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I was
born April 3, 1943 to Turner McAbee and Myrtle Mae Thompson
McAbee. I was the
third child with an older brother, Kenneth (Bud) McAbee and a
sister, Janet (Rachel) McAbee Mason. A forth child, Jimmy, would
come later in Wellford.
I
remember Jane used to take me to the movies and Abb’s Corner
for candy. I
remember a horror movie (at least to me) called the Wizard of
OZ. I had bad dreams
for days after about the Wicked Witch.
I was
actually born on
Popular Street
, but moved to
17 Oak Street
as a little blond–haired baby. Our house on
Oak Street
had an outhouse, but later, Bull Mason and his plumber helper,
Elmer, along with Joe Love, carpenter built our indoor bathroom.
I was
lucky since to go to my MaMa’s and PaPa’s house was just 3
houses up
Oak Street
on the opposite side. I
usually tried to be close to their house in the summer, so when
the Ice Cream man came, I could run in to get a dime from my
MaMa!
I
remember my neighbors on
Oak Street
. On my side of the
street were the Dobbins,
Berry
and Loree, who were like my adopted grandparents; Louis and Bea
Parks, and the kids, Kenneth and Barbara Parks.
My best memory of the Parks was their tubby white dog,
Jennie. If the dog was outside and it thundered, Jennie
would head for the first open door, most times it was ours, and
go under the bed.
Below
our house was Doc and Bonnie Freeman, with their kids, Huey and.
I remember Mr. Freeman would drink a medicine called
Capadine in a small brown bottle, and throw the bottles out to
the back. We kids
would pick them up, wash them out and put water in them and
drink the water.
I
recall a old man, Dad Glassen and his wife who lived below the
Freemans. He was an
avid gardener and grew turnips and other vegetables. I
can recall myself and Tommy Morton slipping down and pulling up
turnips, washing them and eating them…tummy aches would
follow. He also grew
Kudzu on strings to shade his front porch. He
talked funny…with an accent. We
would try to talk like him.
He was also a turtle fisherman and would eat them.
Directly
across the street from our house, were the Bryson girls. I
remember going over there and watching TV. I
would go over around 6:30 to watch the 30 minute Eddie Fisher
Show. They would
give me a small bottled Coke, and cookies, so I was a big fan of
the Bryson girls. (Ester, Minnie, Ethel Nell)
Then,
there was our version of ‘Our Gang’. Jimmy Bright
lived at one end of the street and Ernie Southern at the other. Then
in the middle was myself and Tommy Morton and his older sister
Judy. We were a
mischievous bunch. Claude
Pettis had game chickens and he would run us off from his
chicken houses on occasion.
The
mill had a lumber yard down behind the school and Jr. West had a
horse called Red Devil and we would sneak down there and throw
rocks to make the horse run and kick up his heels.
That came to an end when he caught us down there.
I grew
to hate those privet shrubs around our house because of all the
whippings I got.
I
remember O’Shields’ fishing lake, The Community Cash,
Fred’s Service Station, Romeo Phillips car lot, where my Dad
bought and traded cars. Mr.
Olchtree and his shoe shop. Nora
Mason and her beauty shop.
I
remember
Vacation
Bible
School
and Ms. Carter, our teacher at the
Methodist
Church
. I remember haircuts at
Gary Lane
’s Barber. Going
to the Mill Store for school clothes, groceries and Mr. Dink
Davis, who was the manager. And
there was Clyde Cox at the service station and the drink
machines.
I
remember Sunday dinners at my MaMa’s house, with Aunt Betty
Brown, Uncle Walt and their kids. My
Uncle Lewis Thompson and his wife Aunt Ruby, and sometimes Uncle
Lewis’ daughter Peggy Jackson, and her husband, Albert. He
was a peach farmer from
Holly
Springs
, so often there was peach cobbler on the menu.
Then,
when I started in the seventh grade at D.R. Hill, my Dad had
finished our house on
BoBo Road
in Wellford. So I
bid farewell to my beloved Startex.
Boy, was I lost! Living on a dirt road in Wellford.
Quite a change.
But
I’ll always remember my youth and the people of my
neighborhood of
Oak Street
and Startex.
Doug
McAbee
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