Lake "Peggy" Margaret -- The Lake, Lake Kids, And Precious Memories

 

So many of us spent our Lucasville summers at Lake Margaret on Cook Road. Margaret “Peggy” Campbell, the namesake for the recreation area, owned the lake, and she affectionately called us local youth her “Lake Kids.” She was a mini-dynamo who worked rings around everyone she employed. I never really knew how old Peggy was when I started going to the lake during my 6^th grade year – I would definitely put her in the “senior” category then – but I do know she had already retired from the telephone company by the time we met. It turns out, she was ageless.

It is impossible to relate the joy I personally associate with Lake Margaret. As I look back now, I regret that the lake is no longer open to the public because it was such a wonderful asset to the Lucasville community. In the mid to late 60s “the Lake” was the place for local teens to congregate and have fun – largely because of Peggy's concern for the young people she so loved.

How I wish I would have taken photos of Lake Margaret to help refresh my old and fading memory of the events and the people there. I'll do my best to relate a few details in this post. I know I won't do the Lake and Margaret “Peggy” Campbell justice; however, maybe some of you can add your memories to enrich the vision I provide. Please excuse the rather disorganized presentation – I'm working today with flashes of images and fragments of impressions.

I spent so much of my youth at the Lake. Not only did I swim, fish, and rent boats, but I just “hung out” there as did so many of my friends. The Lake was a very special place that played an important part in the development of area youngsters.

The Lake was an all-year venue, but the summers made it so memorable. Every year, the last day of school marked the first day of summer and going to the Lake to celebrate the long vacation. The water on the first day of summer break was usually pretty cold, but that didn't matter. In fact, swimming on that day was a mark of our devotion to having a new season of fun. Everyone was so excited to form deeper friendships and be released from schoolwork.

Boys and girls of all ages found a welcome home at the Lake and a place where the rites of passage routinely took place as the summer passed. People from locales other than Lucasville often went to Lake Margaret, so these strangers became Lake Folks too. The older teens influenced the younger ones, and I'm sure you can understand all of the peer interaction that took place without a map – mostly good, some bad. We learned to open our horizons with care – trial and error but also invaluable experience. It was a simpler time then, and young people – especially those in rural areas – garnered trust as they successfully accepted responsibility. Our community included country roads and hollows and hills – we were expected to follow rules but adapt quickly. And, most of us did. Friendships were so important, and the outdoors had fewer boundaries for young exploration.

My friends, Mike and Pat Stanley lived directly across from Lake Margaret on Cook Road. They began swimming there as very young children with their family. Mike was in my class and Pat was a couple years younger. These two guys were genuine water dogs. Much of the Lake knowledge and love for water they had, they passed along to me. Diving, swimming under water, touching bottom, and more – Mike and Pat knew the ropes. We solidified our friendship over the summers at the Lake. They were great buddies in adventure.

Now, you must realize that Peggy ran the daily business of the Lake. She took care of all of the upkeep and business at hand. In short, Peggy was the Lake. On busy days, this diminutive woman may have another adult like Mrs. Johnson to help her, but she mostly relied on local high school students to lifeguard, sell tickets, and do the odd jobs on the premises. She employed one adult caretaker – we knew him as “Mr. Bennett – to cut grass and trim bushes in the summer, but other than that, Peggy commandeered the entire operation. She knew her business, and we were expected to be quick learners.

Above all, Peggy wanted things done her way at the Lake – the right and “old-fashioned way” – and she demanded good results. Such a great role model of industry and virtue (moral qualities of which we young men often needed instruction), Peggy served as the best adult boss, friend, and confidant I ever had. In order to understand the irony here, you must picture an older lady with the iron fist and the heart of gold capable of striking simultaneous fear, respect, and love in the hearts and minds of her Lake Kids.

