205 South Page Street: Mims Watson House
Mims Watson
Sandy and "Gus"
Sandy's Dog "Bullet"
Other Photos Referenced in This Article
Clyde Watson - House located on Wilson Street
Dairy Queen - 202 South Page Street (Across the Street)
Other Items by Sandy Baker
Theater Tickets from the 40's
Theater Tickets from the 50's
Mertin Hursey Note to Teachers
Mims Watson AFM Lodge #220
Sandy Baker: St Paul Certificate
First Horse Show 1948
49 Ford
Jimmy "Sandy" Baker: The photo labeled 'Bullet 1952' is the north side of the MS Watson house at 205 South Page St. I lived there with my parents (Lois Campbell Baker and Walter Luther Baker) and my great grandparents (Mims Sullivan Watson and Roxie Davis Watson) during the mid 1940's and up until 1959. Roxie died in Sept 1952. I had just turned twelve. Mims followed her of his own volition, two months later. My grand dad built this house in the 1930's and I was born there in the front bedroom on August 4, 1940. Dr Walter Wiley once said to me, "you came out a hollering and haven't shut your mouth since". My parents moved to Columbia in 1961. The house remained empty until my grandmother, Ethelyn Watson Campbell Mallow, sold it to Billy Baker, who, as far as I know, still lives there today. My mother's father was "James Alexander Campbell". Mr Campbell was elected sheriff of Chesterfield county in November 1928. He was killed in the line of duty in either 1929 or 1930. Mr Campbell's nick name was 'Sandy'. It is he for whom I am named.My grandfather also owned the small brick house to the left (203 S Page St) which was originally a garage for the main house. He had it made into a tiny house for his daughter, Ethelyn, and she lived there during the mid 1940's until sometime in the early 1950's. This house was rented to several different families over the next decade or so. Clancy and Bunk Burch lived there for several years in the late 1950's. The last person to live there was Edith Watson, who, I believe bought the property from my grandmother in the 1970's. My grandfather also built the white frame house that was located on the now empty lot next door (201 S Page St). For many years this house was rented to Wilson Teal. Wilson owned and operated a liquor store located one block north of this house. Some years later, the Teals bought this house from my grandmother. Me and Gene Watson spent many hours climbing in the magnolia trees on the corner of S Page and E Boulevard, where we would secret ourselves while loading kernels of corn onto homemade (out of wooden clothespins) zipguns and fire them at passing cars. Had we ever hit anything I suppose Chief J.W. Bittle would still have us ensconced in the old red brick jailhouse on Main. The picture labeled "Dot Teal" shows the south side of the 201 S Page St house. The two pictures labled "Clyde Watson" and "DL Lee, Jr" were taken in 1955 or 1956 when the Dock Watson building was the "Dairy Center". The color photo is of Clyde Watson. Clyde and his family, Sally, Gene and Nicky, lived in the house to the rear of our property and our yard was a cut thru for Mr Watson on his way to the Watson Brothers store on Main Street when he was still operating the business. The color photo shows Billy Lee waiting on one of his customers as well as the Dock Watson house. I spent most every evening at the Dairy Center bedeviling Billy, Dale, and Lottie Mae, who worked as a cook in the restaurant. Billy also managed the Chesterfield Theater during the 1950's. I worked at the theater concession stand during 1955-56 until Billy fired me for wandering up and down Main Street one time too many. Then he turned around and hired me to 'step and fechit' at the Dairy Center. I can't remember whether or not he pink slipped me from the Dairy Center employ. Go figure.