Just Over the Bridge

Plans are in progress for a new bridge in Orlando. It will be the third bridge on record. Left: Earl "Bill" Mollahan posed on the current bridge in 1939. Right: Bill on the first recorded bridge. For a better view of the first bridge, Below on the right is the 1907 funeral procession of Michael Rush.

Pat (Morrison) Reckart recently visited her family's property in Orlando. She shares with us memories of the Orlando bridge and the folks she knew growing up here in the late 1940s.


by Pat Reckart

I went to Orlando, the little community where I spent all my growing up years. As I walked over the bridge it brought back many memories, some good and some not so good, I remember me and my friends would stand on the bridge and spit down into the water, and if it cracked, your boy friend loved you, I don’t know if we even had a boy friend, but someone told us to do it, so we did. Now when I see the bridge it is very old and in dire need of some repairs.

Oh I wonder how many footsteps have gone over the bridge, to many to count. It makes me think of all the people that I remember living in Orlando during those years, I’m going to try to remember all I can. I will start with the people that lived up by the cemetery.
.
First was Layton Riffle and his wife Bertha and their children, Freda, Ronald, Betty, (Betty and I have been friends since 5th grade) there was Doris and then Buddy.

Patsy's schoolmates included kids from Three Lick, Road Run, McCauley Run etc., in addition to

the children who lived around the town of Orlando. The Orlando students are highlighted:

Top row: Virginia, daughter of Frank & Nina Skinner and the author Patsy Morrison.

2nd row: Bob Gibson

3rd row: Anna Louise Skinner, Virginia's sister and Frank & Nina's daughter

Bottom row: Betty Riffle, Ernestine McNemar and Mildred Morrison

Bill Barnett (our Sunday school teacher) his wife Marie and the children Dale and Betty.
.
Left: Dale Barnett in 1932 holding dog Ted and baby sister Betty Jean.

Right: Edith & Oras Stutler's daughters Jane, Mary, Juanita and Virginia on a bad hair day around 1940.

Right, below: John Allman in the 1950s with his grandparents Gaver and Misha (Mills) Allman and John's infant son.
.
Then up the hollow lived the Frank Skinner family and his wife Nina. Their children were Charles, Mary Alice, Virginia, Louise, and Edna.

Lee Skinner was Frank's brother, His place was next to Oil Creek. He had built his small home, it looked like a shack really, on tall stilts, so his home would be above any Oil Creek flood.

Then I remember Web Goodwin. He was married to Lucille Bennett. They had a lot of kids I don’t know their names.

Next was Oras and Edith Stutler. The kids I knew were Jane and Bill and their granddaughter Jackie.

Next was Mr. and Mrs Allman and Johnnie in the summer time.

Up on the hill behind them were Lynn and Mildred Riffle and son.

One store in Orlando was Charlie Knight's store and his wife was Mary. They lived in the old Rush house next to the Catholic church.

In the apartment over the store John and Lonie Gibson lived and their kids were John Jr. and Bob and Jimmie.

The other store was own by Bill Conrad and he had a sister Hallie.

Left: Pals Earse Posey and Erza "Pid" Henline in the early 1900s.

Right: John, Jimmy and Bob Gibson with the Conrad store behind them.

Up on the hill behind the store Earse and Winnie Posey lived and the kids I remember were Elwood, Edward, and Kenny. They had some girls but I don’t know their names.

Around the hill was Arch Riffle and his family.

Then next to them lived Ed McNemar and his wife was Necie and their girls were Ernstine and Lulabelle.

Over on the hill across from the store lived Myrtle Morrison and her family, who were Dick, Emogene, Mildred (who has been my best friend ever since were babies) then there was Bud and Eugene.

We lived behind the Catholic Church and our family was my grandparents Tom and Bridget Godfrey and my Mom Nellie Morrison, my brother Jimmie my sister Margie and me Patsy, and later my brother and sister Larry and Nancy Casto.
.
Left: Clora Henline with Buck and Opal in the 1930s
Right: Arden Thomas in the CCCs in the 1930s
.
Across the creek lived the Henlines: Clora Henline, her children Opal Jeffries and Colman "Buck" Jeffries, and her uncle Heaterhuck. Her Uncle Pid Henline. who lived on Three Lick, often visited them.

On the hill lived Arden Thomas and his wife Tiny their kids were Jetta, Judy, Phil, Carol and later Michael. .

On down the road Newt and Virgie Henline lived.
.
Now we will go on the hill beside the school house. Mike and Margurite Moran lived and their kids John, Lee Paul, Joe Eddie and Rose Angela.
.
In the house by the Morans' was the parsonage for the U.B. Church with Charles and his wife Naomi Parrish and their son Eugene.
.
Left: Mike and Margurite (Sweeney) Moran with baby John, in the 1930s.