| Remembering My Old Homeplace |
I love to think about the old days when I was a child living off of old
Ellerbe Road in Rockingham. I don't actually know if they were
such great times during that era but it sure seems like it was upon
looking back and remembering. Everything seemed so innocent
then.
During the 50s when I was around 6 to 12 years old things sure
seemed simple. My dad worked at JP Stevens' Hannah Pickett
plant in East Rockingham and mom stayed home and tried her
best to take care of 4 boys - that's right, 4 boys and no girls. I am
sure she had her hands full. Especially with the oldest, my late
brother Gary. Just seemed there was always what they called a
black sheep in the family and I guess brother Gary would qualify
for this honor.
The house located there now is not the same as the original house
that stood during this time. But it does still have some of the
original underpinning that was in the old home - which was a big
white 2 story house. I am not sure whom dad got to build this
house - grandpa Bailey might have helped but I am not sure. But
he had it designed like a house that was located on old Northam
Cemetary road. It had the white asbestos shingles on the outside,
a porch on the bottom with a type of garage attached to it and on
the second floor was one bedroom and a screened in porch that
set over the garage area. There was room up there for another 2
bedrooms but for some reason dad never got finished with that
upstairs. I don't know if he ran out of money or what. But there was
only one room upstairs that was completely finished. Mom always
cautioned us not to go out onto the screened-in porch area
because she thought it was unsafe. Mainly because there was
nothing under it but wide open space, which was used as the
carport or garage.
I remember we had one of those old coal firing heaters located in
the middle of the house. Us boys would have to go out during the
winter, take the coal bucket with us and fill it with coal from the pile
in the backyard. That was a pretty dirty job because if you have
ever handled coal, coal dust would get on you just by looking at it
.... at least, it seemed that way. Talking about a cold house in the
winters, that old house wasn't insulated very well and at night me
and my brothers would all sleep in one bed. I remember getting in
that bed it would be ice cold. But mom gave us plenty of quilts to
keep us warm.
I loved to play with toy trucks and tractors when I was very young -
6 or 7 years old. If you look at this link -
http://www.rockinghamremembered.com/ChildhoodPicturesOldHous
ePictures2.html - you can see me standing and my brother Randy
setting on the old porch. That dirt area was a favorite place for us
to play. I had metal tractors and trucks that I would play with and
one day while we were playing with them I fell and cut my arm on
the tractor. Dad had to take me to the hospital and get a few
stiches.
Another time, when I was a little older, I was riding my bike down
old Ellerbe Rd, which I was not supposed to do and the chain
broke and I fell head over heels over the handlebars and hit my
chin on the pavement - which required more stiches there also. I
told mom and dad I was riding down the path and the bike threw
me and my chin landed on a brick. That way I didn't get into
trouble in addition to having to make another trip to the hospital.
When I was really young - around 4 or 5, we had an outhouse
behind the house - before we had inside plumbing. Don't believe
you see many of those these days!
During that time, there was a house behind ours in the woods that
is now Beverly Hills sub divn. Mom and dad used to get this lady
to come take care of us when they had somewhere to go. I believe
her name was Odessa. I remember she was the spitting image of
Aunt Jemima of the pancake fame. She was a fine lady and kept
us boys in line when she came.
If you look at this link -
http://www.rockinghamremembered.com/ChildhoodPicturesOldHou
sePictures.html - it shows the back of the old home. I believe that
is my cousin Frankie Heavner pointing the air rifle at you. That old
porch on the back is where we kept our wringer washer. I believe
you can see it thru the screen. That is also the porch where my
uncle John Heavner would come and give us boys our haircuts. He
ran the Five Points Barber Shops for years. One more item of
interest - the old well you can see on the left - we used to have to
get water from that old well with a pump that was attached. You
usually had to prime it to get the water to come up - that is, pour
some water down the pump and then start pumping. That old well
has been covered up now but I remember it "well".
I'll save some more of my memories of my old homeplace for a
later addition but I will always remember My Old Homeplace on
Old Ellerbe Road in Rockingham during my early childhood years.
