We went to Eischen's for the first time. It was crowded and we got lucky to find two empty stools at the bar. Not long after we arrived, there was a sizeable crowd of people waiting for booths and tables to empty. One group sat at a large table. They actually needed two large tables because some folks were sitting on other people's laps. Crazy. The bartender told us it was taking 45 minutes for chicken, but we ordered some with okra anyway. It really took only about 25 minutes to get the chicken. There was enough for two people. Good stuff.
We drove around Okarche for a while. The only thing Debbie recognized was the Lutheran Church.
Is this old church southeast of St John's the old Lutheran church? I could see some nice stained glass at the south end of the church.
Looked for any sign of the old Wojahn family flour mill, but Eleanor said she thought the mill building no longer existed. It was east of Eischen's near the railroad tracks. The only "old" building in that area was a grain mill. You can barely see Dow Grain Co. on the old sign.
Debbie called Eleanor who gave us directions to the old farm north of town. All that remains are two barns.
We went west of the old farm to see Eldo's parents' home. No one is living there now. The dilapidated building at the right is where Jeannine, Eleanor and Lois were born. Not sure if Mona was born there.
This photo was among several that I borrowed from Lillian and scanned into the computer. The back of the photo was written, "Lois' birthplace, 1951." Obviously the house was in much better condition 60 years ago.
Among the photos borrowed from Lillian was a photo of the Wojahn family. Eldo is the handsome young man, 2nd from the right. Not sure if this photo was taken at the home we saw on Saturday. The porch columns are different, which implies the photo was taken at a different house. It also appears there are other buildings in the background. But renovations could have been made to the columns at some point after the photo was taken in the 1930s. And, the buildings could be barns or sheds.
Debbie and I went back to Stillwater through Kingfisher and Hennessey. We passed Rooster's Honky Tonk Bar and Chicken Shack. Gotta like a place with a giant plastic rooster on a pole.
