Golly's Folly

The old man himself on the
steps of "Golly's Folly"

Grandfather W.D. "Golly" Fish shared this in his weekly column in The Potter Enterprise in May of 1955.

"Going to put some sort of box on the door at Golly's Folly. It will contain a pad of paper and a pencil, with an invitation to leave a note. So many times friends pay a call, when Golly is busy in town trying to earn a living that he would be pleased with messages that might be left. Golly will supply the pencil and paper if callers will do the rest."

And people did! This from one visitor: 

"Fine location, fine view, Fine spring, electric range and refrigerator. Glad you have them. Nice lake. Even nicer than your description. Hope to meet you in the future."

And this from August 1960:

Another note in the mailbox is from Snuffy Smith of Freedom, Pa. This Snuffy fellow, a childhood friend of Buzz Shirey, made the sign "Golly's Folly" at the shack. Golly regrets he could not have been present to welcome the Smiths and the Shirey family. 

Though the camp was sold in the mid-1960s, I still feel attached to the spot at the foot of Denton Hill and have often driven down the driveway to walk the grounds in a kind of meditation, summoning long ago voices. It's been obvious that the camp is loved and cared for as the years have rolled by. And so it was last summer that Golly's granddaughter was the caller who left a note on the pad of paper in the little box that still awaits a visitor to the camp.

And that's how I was introduced to the family who for many years now has been spending their time at Golly's beloved Nine Mile cottage. They called me from the phone in the camp that's still in the place I remember and invited me for a visit. We spent a delightful time as I shared some old photos and even more old memories.

Golly & his niece, Mollie Beach
circa 1960?

Summer of 2022

We sat in the shade in front of the camp and watched the youngsters of the family splashing in the water and lounging on the big rocks.  And yes, we enjoyed a long drink of the legendary spring water. 

I promised them a blog post and more memories - including those from my grandfather's pen - when I next visit that little shack on the Nine Mile.

I've written about camp before - here and here.