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

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