In 1870, Springfield was excited about the arrival of the railroad from St. Louis. Springfield would finally be connected to the rest of the country. The railroad depot became the centerpiece of activity on the new Commercial Street. C-Street became a street vibrant with the railroad.
Today, if you step out back any business on the north side of C-Street you will automatically be on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe property. The property line ends at our back doors. This photo is the back door of RB&C. Most back doors are docks from the old days when the train would unload meat, horse care items, feed, furniture, tobacco and sundries.
In the early 1980's, I worked for Mr. Rosen and his son, Mark at Busy Bee Department Store. We used the dock and dock elevator for all deliveries, (the elevator had a hand pulley). We would hoist cases and cases of Levi's 501 jeans up to the 3rd foor for processing and tagging. Busy Bee (established in 1971) was known as the farmer's store because of the Levi's and Dungeree's farmer's wore.
There are at least eight active tracks just outside my back door. The trains work off an electric system and can start and stop without an engine. Many times you will hear the trains hook up with a loud crash. I have become accustom to the sound but am reminded how alarming it is when a customer asks, "What was THAT?"
Today, there is a train of boulders only feet from my back door. It's quite amazing site! Trains are much bigger than I thought they were.
This is the tail end of the boulder train. The back yard of C-Street is just as interesting with as much character as the front. By law, there is no trespassing to the train yard but to business owners the Railroad has been kind enough to let us park our vehicles in the gravel. I wanted to share what others may never have the chance to see. If you are ever in the area, you can walk across the the tracks via the historic Jefferson Avenue Footbridge. A glorious site lit up at night!
A couple of weeks ago, my junkin' friend, Sue and I headed for Branson to do a little treasure hunting. I knew just the place to go; Mrs. Cadwell's Downtown Flea Market. Not only is this the oldest flea market in Branson - it is also my very favorite.
Down the steep hills of old Branson on Hwy 76 (also known as 76 Country Blvd) you will find many eclectic shops including the one just next door to Mrs. C's called Main Street Flea Market. If you are not familiar with the Ozarks; this is what it looks like when you build on one of the 'mountains'. You definitely get a workout walking up and down the street!
Just inside the entrance, I spied these neat railroad date nails. They were $1.50 each. I didn't buy any but I thought they were neat.
Something I did buy was this shoe box packed full of all colors of chenille pieces. The seller had $8 for the entire box and then ran a 50% off any purchase from her booth. What a find!
I love digging in the linen bins you find in just about every other booth in a Branson flea market. Many hand embroidered items, quilt pieces, tea towels...you name it. I was delighted to find this hand appliqued and embroidered pillow case. The fabric is the softest cotton pink comes in!
I don't know if you can read the price or not, but I nabbed this lovely up for $2.50. Another great find was this Belle of the Ball tray. I didn't purchase it but held it & admired it for a lengthy time. I had to snap a photo for prosperity.
If you love quilts, Branson is the place to go. You will find vintage and antique quilts by the droves. Some are in excellent condition, some are gently worn and others are sold for crafts. Regardless of the condition, you can see the love and tenderness taken in each stitch. Here are photos of a few that were hanging outside just one booth. The prices range from $30 to $80.
One thing is for sure when shopping in Branson; you'll see the finest and the quirkiest! Here are a couple photos of booths. Digging is half the fun because the sellers pack the booth tight! I have a couple of favorite booths that I totally dismantle to hunt for goodies. (Yeah, I put stuff back...with a little displaying & merchandising to boot!)
Aren't these dishes yummy? This is in one of only a couple retro booth's at Mrs. C's.
I did purchase these three pottery finds. I brought the little pink one to RB&C but had to keep the others for my personal collection.
I bought a wonderful pink plastic case full of buttons, a vinyl snap front case in the most wonderful teal, a couple of vintage framed pictures, an antique oval frame with Miss About Town's photograph, a magazine rack, a blanket, a table cloth and some other goodies and paid $28. What a haul! I had a wonderful time. The best part of the whole trip was meeting my mom for lunch. She lives in Arkansas about an hour and a half from Branson. So, after a great lunch, some snuggling, then flea marketing; Sue and I headed for Star Buck's and hit Hwy 65 for the 40 minute drive home....oh, wait, we stopped in Ozark for more flea marketing! I'll blog about some of my other finds soon! 
I hope this has inspired you to tuck treasures & surprises around your home!