The Camp Fire

Jimmy lived across the street from me when I lived on Mercer Avenue. He was my best friend until the Atlantic Coast Line moved his family to Jacksonville, Florida. His father was a Ham (Amateur Radio Operator K4RVE) and worked at the ACL. That is where I got my interest in radio and years later I would also become an Amateur Radio Operator K4DPC.

Now that the statue of limitations are passed I can tell this story but in doing so I take full blame for what happened. I guess at the time we were  5 or 6 years old maybe 7 but no older I am sure. It was probably around the summer of 1955 or 56 and Jimmy Walker and I were building a camp on a hill in the woods behind the church between Mercer and Live Oak Avenues. We had picked an area on top of the hill at the edge of a young pine thicket because it was hidden from view. Next to this pine thicket was a broom straw field.

After picking our location we began collecting small pines and stripping them of limbs to make the framing of a tee pee like structure. To give it a little stability we used a large live pine in the southern wall. Once the framing was done we used green pine limbs with needles to cover the walls. After this was finished we dug an entrance under the north wall. Last we dug a pit the size of the inside about 10 foot across and 2 foot deep. The camp was finished and was hard to see even if you were close by. 

Now it is time for the camp fire which all camps must have. We were in the process of gathering sticks to build the fire when we realized we didn't have matches, so we sent Jimmy's little brother back to the house to get some matches. Upon his return we started the fire inside the camp made of pine straw. Now we were ready to cook, but again our planning fell short. Now this time we left Jimmy's little brother at the camp tending the fire, while Jimmy and I went back to the house to sneak hot dogs to cook. Just as we reached Jimmy's backyard we heard something. It was his little brother telling us to wait for him. As we turned and asked why he wasn't tending the fire, nothing we said really mattered at that point. Big columns of black smoke and flames were filling the sky. 

Thank goodness it was not far from the street and it form a natural fire break and things were a little different back then, no police involved, but you can bet the fire was no hotter than the seat of our pants went our parents got finished with us. Luckily the fire only burnt to the road and was put out by the local VFD.