Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

My plan now to walk out thru “Straun’s Lots,” across Brook’s Lawn to High and thence to the Frog-pond, after which I determined to visit the McKinley School.
“Strauns Lots” more wild and overgrown – Here the new grass more pronounced than I remembered – The whole area on Union Street west of Brooks, now taken over by new Houses. To reach Union I had to go thru a backyard. The Brooks mansion and the old stone wall unchanged, but the whole front lawn frown over to new pretentious homes. Likewise the end of High Street, to the Frog pond now a prim backyard, with neat little white house and bushes and poplars, out by a winding path, that led as if old to the open fields before Bentley’s woods.
As I stood looking across the fields, tho [sic] it was late, I decided to walk down at least as far as the entrance to “Bentley’s” – Altho [sic] the foreground had changed somewhat, it is all to the good, there was still the old charm. The spring still there, with the locust grove above.
By now, the sun was shining brightly and it was so warm I had to take off my coat and hat.
Down green street (now 2nd. Ave.) – approaching the McKinley Ave. School, I was filled with a strange excitement. I was going to roll back time to the extent of 45 years. It could not be done but I was going to do it.
The exterior of the building was unchanged – (except perhaps dirtier) almost trembling, I opened the back door and went in. A group of children were coming out (it was the lunch ham) and paid me no attention.
The worn steps leading into the lower half, black and grimy.