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The People Who Lived on the Land that is Now Redstone Arsenal, page 108
Bernice remembers the well where she went to get water. She said the well was shared by those who lived in the three small tenant houses. She couldn't recall what water source was near the big house, but she did remember those in the big house didn't go to a well but had a hand pump, which could indicate a cistern. The Rev. McKinley Jones, who passed by the house when he walked to get the train to Huntsville, says he remembers seeing a windmill by the big house. Working in the Field. Bernice said that sometimes she cooked for her Uncle Mabren and his wife. She also worked with the men in the fields, “because that was what you did back then.” M.G. Chaney paid 90 cents a day for working in the cotton field. Other people paid 70 or 80 cents. Bernice said: We'd work the fields. We had a 100-acre cotton field to work. Then there was corn and hay. Uncle Mabren had cows, everyone had a vegetable garden, and just about everybody had hogs. You'd salt them down. We'd gather our corn and shell it off the cob and carry it to the gristmill. It wasn't easy to shell those cobs either. That cotton wasn't easy to pick. I picked about 250 pounds, but I have picked 300 and weighed it up to carry to the gin. [Where was the gristmill?] I'm not sure where they took it. Wynn Jones, it seems like he had one. Chaney Neighbors. According to Bernice, M.G. Chaney and his neighbor, Wynn Jones, were two of the richest men in Madison County. Wynn Jones was M.G.'s neighbor directly to the east. On the Army Real Estate Map this is shown as parcel A-15. The owner of the parcel directly north of Wynn Jones (A-14) is shown as Helen Wynn Rand. M.G. and Bertie's daughter Mattie Bell was born in 1904. She married Wynn Jones (Parcel A-15) “after she got out of school.” M.G. wanted to give his daughter 100 acres (a field) when she married. Wynn Jones declined, saying he already had too much land to take care of. Wynn Jones is said to have had a large, one-story house. Mattie Bell and Wynn Jones had a daughter, Julia Wynn Jones, who married a King. Mattie Bell Jones died young. Julia inherited everything from Wynn Jones when she was 12 years old. Bernice said: “She got the land the arsenal didn't take.” Leotra Estralanger, a teacher, was appointed the guardian for Julia. Bennie Crutcher and his wife lived in one of the other three two-room houses. He was the bus driver, and drove the bus to the school in Madison. When asked if Mr. Crutcher was White or Black, Bernice said he was a white man: “We didn't have Black school bus drivers back then.” Bernice proceeded to talk about the school. School. The land for Elko School (A- 18) was donated by M.G. Chaney. Bernice attended the school until its consolidation with Madison High School. The following description was found in the Heritage Room at the Madison County Library. The author was simply listed as “Dilworth, Draft” and had no date. 108 - (4141)