Littrell Family Homestead: John & Kizzie, East Prairie, Mo.

updated & reposted from Jan-2013

The homestead is located on the edge of town (East Prarie, Missouri) on the corner of Goose Lane and Duck Circle (the western intersection). 

The family worked for Bob Grear, sharecropping at LaForge [1935] for a while, and then moved into a two room shack on Uncle Jim's place. After that they lived on Joe Thomason's place and then Anniston [1940], and then East Prairie on property they purchased from Kizzie's brother Leslie Crutcher Comer who lived next door. John and Kizzie lived the remainder of their lives in East Prairie.

Across Goose Lane (between it and 105) is the drive-up Liquor store that we used to get Slim Jims at, and behind it appears to be a house and yard were on some evenings in the summer Grandma Kizzie and I would go to and watch color TV with her neighbor ( ? ). It was a house trailer back then (mobile home). (After we moved to Indianapolis Richard and I would spend a couple of weeks in the summer with Kizzie & John).
As you can see above the liqour store is still operating, drive-up window and all.

The open field to the north of the homestead is where the watermelon patch was (where we (Richard & I) use to steal watermelons from even though we didn't have to).
If you go north to where Duck Lane turns west, follow the tree line east until it goes north where it meets the creek. Either here or the tree clump just north is where the swimming hole was. It had a Semi cab dumped into the creek which we used to dive from until it rusted to much, there was also a rope swing. When we weren't skinny dipping there we were cane pole fishing. Grandma Kizzie went there with us once to fish, but between the distance and the slim fishing she didn't go often. It now amazes me how much Kizzie walked even though she was always hobbled with arthritis, she would walk to Aunt Claude’s, the store, everywhere with that old age side to side wobbling motion.

I believe Aunt Claude’s was on the western branch of Duck Circle between Goose Lane & W Stork Lane ( ? ) on the west side of the street.

Looking northwest across the property from the corner of Goose Lane and Duck Circle

Looking north across the front yard and Duck Circle.

Looking north across the backyard.

The liqour store (center) and the homestead (right) from across the highway.

Jesse and Viola on the south side of the house. 1955

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

above-left
the brothers: Red, Noble, Jesse, Les, OJ & JD.                                   about 1949

above-right
Kizzie and some grandkids: Sheila Littrell, Jerry Davis, Mary Catherine Littrell & Billy Davis.                                  1955

above
Bobby Jimerson, Red & Rubin.    1980

Same garage in the background

The front yard 1955 Reunion.
Remember the tree with the noted roots that we used to sit and play on?

The front of the house in the 80s

The shed in the back. 1980s

All the structures are gone now and the property grown over with tall grass and weeds. As of 10-22-2016 the property is for sale.

 

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[Using the map below
or
the “Littrell Family Places” tab at the top of this page]

Gary,
During our conversation the other day I forgot to mention that I had the homestead location on the Littrell Family Places map (on the website) here is that info.

• Go to the Family website ( www.littrellfamily.net  )
• click on the tab at the top of the page titled "Littrell Family Places) that will take you to another of my websites (Glenn's World) and it will show a map (may take a few seconds to load.
• In the center of that map is a icon (marker) of a white house with a red roof, near Sikeston.
• click that icon and it will open up a dialogue box which you need to leave open for now.
• Use your mouse to zoom in on the location of the house: do this by clicking on the ' +' sign on the top left of the map.
• Do this until it won't zoom in anymore. This is as far as you can go in the terrain view of the map.
• The house is setting just off of Highway 105 on the corner of Goose Lane.
• Now click on the 'Hybrid' button at the top of the map and you will change to a satellite view with map features overlaid (you can eliminate the map overlay by clicking the 'Satellite' button.
• If you want at anytime you can close the dialogue box by clicking the 'X' in the right hand corner of it, but be aware that with the box closed the map will no longer keep the icon perfectly centered on the map. You will have to manually do it.
• Now that you are out of 'Terrain' view and in either 'Hybrid' or 'Satellite view notice that you can zoom in more.
• Do so by once again using your mouse to zoom in on the location of the house: do this by clicking on the ' +' sign on the top left of the map.

 

GlennDL