My memories of Philadelphia are of the people the school and
the mill. As I was growing up,
I felt I knew everyone in this small town. Philadelphia was a
close knit community where all the activity seemed to center around
the mill and the school. My mother
and my friends mother and some fathers worked in the mill. I remember
what I thought was a lot of activity when the whistle blew at
3:30 p.m. and all of those people rushed out of the mill after
a hard days work. If my friends and I walked to the mill after
school, it seemed we were greeted by everyone as we stood waiting
for our mothers. The mill was such an internal part of the community
and was such a strong force in keeping Philadelphia a warm and
friendly place; I feel once the mill no longer existed, the closeness
of the community was not as it once had been. The school was an
extension of the people of Philadelphia. Various activities were
an on going part of the school. Students participated in the activities
parents became involved in the school in support of their children.
Even in "those" days many mothers were employed outside
the home, but these parents, the citizens of Philadelphia were
there when they were needed to offer and give their support.
Jane Humbert Hicks