Cushman Model M64 Motor Scooter that he bought in 1949 for $175.80 and a very small, two seat, Bantam convertible car that he drove to town to pick up supplies when needed. A bread truck and a soda truck did make deliveries to Luther’s store. He also had a scooter which he rode everywhere when the weather was nice.
Luther sold ice cream in pint containers; however, if you only wanted a half pint, he would simply cut the carton in half; wrap the unused part in wax paper and put it back in the freezer.
Since no one seemed to know much about Luther, I went on the internet, and this is what I found: a general store located across the road from the Windfall Grange was maintained in Windfall for many years. This store had living quarters, where the proprietor could live. Through the years, the store had many proprietors, with Burton Porter, Thomas Webster, Howard Webster Rush Kennedy and Robert Hettich among those. At one time, a post office was maintained in the village, presumably in this store. It was during Robert Hettich’s tenure that the building was destroyed by fire. A new and somewhat smaller building was erected for the use of a store and home. Luther Fleming ran this business until his retirement.
A favorite pastime was to play basketball in the old Windfall Baptist Church, which was in a dilapidated condition (the church was later torn down). After playing basketball the group headed for Luther’s to open up the store so they could buy snacks. Luther’s store was the meeting place for playing cards. I heard that the deck of cards eventually were so badly worn that they could hardly be dealt out. The first one to arrive at Luther’s store was to sweep the floor, with everything swept out the front door.
Luther loved to shoot bow and arrow and had a target set up behind the store. One woman told me that she remembers going there with her father and shooting bow and arrow. Luther belonged to the National Field Archery Association. At the store, Luther also sold some archery equipment, such as arrows.
From all the stories I’ve heard, Luther was not a big man but he was a gentle man, and he loved animals. Of course, having a country store means mice are unwelcomed visitors. However, Luther’s mice were pets, and he put out a Tasty Cake pie for the mice to eat and when it was eaten, he would put out another pie. No one killed Luther’s mice.
Margie Pratt, who lived across the road from Luther’s store, needed to go to Troy on an errand and asked Luther if he would watch her baby (Mark). Margie told Luther that she would be right back, and off she hurried to Troy to do her errands. When Margie returned, Luther told her that he never took his eyes off the baby. Margie told me that she actually believed that he just sat and looked at the baby the whole time she had been gone.
Luther was born on June 18, 1895, in Spokane Washington. His parents were Alden and Lettie M. Fleming. Luther Fleming was 92 years old when he passed away on February 11, 1988. At the time of his death he was a resident of the Bradford County Home, which is now known as the Bradford County Manor. Luther’s obituary stated that he was an Army Veteran of WWI, and that he owned and operated Fleming’s Store at Windfall.
Luther had been receiving a pension from the government; however, after he applied for social security, the Veterans Administration sent him a letter, stating that since he is now on social security he was making too much money; therefore, his veteran’s pension was reduced.
An auction was held when the time came for Luther to close the store and go to the Bradford County Home. Many of the young people that hung out at the store came back for the sale. They thought so much of Luther that they bid the items up so Luther would get top dollar for his belongings. It was found out that Luther had quite a few items from WW I, and one of the items was a German helmet, with a bullet hole. No one I talked to had ever heard Luther speak of his war experiences.
The store building is now owned by Gerald and Marjorie Pratt. Gerald has made the store into a garage and work shop; however, anything that was not sold at Luther’s sale is still there. Many pictures (of people that lived in the area) decorate one wall of the old store. Some of these pictures are of men in uniform that I have been unable to identify. Also, cards that he received through the years decorate the wall. As I looked through a box containing pictures and papers from Luther’s life, I felt as if I was getting to know him.
Luther was survived by Elizabeth Ward, a special friend, of Granville Summit. Luther had been predeceased by his sister, Lillian Porter, in 1975. Funeral arrangements were taken care of by the Kleese Funeral Home, in Canton, with the Reverend Jasper Smith officiating the service. Luther is buried in the Windfall Cemetery.
After writing this article, I felt somewhat sad that I had not been part of the group that hung out at Luther’s store. It seems they all share good memories of Luther.