Ellerbe Road in Rockingham. I don't actually know if they were
such great times during that era but it sure seems like it was upon
looking back and remembering. Everything seemed so innocent
then.
During the 50s when I was around 6 to 12 years old things sure
seemed simple. My dad worked at JP Stevens' Hannah Pickett
plant in East Rockingham and mom stayed home and tried her
best to take care of 4 boys - that's right, 4 boys and no girls. I am
sure she had her hands full. Especially with the oldest, my late
brother Gary. Just seemed there was always what they called a
black sheep in the family and I guess brother Gary would qualify
for this honor.
The house located there now is not the same as the original house
that stood during this time. But it does still have some of the
original underpinning that was in the old home - which was a big
white 2 story house. I am not sure whom dad got to build this
house - grandpa Bailey might have helped but I am not sure. But
he had it designed like a house that was located on old Northam
Cemetary road. It had the white asbestos shingles on the outside,
a porch on the bottom with a type of garage attached to it and on
the second floor was one bedroom and a screened in porch that
set over the garage area. There was room up there for another 2
bedrooms but for some reason dad never got finished with that
upstairs. I don't know if he ran out of money or what. But there was
only one room upstairs that was completely finished. Mom always
cautioned us not to go out onto the screened-in porch area
because she thought it was unsafe. Mainly because there was
nothing under it but wide open space, which was used as the
carport or garage.
I remember we had one of those old coal firing heaters located in
the middle of the house. Us boys would have to go out during the
winter, take the coal bucket with us and fill it with coal from the pile
in the backyard. That was a pretty dirty job because if you have
ever handled coal, coal dust would get on you just by looking at it
.... at least, it seemed that way. Talking about a cold house in the
winters, that old house wasn't insulated very well and at night me
and my brothers would all sleep in one bed. I remember getting in
that bed it would be ice cold. But mom gave us plenty of quilts to
keep us warm.
I loved to play with toy trucks and tractors when I was very young -
6 or 7 years old. If you look at this link -
http://www.rockinghamremembered.com/ChildhoodPicturesOldHous
ePictures2.html - you can see me standing and my brother Randy
setting on the old porch. That dirt area was a favorite place for us
to play. I had metal tractors and trucks that I would play with and
one day while we were playing with them I fell and cut my arm on
the tractor. Dad had to take me to the hospital and get a few
stiches.
Another time, when I was a little older, I was riding my bike down
old Ellerbe Rd, which I was not supposed to do and the chain
broke and I fell head over heels over the handlebars and hit my
chin on the pavement - which required more stiches there also. I
told mom and dad I was riding down the path and the bike threw
me and my chin landed on a brick. That way I didn't get into
trouble in addition to having to make another trip to the hospital.
When I was really young - around 4 or 5, we had an outhouse
behind the house - before we had inside plumbing. Don't believe
you see many of those these days!
During that time, there was a house behind ours in the woods that
is now Beverly Hills sub divn. Mom and dad used to get this lady
to come take care of us when they had somewhere to go. I believe
her name was Odessa. I remember she was the spitting image of
Aunt Jemima of the pancake fame. She was a fine lady and kept
us boys in line when she came.
If you look at this link -
http://www.rockinghamremembered.com/ChildhoodPicturesOldHou
sePictures.html - it shows the back of the old home. I believe that
is my cousin Frankie Heavner pointing the air rifle at you. That old
porch on the back is where we kept our wringer washer. I believe
you can see it thru the screen. That is also the porch where my
uncle John Heavner would come and give us boys our haircuts. He
ran the Five Points Barber Shops for years. One more item of
interest - the old well you can see on the left - we used to have to
get water from that old well with a pump that was attached. You
usually had to prime it to get the water to come up - that is, pour
some water down the pump and then start pumping. That old well
has been covered up now but I remember it "well".
I'll save some more of my memories of my old homeplace for a
later addition but I will always remember My Old Homeplace on
Old Ellerbe Road in Rockingham during my early childhood years.
| So, as the Train of Life keeps chugging along, another page written of my Childhood Memories of.... Rockingham Remembered. |
|
|