Green's Corner

Previous posts, by Al Zuege and subsequent responses to his original reference to Dick and Molly Green, prompted me to investigate this location while visiting Haigler last month.

Apparently, the railroad crossing at "Green Rd" was named after Dick and Molly Green, the first and only black family to make a permanent home in the area. The couple lived there when the railroad through Haigler was in its early years of operation. In those days, there was alot of traffic in and out of Haigler because of the cattle business and a thriving and busy community of homestead settlers in the 3 corners area.

According to the "Dick Green Story", by Florence Clegg, printed in the 1976 Haigler book, the couple "came about the time that free land was given to people who were willing to improve it and live on it for five years." Their son, Floyd, went to school in District 69 north of the river. "Rumor says that Floyd had a white father who paid Dick twenty-five dollars to marry Molly."

"Dick was two years old at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. He was named for his master's ox. The family, at first and mostly through the years was treated without prejudice. As new settlers came in from the south, race discrimination was noted at times. At one time when a crew of neighbors were gathered at a farm home for threshing, they washed for dinner outdoors and proceeded inside where a long table was set. Several were already seated when Dick sat down. A Virginian immediately rose and declared that he didn't eat with black men. "

"Floyd received higher education at Tuskeege Institute. He married a pretty white girl named Vesta."

The Greens: Dick (38) , Mary (45) and Floyd (15), appear on the 1900 census for Blaine Township in Dundy County.

In about 1910, Dick and Molly Green moved into town and operated a cream station for several years. The story is told of some boys in town climbing on top of the roof over the sidewalk and using wires with a hook on the end to reach down and hook Molly Green's wig. What naughty boys they all must have been!

Alice Gregory remembers that Molly worked for a family in a town somewhere east and when she got married to Dick Green, her boss got them the cream station. Thier son, Floyd didn't look very black, but she said the kids in town teased him alot.

There is no evidence of the home where they lived and there are no markings on the railroad signs, as there used to be, indicating the crossing name.

We received a note from Gene Pennell saying that he & his sister, Helen, lived at that corner when he was growing up and going to school in Haigler during the 1940s and Floy (Crabtree) Ruggles lived at the next place north later known as "The Roundtree Place" for a short time.

Delford Trembly wrote saying that he lived at that corner, also.

-- Quotations from 1976 Haigler book, p. 17