A Bank and Offices Used to Be There!

Introduction:

Demolition is almost complete of the bank and offices located at the southeast corner of Hwy 37 and the access road to I-30.  Most drive-byes will likely give that site a fleeting glance as another scene fades from view.   But some folks will remember.  In Franklin County, the past stays present, thanks to those who find the time and place to retell it.  

What isn’t there anymore in Franklin County?  It’s impossible to answer, if not for residents who can recall what “used to be.”  They’ve been around long enough to recall and vividly recite what used-to-be here.  We know them as the Used-to-be Practitioners.  They can point in any direction and recount what “used-to-be,” even though it is obviously not there anymore.  A skilled Practitioner will describe its purpose, adding names and dates.

I enjoy knowing the images and situations they describe.  We all have gained history in books and records.  I have and shall continue to find historical moments in that way too.  But when someone vividly recalls what once was, then I’m able to envision history.  It becomes present in a personal way.  

Critics claim that remembering what “isn’t there” is not history but nostalgia.  If remembering makes me a sentimental sap, then I am a grateful one.  

So, here's a call-out to all our “Used-to-be – Practitioners.”  What are some things that were common, but not anymore?  Somehow, this history is worth a repeat.  Let’s recall:    

• Outdoor clothes lines with bags of wood clothespins
• Pink tile bathroom décor
• The Curve Courts
• The Curve Court Café  
• Lowry’s Furniture Store, “An acre of furniture” was Charles’ claim
• Teague Chevrolet
• One phone per house in colors – black, white or avocado green
• Party-line phone connections
• Bicycles leaning aside a tree in the yard ready for the next ride
• Playing marbles with “do-over” rules

Jump rope chants:

Johnny gave me apples,    
Johnny gave me pears,    
Johnny gave me 50 cents,    
to kiss him on the stairs.    
I gave him back his apples,
gave him back his pears,
gave him back his 50 cents,
and kicked him down the stairs.  

​Our past is present in retelling the Franklin County stories.