HISTORY OF PASCO COUNTY

Trilby

My Trilby Ties

By THERESA OSBRON SMITH

This article was copied with permission from the EPHS web site.

I was born in Trilby in 1938, the first child and only daughter of Roscoe Osbron and Myrna Gideons Osbron, in a little house next door to the Whittingtons. The house was owned by Earl Tyre and his wife. They had moved away for work purposes so Dad rented the furnished house. Mom’s oldest brother, E. W. Gideons, was working as a railroad agent in Trilby but lived in a house behind the field of my maternal grandmother’s (Mae Gideons) house in Trilacoochee. Dad worked in Lacoochee as constable so they decided to trade living places to make it easier for working purposes. We lived in Trilby for approximately a year before moving to Trilacoochee.

From the house in Trilacoochee, we moved to a house near the Withlacoochee River north of Trilacoochee. This house was called the “Putman” house where my oldest brother, Roscoe Jr., also called Buddy, was born in 1941. We lived there for a few months then moved back to Trilby. We lived in the house where Mom was born. This house was located on the east side of the railroad tracks across from the depot. I believe that this was the same house that Cotton Hines and his family lived in. My first memory of Trilby occurred at this house; I fell through a rotten board on the back porch. But that is all I remember of that incident. We lived in that house until Dad completed the building of our final home in Trilacoochee.

But my history with Trilby began long before I was born. My maternal grandparents lived in Trilby while their house in Trilacoochee was being rebuilt after being destroyed by fire. While living in Trilby, three daughters, including my mother and one son were born. My grandfather, Enoch W. Gideons, taught school at Trilby during 1910-1911. He also served as principal of the same school, which was called Wake Forest at that time. Several of his students became school teachers that taught many of the younger generations in the east Pasco communities.

Grandfather Gideons was also appointed postmaster of the Trilby Post Office in November 1914.

My next memory or memories of Trilby took place at school. I started school in a house (yellow, I think) that was located next to the Masonic Lodge. All classes, grades 1 through 6, were being held in this house and the Lodge contained grades 7, 8, 9. After the 9th grades, the students were bussed to Dade City. This continued until the now-existing school was rebuilt. The first was destroyed by fire. Mrs. Dayton, wife of Judge Dayton, was my teacher. I can remember playing and skating on the floor of the old bank building that had burned many years before. The bank vault was still standing so we played hide n’ seek inside it many days.

We were living in Trilacoochee so I walked from home to school and back each day, rarely riding in a vehicle. Or at least, I don’t remember many rides. I do remember riding in Mr. Price’s homemade school bus at least once. Walking back to school with many of the other Trilacoochee children, the Browns, McElveens, Carpenters, Fallins. I know that at times, there were others but their names escape me.

One day some of us played a game after school on the grounds of the Methodist Church. I had new shoes and could not run very well with them, so I took them off. Of course, being a child used to going barefoot, I went home without my shoes. Woe was me! I had to go back to look for them and of course, they were not there. Boy, did I get it when I got back home. And I walked all that way back home, knowing that I was going to get it.

Many hours were spent visiting the depot and having a hamburger, even into my late teens. When we were very young, Dad would sit my brothers and me upon the baggage carts to watch the trains come in. It was so awesome to see all that power and steam.