Lots happened on that street when I was growing up, I was brought home from Crawford Long Hospital to that street and my life began. It was where my “home place” was for many years. It was a street with sidewalks people would walk up and down them going to and fro mainly to catch the “trolley”, that was what the transit system was back then. Lakewood Heights was a place that held the stores we shopped in. Combies Drugs Store, Miss Georgia Ice Cream Parlor, The Movie Show, Cecil’s Hamburger Joint, the Hardware Store. Just a nice community with the Baptist Church and the Methodist Church in its circle of course, hate to say it, the people identified themselves by the two, you were one or the other.
The street in the summer time had big oak trees that made a canapé as they grew. Their limbs and leaves joined one side to the other. The old cars drove swiftly under them and that was before the automatic transmissions were invented. Inside you would see the occupants all dressed up, the men in suits with their felt hats the ladies in their dresses with maybe a hat and certainly white gloves. They had their cars, they didn’t have to ride the streetcars. Shopping was the thing in downtown Atlanta and that would be their destination either to Davidson’s or Rich’s and for lunch at Woolworth’s for a good hotdog then go by Planter’s peanuts for a bag of hot peanuts to select from behind the glass case.
Saturdays was my time to enjoy The Street. Mother wouldn’t let us go outside to play until the house was clean and the sidewalk was swept. When my list was done I would put my skates on, back then you used a metal key to tighten them on our shoes, then I was on my way to meet my friend, Sandra. We would go up and down skating away watching the heaves on our path to keep from being thrown a sunder! After awhile I could hear mother calling me in for our usual lunch. Mother could cook up some of the best pork and beans you could smell the sautéed onions cooking to go in them a mile away. I would put a big spoon of them on my plate, stick my hand in a new Marietta bag for a slice of loaf bread, had to get a middle one, that's where the bigger ones were. Oh yum! I would spread some of mother newly made soft butter and OH! Heavens!! A glass of her sweet tea, boy was that a good meal!
The night time on The Street was when all the neighbors would gather on the porches you could hear the voices sound in the night as they discussed the latest news or got into the politics it got rather loud then. The windows were open, as the night came to an end we went in to our beds and heard the crickets in the silence of the night. In it’s quietness The Street was waiting for another day until we were out and about again….
(Got the following from my niece after she read the above post. I could not let it go without sharing it here its more valuable memories from the past to be documented)
Stacey wrote:
The picture of Claire Dr. brought back memories for me. One was when my mother picked me up from kindergarten and said we would go visit grandmother and granddaddy. I was so excited. She was sweeping the stairs when we drove up. She had on a sleeveless green sweater. (I think I remember that.) She told us to come in she just made a caramel cake. Yum!!!!!!!!!! Grandaddy was in his shop. He stopped to say hi. I can remember before bed Grandaddy would say come on Stacey it is time for cookies and milk. We would sit at their kitchen table and Grandmother would get the tupperware of cookies out. They would sit in their chairs and I would sit on a stool. We would talk and then go to bed. I have endless memories of those two. And after Grandmother passed away I have memories of visiting just Granddaddy. At the time I don't think my parents knew how those times with them were shaping me as a person. In my eyes I saw true love between them.
I got lost in this post, I loved it.
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