"I will begin with a little background as to how I became part of Darrtown and how I grew to love it.

My parents are Kirk and Bette Mee. I attended McGuffey and Talawanda High Schools and graduated in 1959. I continued my education at Miami University and graduated with a BS in Business and also became a member of Chi Omega Sorority. Before leaving Miami, I also attended the University of Hawaii and learned the art of the Polynesian and the hula dance and studied art. I graduated from Miami in 1963 and then joined the executive training program with F&R Lazarus, Columbus, Ohio.

In 1964, I married Frank Fawcett from Kansas. We have a daughter, Stacy and a son, Mathieu. As a family, we have had homes in Oxford, Darrtown, Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia, Florida and now we have settled in South Carolina. I believe we were searching for the perfect place to live. The first home we built was in Darrtown with land my Dad gave us. The Lutheran Church was on one side and my parent's house was on the other side. Nothing could be better.

My early years in Darrtown circa 1941 and through the1950s were full of adventure. We lived in what I called "The Big House" located on the north edge of Darrtown. Others would call it the Mee mansion or Linn Place. After my grandparents passed away, my Dad inherited "The Big House". Maybe I was eight or nine years old at the time, but I didn't want to move from our home on Shollenbarger Road. The new house was full of ornate mirrors, fire places, clocks with moving eyes, and furniture that looked funny and old, but my parents called it antique. In my mind, the house was scary and had too many rooms. But before long, I grew to like it, and with all my childhood imagination, I could pretend to be anyone and then get lost in all that space.

Not only "The Big House", but there were all the other buildings surrounding the house. Once used for stalls for horses and storage for buggies, the barn was used to store most of the farm machinery when we lived there. It also offered more corners to explore and places to investigate.

Sometimes, my Dad would have me help him in the fields where I'd have to steer a tractor or truck to another part of the farm. Dad would adjust the speed and when it was acceptable to me, he would release me to my challenge. I never once thought I wouldn't reach my destination and neither did my Dad. As long as it was in an open field, I could successfully do it but later on, I needed to stay in a straight line. That was an achievement that would later support passing my drivers test. I don't think Dad thought of it for that reason; he just needed that piece of equipment someplace else and it was safe enough for a kid to do the job.

My Dad had another farm on the south side of Darrtown. I called it "The Other Place". This was where all the farm animals grazed and I would linger with the cows and watch them munching on the grass and hay. There was a large salt block placed near a favorite cow path for the cows to lick and yes, I would lick it too. It was great being a kid on a farm and on that day, it was just me and the cows.

Other days, I would ride my pony, Nancy from "The Big House" to "The Other Place". It was quite a distance, but all I had to do was stay on the back of Nancy. My Mom would never worry. If I would slip off and take a tumble, Nancy knew the way home. I would ride pass the Lutheran Church and wave to the Teckmans, I'd pass Glardon's Grocery Store and The Hitching Post and Luther Mcvicker's Garage. After crossing Shollenbarger Road, Nancy would start a slow trot anticipating the comfort of the barn at "The Other Place". In the distance, I'd see that low hanging branch which was always there to tempt me. Should I reach for it or avoid it competely. It was time for Hopalong Cassidy and his horse, Topper, to make his move so up went my arms, and with mighty determination and remarkable accuracy, I grabbed that branch to swing from the safety of Nancy. My pony knew the way home, my Mom wouldn't worry, and I would be home for dinner. Then thinking with eagerness and enthusiam, I knew there would be more space to explore tomorrow.

As a young child in the 40s, I was unaware of what was developing in the country. There was WW2, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Korean War. What was so exceptional about growing up in Darrtown? Well, I could leave the house and be away all day. I would be safe from harm and evil. Darrtown was a place of peace and tranquility and a shelter from the world's suffering. Darrtown was good to me."

Recollections of Linda (Mee) Fawcett

Linda (Mee) Fawcett wrote the following narrative and contributed it to the Darrtown.com website.