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My childhood was spent near Old Economy Village. I remember at various places throughout the town there were birdhouses built for the beautiful martin birds.
The martins have a long history of nesting in shelters built by man. They have been known to have used hollow gourds hung by Indians for their home.
The martins have a strong homing instinct, demonstrated by a colony that would arrive in town the first week of April.
Remembering back to the different shapes and sizes of the birdhouses I can vividly picture them on long 15 ft. poles above the ground. Many of the houses were very fancy and highly decorated. Many even had two and three stories and included little porches and attics. The martins were sure to receive a warm welcome from the residents of Economy.
My parents joined the community in vying for the most beautiful and original house designed with the martins comfort in mind.
The family would always gather in the yard as father and my brother, John, made sure the post was buried deep in the ground.
One of my favorite stories shared by my father took place in the latter years of Old Economy. It seems my great-aunt Elsie Knoedler wanted to play a joke on her father. It was April first and the martins had not yet arrived. Their house was just outside the window where Elsie could constantly watch it. Suddenly she exclaimed, "Look at the birdhouse! The martins have arrived!" Her father looked out the window and saw several martins hovering in midair. "Truly they are here," he said. Then he noticed a surprised expression come across Elsie's face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Oh, I really didn't know they were here," she slowly replied. "I wanted to fool you because this is April Fool's Day, but I guess I am the one who was fooled!"