As I remember the good ole'' days in our town!. Looking back
some fifty years I realize how fortunate I was to live and grow
up in Philadelphia.
Thinking back upon my High School days at Bogart
School- the "fun" of carrying water from the spring
to the school, and in the winter carrying coal from the basement
to heat our potbelly stove. We were taught responsibility as well
as the 3 R's. We were assigned our duties for the day and our
comfort depended upon us doing our tasks.
Our town supported seven (7) stores, an active Bank, a telegraph
office. The telegraph office was one of my favorite places to
visit. Mr. Barnhill was the operator and Station Manager located
in the Depot and he would
allow me to send messages on the telegraph. The bank was the meeting
place for the older men and it was the only bank in this area
that didn't go bankrupt during the great depression of '29. The
building still stands today, it is located next to the post
office. Our bank did close, but everyone received all of their
money. Frank Carter was the cashier during this period.
Another interest of mine was the stock yard, it was located
between the Baptist and Methodist
Church. I recall watching the cattle being loaded into the
box cars of the train.
Every opportunity I had I would visit the Blacksmith shop,
which was owned and operated by the Edward's brothers. To a young
boy getting to watch them take the red-hot steel and shape it
into something useful was a thrill. We would take our horses there
to be shod.
Oh, how I remember Scott's Mill, not their product but the
swimming hole above the dam, no one had swimming trunks in those
days. We enjoyed the swim in the nude.
These are some of my remembrances of the "Good ole Days"
in Philadelphia, where a man's word was as so good as his bond.
Our city was called "The City of Brotherly Love," not
only called by that name,the people had a feeling of love and
concern for one another. Good memories, are a wonderful gift and
enrich one's life all of their life, such as mine.
Amos Allen