*Jim Brooks remembers the old Dowdle Grist Mill and the store just south of it that stood where Piggly Wiggly is located today. A red Coca-Cola box with cold drinks in it stood in the middle of the store. His mother went there to trade eggs for sugar and flour. That was primarily all they had to buy. They grew their own corn to have ground for meal, along with growing almost everything else they needed. Then after the grist mill and store closed, John Moore had a garage in the old store. Pete Hinton had a car lot on the corner across Pine Street, and Clell Harrison had a shoe shop in the building adjoining Hinton’s car lot.
*Dr. and Mrs. L.B. Adkins remember the Doodlebug rides (train to Meridian). There was no air conditioning, so some passengers would roll down the windows and stick their heads out. Then when they arrived at their destinations, their faces would be red.
Mrs. Adkins remembers riding the Rebel. She lived in Sessums Hotel when she first came to teach in Union in 1950. Since the Rebel arrived and departed Union Station at 2:00 a.m., Mr. Jess Gully would walk from the hotel to the depot with Mrs. Adkins when she boarded the train bound for Bogalusa to visit her parents.
In 1950, Dr. Adkins bought his first Ford car from Milling Motor Company when it was located on the corner where Faye’s Beauty Shop is today. He paid $2087 for his new car.
*Mike Ross’ mother Ruth grew up on the James Smith Road. She told Mike that her farm family did not know that the nation was going through a Depression. Living on a farm, her family was self-sufficient, providing almost all of their own needs. The people who realized the Depression were the ones who lost jobs that their families depended on. However, Mrs. Ross’ family did have problems with their well. Sometimes they did not have enough water to cook and to wash clothes, so they used the water they had for cooking and then took their clothes and the wash pot to the creek for the washing.
*Malone Nicholson recalls the Depression and World War II years. His daddy had a good job working for the GM&O railroad. However, when the Depression started, he got laid off like many other men. In those days, the government didn’t give unemployment checks or food stamps or any other benefit that some people enjoy now. In those days, if you didn’t make it, you didn’t have it. Then when the World War II started and the Depression ended, men went back to work as factories began producing things for the war effort. Men had money to spend at that time but nothing to spend it on. During those years, Malone grew up without anything. However, that wasn’t too bad because nobody had anything, so they didn’t realize that they were having to do without.
*L.B. and Louise Porter came to Union when he accepted a job as a coach. They rented a room in the Sam A. Pool house on Main Street and ate their meals at the Bus Station Café across the street. Birdeen and Murray James also rented a room in the Sam Pool house.
*When Ashley Burroughs was a young boy, he would ride to the golf course with his grandfather Ed Johnson in Ed’s old red truck. Ed told Ashley that when the golf course was first built in the 1950s, many women became avid golfers. While the men worked, many stay-at-home mothers took up the game and played during work hours. Each lady had her own set of women’s clubs that were made with wooden shafts. Although Ashley’s grandmother Dot Johnson had her own clubs and played regularly, his grandfather told him that Juanita Luke was probably the best of the lady golfers.
*Andy Gardner recalls other law enforcement officers of the past. He remembers Mr. George Smith as an all-around great man and almost too nice to be a policeman. Other officers were Jim Shackelford, Rick’s dad, S.B. Reeves, James “Big John” Addy, Frank Winfield, Mr. Munn, Felix Moss, Fate Stevenson, W.R. ‘Dub’ Lang, and Benny Ware. “Pops” Lawrence took care of the parking meters. James W. Loper was on the force at one time and later named chief.
*Also, Andy remembers that when he was a young boy, there was a man living near his grandfather who wound up in the “Calaboose” off Front Street several times after some rowdy weekends. When Andy and his dad made Monday morning deliveries on their milk route to Sessums Hotel, they would go over to the jail to check on him. The accommodations for the prisoners were not great there, but the food was the one bright spot. It was delivered from Sessums Hotel. Still, the “Calaboose” was not a place that one wanted to spend any time.
*A.V. Hardy also checked parking meters for a time.
If you have memories to share, contact me at teresablount26@yahoo.com or 601-774-5564.