Maybe some of Peggy's magic had to do with the venue itself – we all loved everything about the premises – but I am convinced her people skills were off the charts. We loved her, defended her, and received mutual admiration from her as long as we treated our beloved Lake with due respect. No one has taught me more about work and the value of kindness than Margaret “Peggy” Campbell. Can you even imagine the positive impression such a person can have on a kid so full of piss and vinegar? She took a major part in our individual lives – not an easy task for anyone, much less for a “matronly woman.” (I use those words with the utmost respect.) Her modus operandi involved a role model in action … and a little military-like command on the side. No one ever accused Peggy of putting less than everything she had into her operation. 

Banquets at the Lake. The staff ladies and me. Rose, second from far right. (The photo includes the infamous pop cooler.)

How lucky I was to work both lifeguarding and waiting tables at banquets and receptions there for many years. I held other jobs during high school, but none provided the rich experience I found at the Lake. Believe me, scores of area youths can relate to my fortune. I treasure the place so much today. I had my wedding reception at the Lake, my class reunions there, and I hope to have my ashes spread there too.

Peggy had an older sister named Rose who was pretty much past her prime during the time I was in high school. Still, Rose came with Peggy from Portsmouth, where the two sisters lived, to Lucasville every day. She helped as much as possible, and she became a permanent fixture at a table near the club entrance. She sat there and played solitaire until she would drift off into a long nap. Always so sweet, Rose would greet you and tell you almost every day that she “hadn't felt that great” recently. I surmised maybe that was her way of excusing herself from the hard daily work of maintaining the business. Everyone thought of the name “Rose” as so appropriate because she was such a sweetheart.

As you entered the clubhouse, a snack bar with several stools greeted you. Inside, we bought pop, candy, chips, and a real treat if we had 50 cents to spare – a hamburger. Damn, they were delicious. I know Peggy used some kind of seasoning when she fried them. I can still taste those delicious burgers.

I often worked at the Lake with Ron Miller (who was in my 69 Valley High Class) and Merle, Ron's brother. Merle reminded me that Peggy spoiled an old, fat beagle dog named Suzie. She absolutely loved the dog, providing the pooch with great food and lodging. When Suzie died, Peggy buried her at the Lake by the small house close to the playground. She even marked Suzie's final resting place to commemorate her life.

Peggy loved all animals. A boat house was converted into a haven for her precious ducks – around a dozen? – that resided at the Lake. She would let the ducks reside in the small dwelling, safe from predators and inclement weather. I remember Peggy also chopping holes in the ice during a fierce winter freeze to allow the ducks to drink.

Before I had my license, I would ride by bike to the Lake. I began working there at age 14 or so. I would peddle from my home on North Marca to the top of the hill above the Lake – a distance of less than two miles – and walk it through a field at Greer's Breezy Knoll Farm because Cook Road took a great steep and winding grade in its descent to the actual entrance to the Lake, and I didn't want to attempt to peddle up the hill after working all day. I would then ditch my bike in the field and walk to the top of the hill that descended to the property. Ask the Gronnas for more details. I know they frequently used the same trail to the Lake. I'm sure others did too.

In the summer, I remember Peggy would arrive from Portsmouth close to noon and unlock the club door, and we teen workers would set about getting the swimming area open for the public. The Lake had a clubhouse, a playground, a shelter house, a bathhouse, and an outhouse that I remember few people ever seemed to use.

Isn't it funny that during all the time I worked there, I can remember only maybe once I used the outhouse on the hill. I do remember one girl did catch a nasty case of poison ivy on her nether-regions while peeing. (Sorry, she shared the story with someone and it quickly became another Lake Legend.)

As I said, I started working as a lifeguard, ticket taker, and general helper at the lake in the summers of 1966 (or there about) and continued to work seasonably and at banquets and receptions for many years. We would work until dark in the summer. After closing the swimming area, we cleaned the premises by picking up trash, scrubbed the bathhouse, and made sure all the boats and other features of the property were in order.

To lifeguard, you had to take Senior Lifesaving training. One day while lifeguarding, I saved a young girl who had gone in over her head. I remember how her mother thanked me. It was nothing really, but something I do remember. Above all, I feel very fortunate no accidents happened there … at least in my recollection during any guard's duty.

