The Bragg House

The Bragg House, near Camden, Arkansas, was built by Peter Newport Bragg in 1848. Grancy and Poosie, my maternal grandparents, lived in this house during my early youth, and I spent every Sunday afternoon playing there with my cousins while my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents talked about the news of the day.

Pictured above is a Christmas card that I found in one of my mother's drawers a few years ago. I'm not sure what year my grandparents sent that card, but it was likely from the late '40's or early '50's. We never used the front door of the house when we would go for a visit. Rather we entered through the door you see on the left side, which led right into my grandparents' bedroom. One of the front rooms was carpeted, which was unusual at the time, and near the door to that room was a burned spot in the shape of an iron that was blamed on my Aunt Hedy, my mother's oldest sister.

The story goes that there were cannon balls in some of the trees on the property from a nearby Civil War skirmish. I can't verify that because I never saw them, but I do remember the large crape myrtles that lined the driveway and put on such a show of color in the early summer. Under those crape myrtles were clumps of daffodils whose folliage made perfect places for the Easter Bunny to hide eggs. But if we weren't careful, we'd reach in to grab an egg and come out with a bee sting. I also remember digging in the sandy yard for doodle bugs, catching lightening bugs in the early evening, and tying strings around the necks of white-headed bumble bees.

Behind the house was a pen where Poosie kept his registered Hampshire hogs. He loved taking his grandchildren to the pig pen and letting them "ride" the pigs. This is a picture of Poosie with my brother Tommy and an unnamed Hampshire.

I have heard that my grandparents tried to buy the house, but the owners, who were descendants of Mr. Bragg, wouldn't sell. Eventually, they built a home on property that my grandfather owned a couple of miles away, and my parents later built their own home next door.

If you'd like to read more about the Bragg House, click here.

To see what everyone else has brought to Show and Tell this Friday, drive on over the Kelli's house at There's No Place Like Home. Thanks for hosting, Kelli.