Five Silver Dollars

Jim Baggett
101N. Green St. words 1224
Doniphan Mo.
1-573-996-5161 Five Silver Dollars
By
Jim Baggett

One day in June of 1984 while I was visiting my Uncle Bill's place in Ripley county MO.
We were feeding the horses when I said to him I sure would like to find myself a place
Like you have here Uncle Bill.

Well son he said to me the old Smith place down by the creek is for sale now.
That would make you a good place with good water the river runs through it and there
Is good grass on that place? There would be enough pastor their for your horse's.

How many acres are there in that old place I ask him? Eighty I think son came his reply.
That old house is in bad shape I don't know if it can be fix up it might be to far gone.
After we get done here let’s drive down there and look around will you go with me I asked
Sure son we can do that. If you think you might want the old place I have a phone number
We can call some man in St. Louis Mo. He has the details on the place.

After feeding the horse's I and uncle Bill loaded up in the truck and drove down to
The old Smith farm to look things over. It needs a little work I said, and yes you’re right
The old house is past repair.

After a few phone calls and some paper work the place was mine, my wish had come true
I now had a place to call mine. A place to make dreams come true.

Moving the horse's only took a day or two after fixing the fence I had to rehang a gate.
Now Little Black River runs across the farm on the north end. The old house stood only
About two hundred feet from the rives edge. What a great place to build I thought.

As I then wondered how I would tare the old house down I began to look things over.
There was a big rock fire place on the north end of the house it was to far gone to save.
As I wanted to build a new log home with a fire place I wanted to keep the stones.

A few days later myself and Uncle Bill began taking the old fire place down one stone at
A time after we had gotten down to the fire box Uncle Bill and I decided to move inside.
There was a rock mantle that ran across the top of the fire box.

How are we going to set this down I ask uncle Bill it must weigh a couple hundred pounds can we lift it with out dropping it? I don't think so son I'm not as young as I once was. Lets take some ropes and pulleys and put them over the ceiling joist then we can let it
Down a little at a time.

Sounds like a great Ideal to me I said lets go get some ropes its lunch time anyway.

Five Silver Dollars page 2

How’s the work coming Aunt Bonnie ask as she placed our dinner on the table?
She has always been a great cook as we wasted no time filling our plates.
After she said grace over the meal and thanking GOD for the love in her home we then
Ate our lunch. Thank you for fixing lunch for us I said as we headed out the door.

Uncle Bill had what we needed in his shop as we got the ropes and pulleys then loaded them into my old truck. I think we can handle that stone now Jim as he began telling
Me how we could put the ropes over the ceiling joist and using the pulleys we could
Let the stone down to the floor with out dropping it are breaking it. Who knows you might
Want to use that stone in your new fire place when you build it son.

Back at the old house Uncle Bill and myself went to work, after hanging the ropes we
Began to break free the stone from the main fire box.
It wasn't long before we could tie the ropes around the stone at booth ends.

Are you ready Uncle Bill asked? Lets give it a try I said pulling the ropes tight the stone
Lifted off the fire box and was swinging in mid air. Let it down slowly Uncle Bill said.
I believe we have done it the booth of us laughing at the same time as the stone came to rest on the floor.

Looking at the front of the fire place I noticed a red can there in between the rocks.
What’s this I said? What do we have here? Reaching for the can I could see it was a
Prince Albert tobacco can. As I picked it up Uncle Bill said laughing why that must be
Old man Smiths money hide out.

Opening the can I found inside a string drawn cloth bag, there’s something here I said!
Then as I poured five Silver Dollars into my hand I said look here Uncle Bill!
What do you think of this? Son what do you have there they look like they are old ones.

Each one was in good shape the dates were all the same 1904 with “o” as the mint mark.
Later that day I looked them up in a coin book to find out that the “o” mint mark
Was from the New Orleans Mint, and that it was assumed that most 1904 silver dollars
Had been melted down in 1918 to help fund some war.

I went onto build a new four bedroom log home on the same sight of the old house I had
Torn down there, along with a new fire place and I used the stone hearth from the old
Fire placed my Uncle Bill helped tare down.

It would be years later before I came to know where the five Silver Dollars came from.

Five Silver Dollars page3

One fall day in 1989 my Uncle Bill passed away, a few weeks latter at the dinner table
Aunt Bonnie said to me. Son you know those Silver Dollars you have there at home.
The ones you keep on the fire place mantle? Yes I said they are still there.

Well Son let me tell you about them; when your Uncle Bill asked me to marry him I
Said yes, but how will we live we don't have any money. Your Uncle Bill said I have these Five Silver Dollars for a start. Now Son we were together for fifty six years and we never
Spent those Five Silver Dollars.

It was our start in life and your Uncle Bill wanted you to have them for your start. But he
Knew you would not take them from him so he put them in the fire place for you to find.
And when you named the farm the Silver Dollar it made him proud of you.
Your Uncle Bill and I love you and are happy that you bought that old farm. And as long
As you keep them Son you will always have Five Silver Dollars!

By Jim Baggett

Story ID:	1652
Written by:	JIM BAGGETT (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Family Memories
Writers Conference:	$500 2007 Family Memories Writing Project
Location:	Doniphan Mo USA
Year:	1985