Reliving My Childhood Days

No, I don't mean the one that comes with senility. I'm not that old (although I am tapping on the door).



Saturday I took my granddaughter back to her home. We left early in the day, stopping by Bojangles for biscuits before leaving. When I was near the turnoff, I called my son-in-law. He was shopping & my daughter was at work. I told him not to worry, we were going sightseeing. I had been wanting to visit the 3 towns where I spent the first 11 1/2 years of my life. Now was my chance; they were only a short drive away.

First we went to the little town of Bethel (not to be confused with Oh Little Town of Bethlehem). Here I showed my granddaughter where the old garage use to be that my daddy owned & operated. There is a mobile home park there now. I pointed out the old service station, now boarded up, where I use to go for a Pepsi & Nab when I went to work with Daddy. I can still recall the smell of car grease & dirt, where the two had combined to form a hard surface for the garage floor. I love that smell to this day.



We took a picture of the Methodist church where my maternal grandfather was custodian in the 1950s. Granddaddy was a FWB minister, but was also custodian for the Methodist church. We found the tiny house my grandparents lived in until they moved,away, many years before we moved.



Bethel Methodist Church

Grandparents Old Home

Then it was on to the tiny town of Parmele, where my family lived. I  stopped first at the little Methodist church where we went. They no longer have services there, and I was unable to go inside. I still remember where my Sunday School class was. Our family moved during our school Christmas break, 1960. But I remember standing up front in that little church, singing What Child Is This with my cousin at my last Christmas program there. It broke my heart to see the church in such ill-repair. I asked two gentleman if they knew who was in charge of it, but they didn't know although they did say the grounds are kept up.

Parmele Methodist Church

Last Pastor & Times of Services Still There



I  told my granddaughter who lived in which houses when I was her age & where our house once was. It burned down after we moved. We were then off to Robersonville where I went to school, had piano lessons, and went to Saturday movies. She was amazed that I use to get a movie ticket, box of popcorn, & a Pepsi for 50 cents. The grammar school that I attended burned years ago and there is a ballfield there now. The old high school where my brother attended is still there. There was a gentleman outside & I asked what they plan to do with the old school. This man now owns all the buildings. I got to go inside the old lunchroom (tiny compared to todays' school cafeterias), & the gym where I watched many basketball games. The old lunchroom is now used for small private parties. There is a flea market inside the gym, although the basketball hoops are still up & the colors are still on the walls. The auditorium will be repaired & used for gospel sings. The old school itself will eventually be remodeled inside into efficiency apartments. I'm just glad someone is taking care of it.

Robersonville High School

In talking with the man that owned it, we learned that we actually knew each other. He was a few years older than my brother. So he was able to catch me up on some of the people I use to know.  



It was a great day! I told my granddaughter that if she hadn't wanted to go home early, I would not have had the chance to do all that & I would not have had the chance to share it with her. I told her God knew what he was doing when he made her homesick. She laughed. Before we got to her house, she said very seriously, "This has been a very interesting history lesson." She's 10 years old.