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It’s been colder than this

2 min read

The article in Friday’s Observer-Reporter, “Deep freeze causes variety of problems for residents,” contains a glaring mistake. The article states the last time it was this cold, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. That statement is false.

In my 72 years on this good earth, I experienced many days of minus 12 degrees or lower in Washington County, and those days do not include the wind chill. One date stands out in my mind more than others, that being Feb. 12, 1958. On that date, the temperature in Beallsville was minus 12 degrees. That year, I was a high school freshman and I had about three sheep, so I didn’t have to mow a one-acre lot by hand. My father didn’t see a need for a lawn tractor until I left home to attend college.

On Feb. 12, 1958, one of my ewes gave birth to triplets. Because of the fact it was minus 12, we had to take the three lambs and their mother into the basement of our home to keep the lambs from freezing. When exposed to the temperature in the basement, the mother lost her wool, which resulted in the animals remaining in the house until spring arrived.

I will never forget the date and temperature Feb. 12, 1958, and we didn’t have a school delay or cancellation. We had a regular school day. In fact, the Observer published an article and photo of the three black lambs and their white mother in our basement in Beallsville.

It may have been cold during Roosevelt’s time, but it definitely has been colder on many occasions in this area between 1936 and 2015.

William Y. Hill

Houston

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