DON & SYLVIA HAILE
Across
the Fence
By
Arvord Abernethy
At
various times, I’ve told you of people who have built a new home here
in the county and retired. The ones I want to tell you about this week
are far from being retired. When you have three young boys like Bradley,
Brandon and Bryan Haile, who range in age from
4
to 10 years old, as Don and Silvia Haile have, you are far from being
retired.
Add
to that the operation of a 24 hour drive-in convenience store and the
farming of a fine Leon River-bottom farm, you may be wishing for some
retirement years. Don also managed to work in a lot of time as carpenter
on their new home.
The
Hailes are far from being people who have recently moved here. Don’s
great grandfather, James Noble Haile, came to
Hamilton
County
in 1874 as a young lad of 20 years and began working on ranches. He soon
began accumulating orphan calves and lambs that ranchers didn’t want
to fool with as a start in the livestock business that became very
extensive in the raising of cattle, horses and goats. From a start of
135 acres, he accumulated a large tract of land in the Gum Branch
community and much of it is still in the family which is now in the
fifth generation.
Don
is the son of the late Wallace Haile and Mrs. Adena Haile. He went out
to
Pottsville
and picked out Silvia Schoen to be his companion for life.
The
Hailes recently moved into their new home which is located on the former
Ace Jones place northwest of
Hamilton
. The thing that will impress you as you first drive up is the view from
the house. The house is located on a high bluff overlooking their level
fields in the
Leon
River
bottom. The fields are trimmed with an edging of pecan trees all along
the river. Beyond the river one can see the new rock home of the J. K.
Wilhelms, and looking back to the east you can see where Highway 281
comes down to cross the river.
Another
thing that will impress you is the amount of material in the house that
came from right off the place. The wood for the interior finish work was
made from their trees. The rock in the walls and the fireplace and
chimneys were quarried right there. Floyd Medford of Gatesville was the
stonemason who did the work.
The
beauty of the natural wood can be seen throughout the house. Most of the
wood is oak, finished in a clear natural finish. As you enter the house,
you are greeted by the warm oak wood in the stair banister leading to
the upstairs. The posts, railing and large end post are all of oak.
Just
off to your left is the large, vaulted-ceiling living rooms which
extends completely across the end of the house. Here again native wood
is used as large beams are used to support the ceiling. On each side of
the fireplace, planks of hackberry, attached horizontally, cover the
walls. The door and window facings are all oak that have been given a
fine finish and then the corners routed to give them a dressy look.
Silvia
has a work island in her kitchen that is covered with pecan wood that
has been very smoothly sanded and finished. The coordinating wall papers
in the kitchen and adjoining dining room make for a pleasing appearance.
Don
cut the trees for the wood there on the place and took it to a small
sawmill that Earl Kavanaugh has and had them sawed into the sizes he
needed.
They
installed a central heating system, but only use it when they first get
up on real cold mornings, as they have two of those modern wood stoves
for their main heat.
If
you are out that way, have Bradley show you the butter rock, as he did
to me. It puzzled me so Silvia had to explain it. Someone took a large
flat stone, about 2 by 3 feet square, and chiseled out most of the
inside so it would hold water. The people would set their milk and
butter in it and cover the containers with a wet cloth and it would be
kept cool.
Be
sure to have the show you the Fairy road marker sign. Someone neatly
carved the word “Fairy” and an arrow pointing in the direction of
Fairy. Don had it placed in the rock walls of the house. Fairy is where
Don did all his schooling, right on through high school.
The
Hailes all make excellent hosts, but I found Bradley, the four year old,
a great entertainer. He even offered to let me eat raisins out of the
box with him.