Town of Wildwood
Wildwood is very much like the town you always wanted to come from. We have most of the main things you would want in a town; a couple of good churches, a school, we even have a gazebo where the town band performs now and again. It's a port where ships loaded with cargo come and go. Wildwood is also nestled against the mighty Wild Mountain Range to the East. We have a bustling sawmill, a train station, and a few years back we even got a library. Even with all of those wonderful features, the very best thing about Wildwood is the fine folks that live there.
The Club House
The Club House, also called "The Fortress" is a special place the five third-graders call home. They built it with guidance and supplies provided by Paw Paw Chuck. It is an ever changing place as the kids decorate, redecorate, break stuff, and rebuild it with the scraps and supplies they find while on some adventure or another. The Club House is part theatrical stage (Staci), sometimes a craft corner (Gooz), often a tiny tea-room (Marsha), the occasional laboratory (Ned), and a small version of the Fix-It-Shop (C.J.).
The Fix-It-Shop
The Fix-It-Shop is attached to Paw Paw Chuck and Nana Cindy's house. This is how they earn their living, but it is also the place where everyone in town eventually brings broken chairs, tables that wobble, and wagon wheels that are no longer round. It is also where folks come for wise advice and the kind of love from your favorite grandparent. The Fix-It-Shop is not in the middle of town, but it is the heart of town, nonetheless.
The Train Station
We are very proud of our train station here in Wildwood. Since Paw Paw Chuck repaired and expanded the awning, we have shade for most of the day. Now that we have three benches on the platform, we have two more benches than any other town on the line. There is only one train on that line. It is the Cannon Ball and it runs up and down the coast carrying supplies and passengers to the towns that do not have a natural port. While we are very proud of the Cannon Ball, when it is late, (which happens often), some refer to it as the Bowling Ball.
The Schoolhouse
Like most towns in this part of the country, the School House was the second building the founders constructed. The first is (of course) the church building. Because of that, it was built with lots of enthusiasm and love, but probably could have used a bit more skill and planning. The roof leaks regularly, the floor is not boring at all- being high over there and low in the middle. It is a beloved place in our little town. It has that satisfying smell of slightly musty oak wood and if you did your homework, it makes you feel good and excited to learn every time you go in. If you didn’t – well, you know…
The Collins Mansion
The Collins Mansion has long been the jewel of Wildwood. It is fancy and it is big. Really big. It’s hard to tell from the front but in the back and down the hill, it goes on and on. Mr. Collins became a world traveler and explorer in his middle years. He would go to the most exotic places and study them, explore them and bring back huge crates of museum-quality artifacts. With each place he explored; he had another room built onto the house for the crates he would ship back home. Sadly Mr. Collins passed away on one of those trips some years back. Mrs. Collins, the sweetest bear you could ever meet, loves to have the kids over and she lets them explore the rooms and dig through the crates. The Club kids have discovered the real treasure of the Collins Mansion are the phonographic cylinders where Mr. Collins recorded all of his observations and ponderings as he explored the most amazing places around the globe.
Rockler Inc.
The Rockler Inc. Headquarters is the newest and grandest building on Main Street. It is an impressive place that displays, in architecture and décor, the wealth, industry and ambition of its owner, Mr. Rockler.