This was before Lucasville opened a pool on Thomas Hollow Road, and the Lake was the swimming venue for the entire community. I believe the pool there did open at the end of my senior year. I remember quite a bit of jockeying back and forth between Lake Kids and Pool Kids. It seemed to be a skirmish between more rural youth (Lake) and subdivision youth (Pool). In my mind, some of the Lake Kids did switch to pool memberships.

Often, especially in hot and dry weather, our workday was very long. Peggy would frequently have us workers stay in the clubhouse until she heated up plates of leftover food from banquets for us to eat. Her specialties included baked steak, chicken, potatoes, rolls, and “red hots” – fried apples. She would serve the meals family style for banquets (in pass-around containers), and she would personally run the entire operation in a dizzying frenzy of preparation and service.

Among the many events held at the Lake, our Southern Ohio Conference Athletic banquets for athletes and coaches were held there for many years as were Valley High School Awards dinners. Many other groups and schools regularly held meetings and dinners there too. The people loved the informal setting and mood. And, Peggy especially loved the kids. (I almost forgot, the dining room would be open on Sunday by reservation for after-church dinners – it was a favorite facility for Sunday meals.)

One note: you didn't want to get out of line at the Lake. For example, sometimes people would do things like goof-off in the rowboats or try to swim out of the swimming area across the lake. If Peggy spied misbehavior, she would get on the P.A. system and tell you to stop or “else.” Of course, having the entire crowd in attendance hear about your shenanigans was embarrassing enough to make you stop breaking the rules. I never knew anyone who was suspended for refusal to follow orders. They were simply realigned by Peggy.

The Lake was well-stocked with catfish and full of bluegills. People would often catch big fish, and Peggy loved to post photos of those whoppers in the dining room. If I remember correctly, one such fish was caught by Ben Crabtree. She would also post photos of her Lake Kids in various stages of their growth. I remember one picture of John Gronna in his military uniform that graced the walls for many years. Peggy was very proud of the patrons. She was a huge supporter of Valley Schools.

The Lake was very popular in the mid-60s before the construction of the prison began. I remember days when large crowds from all over the area would flock there to swim, fish, picnic, and have great fun. Also, the Lake was the setting for many family reunions, annual picnics of companies and organizations. I remember banks and the farmers having huge, all-day celebrations there. We teens often worked those busy events.

One memorable time was a Portsmouth High School after-prom – a wild evening in the 60s that ended with a real mystery. We were cleaning up afterwards, and down in the creek bed close to Cook Road we heard a noise. We discovered a girl who had been abandoned and apparently beaten up – left alone there as everyone else had left. We took her to Peggy who called the sheriff's office. They responded and took her back home, but I never heard exactly what happened to her. (She actually had a pair of nylons around her neck.)

One job for teen workers was to fill the pop cooler. The soda – those days in returnable bottles – was stored under the shelter house. We had to take the empty bottles back to that location and retrieve the new pop to fill the cooler. For years, everyone who had this duty – scores of people? – would sneak a warm pop and drink it before carting the full cases across the road. A humongous pile of broken bottles accumulated over the years and lay against the north wall of the structure. We all disposed of our contraband bottles there. This was a dirty trick, and I'm sorry Peggy for being such a rascal. But, believe me, everyone did it – it was a Lake tradition.

Also, forever and always as far as I know, the pop cooler and the opposite wall would shock you if you happened to touch both at the same time. We all soon learned the reality of the situation and avoided it, but when new teens would get the duty of filling the cooler for the first time, we other pranksters gathered around and laughed as they got their first … and likely only … shock.

