Dine’s story concludes with injury, family responsibilities

As we continue Mr. Walter Dine’s story picks up where he graduated from Gold Point Elementary School in 1927. Walter had no transportation to go to the nearest high school in Morgantown. His last teacher was Lucille Pruitt, a Columbus resident now. Grover Brown was county superintendent of schools and Roy Keaton was Hamblen Township Trustee when Walter was in the 8th grade.

Another reason he couldn’t continue his education was that his father had heart trouble and Walter was needed at home, to work the farm.

A lifelong Brown Countian, Walter’s early adulthood also included cutting timber, making crossties and carpentering. He worked the building trade on contract and by the hour. For about 25 years he carpentered mostly with his brother-in-law, Justice Richart, and farmed at the same time.

He also operated the Gold Prospector’s Shop on Franklin Street in Nashville from 1964 to 1973, first shop west of the weavers’ Ferguson House. From there he sold gift items, craftwork of his own making, chemicals, rocks, and minerals and led prospecting parties on scores of gold panning excursions in Hamblen Township and elsewhere. On yearly trips of the Hamblen Township Civic League, he conducted parties of as many as 200 persons at one time.

The Gold Prospector’s Shop came about for Walter mostly because he was looking for a place to sit down.

In 1962, while building a pole barn, a sudden strong wind had pushed it over and caused his ladder to fall. One of his injuries was an extensive fracture to his ankle. He was hospitalized for over a month.

Walter manages to walk without a limp unless he has to be on his feet for around three hours. Then his ankle begins to give ‘way.

After nine years with the Prospectors Shop, he gave it up because he felt he was needed at home fulltime to care for his invalid mother. But many of his old customers remained friends.

The Bluegrass Treasurer Hunters Club from Louisville Kentucky returned time and time again. WHAS television from Louisville came to Brown County to do a story on Walter and his gold prospecting. He was warned by attorneys not to charge for conducting prospecting trips unless he bought insurance coverage. Walter continued to lead the parties for free, for some time after that. He found gold at many points north of Bear Wallow Ridge, an area taking in Salt Creek, Bean Blossom Creek and Bear Creek.

When the Williams Placer Mining Co., was headquartered in Indianapolis, by Williams, a Kansas City Man, they operated a huge 18-ton gold recovery machine the size of a house, Walter worked for the company about a year. Walter said, gold was found in just about all of the post-holes dug in Hamblen Township. The company had 10,000 acres leased in 1930 to 1932 to explore. They ran this big machine only about 30 days then quit. I cost as much to wash one cubic yard (45 cents) as the gold it contained was worth.

Walter is fourth-generation Brown County. His great-grandfather, Cornelius Dine, migrated to from Ohio and started the family out with 40 acres, Walter now owns as part of his 154-acres. Samuel Dine, Walter’s grandfather, was born in Brown County in 1930. His farm was north of Spearsville near Lamb Lake. Samuel’s land is now in Johnson County. Samuel, a Civil War veteran moved onto Cornelius’ land when Walter’s father, John Dine, was five years old.

Walter is in good health except for his sometimes-troublesome ankle. He was seriously ill only once. He nearly died of typhoid fever in September of 1926 and his recovery was still uncertain on the day that his sister Elsie died.

Walter belongs to the Spearsville Christian Church and is a former member of the Redmen’s Lodge at Morgantown. He spends most of the daytime outdoors and reads at night or watches television.

Now here’s a handsome, intelligent, up-and-doing respected man of property who’s a real homebody. How come he never married? Walter pleads family responsibilities he already had, plus a satisfying and busy work-life for, these many years.

“There’s, also the fact,” he adds with somber face and a twinkle of his eye, “that nobody never asked me!”

Walter Mitchel Dine was born, in Brown County on April 14, 1913, to John Wesley and Alva Alice (Hunt) Dine. He died Feb. 19, 1977.

The End.

Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society