“When men pass the age of 60, they should spend their winter days in front of the fireplace and their summers in a special easy chair under the ol’ shade tree. So some people seem to think—but they’d change their mind if they passed through Haubstadt any clear Saturday or Sunday afternoon.” This excerpt is from an article titled “These Gents Will Never Grow Old” by Robert Wade of Haubstadt, printed in the “Indiana Edition” of The Sunday Courier and Press, March 10, 1957.
From as early as 1922 to the 1950s and beyond, Haubstadt gentlemen would meet in Henry Giesecke’s yard to play croquet together. “They’d start in February or March, as soon as the suitable weather begins; and they’re not too choosy about the weather. They usually play until Thanksgiving, and have even played up to Christmas when some of the players were younger.”
“Just what type of satisfaction does this group of men get out of playing croquet year after year? Most of them answer that it provides recreation and ‘a wonderful companionship’. Most important, it keeps their minds and bodies active—and keeps them from becoming old!”
[Direct quotes of the article mentioned above were taken from page 75 of “A History of the Haubstadt Area”, 2002. The pictures below were taken from page 76.]