There was a great jukebox of 45 records in the clubhouse at the Lake. I can't remember all of the titles but I do remember playing the Beatles “Rain” one day when a thunderstorm forced us all inside. Funny what makes an impression. I distinctly remember “Rain” was the less-popular B-side of “Paperback Writer” released in the summer of 1966. You may think a rainy day ruined everything, and to a large extent that was true, but a brief shower was sometimes a welcome reprieve for sun-drenched lifeguards. And, many an innocent kiss was stolen during a rain as guys did their best to calm the fears of young ladies who needed to be warmed and reassured with a friendly hug.

Teens those days had great old cars, and 18-year-olds had legal access to 3.2% beer. Of course, you better not let Peggy know you had beer, but then again … go figure. Sometimes when companies had parties there, one of our jobs as workers was to keep the tubs of beer for the adults full and iced. I don't have to tell you how a beer here and there ended up missing. One time during a big event we had a great plan to pilfer a case of beer a few beers at a time. We hid them in the ditch of tall grass that led to the outhouse. Things were going well, but unfortunately, Mr. Bennett bush-hogged the ditch and destroyed our stash before we consumed the suds.

Boyfriends, girlfriends, puppy love, crushes – the Lake provided the setting for so many relationships. The shelter house was too obvious an area for young romance – someone would surely see and report you for PDA. But, the rowboats, the playground, the hill, and other places at the Lake were frequented by young lovers. Funny thing – I don't remember a fistfight fight over relationships there. Maybe those surreptitious lovers and hiding places proved too good for jealous detection. Naturally, rumors about sexual trysts circulated. However, the Lake held much too importance in innocence for most of us to consider such an act there, but I'm certain the notion was in the air.

All in all, the Lake was a big, perfect area for recreation of all types. With a grass beach featuring room for laying out and table-and chair configurations; a boat dock; fields for playing ball, throwing Frisbees, or setting up badminton areas; and a BBQ pit or two, we never longed for the means for anything to do there. The dam on the south side had a spillway that emptied into a creek near a children's playground. The entire property was a safe haven for fun and adventure. No wonder we loved it so.

Still …

Here is the ultimate attraction of the Lake.

Peggy made the place “ours.” As young people with formative and impressionable minds, we knew she wanted to provide us a place where we could feel at home away from home, somewhere we could gather and take pride in our community. The Lake was so much more than a commercial venture or a recreational retreat. We grew up there … literally and emotionally. At the Lake, we marked our individual maturity in the summers spent with our friends. 

Wife Cindy and I at the Lake, class reunion

Almost all of the decline of membership at Lake Margaret was a direct result of the construction of the prison. The stream feeding the Lake was altered during prison construction and muddied the water at the Lake so badly that people quit swimming, fishing, and boating there. Lawsuits and settlements were discussed: I never knew the total outcome. But, in the end, the era of the Lake closed. What a terrible loss. A sadness still hangs over the Lake because of the damage, but the water has since cleared.

I often pass by the Lake and every time I do, I reminisce – it's impossible not to think of the past as I look up that short road today. As I daydream, I long for the good old days working there when making twenty or thirty dollars a week was enough to fill the tank and provide money for my young, unencumbered existence – a time spent with few worries and tons of friends. I also wish that the youth of today from my old Lucasville community could have met Peggy Campbell and enjoyed Lake Margaret.

Friends and strangers have asked me about future plans for the Lake. One of my classmates who lives near the Lake owns it now. It has been closed to the public for decades. Many of the buildings are gone. What is left of the man-made structures needs repair. I'm sure insurance to operate a recreational area there would be astronomical. Did I mention times have changed … in so many ways?

However, the Lake itself is there as beautiful in its natural setting as ever. Several years ago, when my classmate, Judi Morris, passed, the family held a memorial there to spread her ashes. It was so fitting for a Lake Kid – a touching, very personal, beautiful service.

I have asked permission for my ashes to be put to rest there also. I have been granted that request, and the thought of being there gives me great peace and joy. To be a part of that place – a place I truly love and will always cherish – will hopefully be realized. Maybe some day other people will get the opportunity to feel the rewards of a place I know so many of us loved. Thanks, Peggy Campbell. Your memory lives on. 

 

Judi Morris, Rest In Peace