You Can Go Home Again

CHAPTER TEN

AROUND THE SQUARE TO BLACKBOTTOM

I've been talking and jumping about a lot; now I'm going to change directions again and introduce you to the square.

Our first picture show was on the second floor of the courthouse, and I believe was owned and operated by Howard Windham. The only film which made a lasting impression on me was "Tarzan of the Apes". Elmo Lincoln was the first of a long line of Tarzans. I don't recall who played the first Jane Porter. Possibly she was one of the Gish girls. I do remember how beautiful she was. I recall a ship scene with Jane, fully clothed and wearing a tam, leaning against the rail. In some of the jungle sequences, she's somewhat less than fully clothed, and, oh, boy, was she pretty then!

In one scene, she cowered in fright on the earthen drum of the apes. The tropical moon bathed the small amphitheater in an eerie light, as her unknown savior fought old Tublat to keep her from a fate worse than death! And while all this monkey business was going on, the nickelodeon played "Dardanella" over and over with never a rest.

The neighborhood kids replayed the story for weeks with emphasis on the scene where Professor Porter found the skeleton of the baby ape in the crib of the baby Englishman.

I think Howard later occupied two other locations, one in blackbottom on the north side of the street, and the other behind Foster Brothers on East Main. I don't recall which came first.

Another noteworthy event happened on the square. Earl Wade was dying for a cigarette, and, like the most of us, didn't have the price of a pack. One of the older fellows, and I'm thinking it was Alton Bonham, offered to buy Earl a pack if he would smoke the whole thing without stopping. Earl said "O. K." and his benefactor bought him a pack of Camels.

These were plain cigarettes, no filter, no menthol, no king-size length, just plain old Camel cigarettes filled with good strong tobacco; 1922 variety.

It was agreed that he would smoke them down to a reasonable butt before starting a new one.

Earl started in. He certainly enjoyed the first one, taking long, deep drags down to his toes. When he had finished it, he lit two, one for each hand, and cut the depth of the drags a bit. By the time he got into four and five, you could tell his erst-while enthusiasm was beginning to wane. By numbers six and seven, he was beginning to turn pale around the gills. I watched him struggle through eight, nine and ten. The crowd was growing, but I

had to leave, so I can't tell you if he made number twenty. Neither do I know if this stopped him from smoking. It should be a pretty good cure -- maybe you can market it!

I have another pretty good short tale involving the square.

One of the ladies, Altie Young, I think, couldn't get her car to stop. She circled the courthouse for about an hour, and suddenly headed west toward Nashville. Before her loomed two substantial barriers, several toll gates and the sharp steep curves of Snow's Hill. We'll never know how she would have handled those obstacles, for, fortunately, she ran out of gas as she whizzed through blackbottom. I never learned the trouble with the car, but I imagine Bill Bond fixed it in short order.

Now let's go around the periphery of the square and talk about some of the merchants. I have already mentioned Uncle Thee's store at the northeast corner. Across the street and facing south was H. E. Staley & Son, General Merchandise. Pop went in there one day to visit Cousin Ewin and Cousin Oscar, and took me with him. A man parked his Model-T in front of the store and left the motor running for about thirty minutes. I guess that was better than having to crank again. Too, there was no talk of gasoline shortages at that time. As a matter of fact, supplies were adequate, and the fabulous reserves of the East Texas field would not be discovered and proved for twelve or fifteen years.

West of the Staley store, and across another street, was the hardware store belonging to Mr. Walter Hooper. This store faced south. Later, it was sold and became Burton and Jennings Hardware Company. This firm was Roscoe Burton and Alva Jennings. Much later, Roscoe moved to Dallas, and was a valued customer of our bank for many years. His account was carried Charles R., but he was Roscoe to me.

Next was Conger Brothers. This was a large two-story establishment owned by Alvin and Solon. I thought they had enough clothing, shoes and furniture to supply the whole of Middle Tennessee. One of my great delights was to slip away from Pop and high tail it up the steps to the wonderland on the second floor.

Next door was the Post Office. Pictures of wanted criminals decorated the walls; and private boxes owned by the more affluent citizens were a source of interest and, I'm afraid, of envy.

The mail bus came in at two o'clock Sunday afternoons, and this was the principal meeting time and place for the young and the young at heart. It became a very lonely place by three for those who had not been invited to someone's house. The courthouse steps were equally lonely.

Just behind the Post Office was Dr. Potter's office, and across the alley was the Methodist church. That alley reminds me of the time Conger Brothers store was burglarized through the back window. The next morning, long-eared bloodhounds were brought into action. News travels fast, and we were all there to observe the hounds

sniffing for a tell-tale scent. They found something and leaped through the open window and down the alley in full cry. I'll have to leave you hanging -- I don't know if they caught the burglar.

Across the street from the church building to the west was Alva Jennings residence. Mom and Pop were living here when George was born in 1895. George and Jimmy have hanging in their reception room a priceless piece of paper -- Pop's note for $36. payable $3. per month, covering rent on that place for one year. The note is payable to John Turner, who sold it to T. B. Potter. It is co-signed by Grandpa Smith, and was paid as agreed. Later, Pop co-signed for others, including me.

Across the alley from the Jennings place, and back toward the square, was the store of Uncle Pomp Bond. Incidentally, his kinsman Ethan Bond, wife Charlotte and son J. A. (Bud) were among my finest bank customers for years. Ethan was the son of Bob and Belle. Next to Uncle Pomp was Uncle Billy Tyree, general merchandise; then a grocery store owned by a Mr. Robinson, and later by Jim Bond; then, on the corner, the Farmers and Traders Bank, which Carlyn ran.

Across the street and on the west side of the square, was Miss Cannie Smith's millinery shop; then Uncle Bose Tyree's store. Aunt Sudie and son Glenn Harwell helped him.

Next was Mr. Will Atwill's grocery store. When I took over the Grit newspaper route from Grit Beckweth, Mr. Will was my best customer. He was easy to find, and he always had a nickel.

Later, this store was acquired by Albert and Brackett Estes. I suppose they were my very first employers. They had a popcorn machine out front which could be pretty confining, so when another of the boys grew tired of it, I succeeded to the position. Business was not too rushing, and I generally went home for lunch leaving the machine unattended. One day when I got back, it was all black inside and was shut down completely. The thing operated on steam, and the water had boiled away, resulting in an unscheduled fire. As I recall, the machine was not damaged, but needed a good clean-up job. Naturally, all the popcorn inventory, both before and after, had been destroyed.

It was here that I developed a taste for chocolate candy. Something in the back of the store kept calling me, and the route was right by the candy case. I think it required the full summer to fill me.

The Estes boys later moved to blackbottom, I guess after the fire. It was at their new location they got something extra with a stalk of bananas -- a baby anaconda. They kept it on display in the window for the longest.

Let's go back to the west side of the square. The next store was on the corner, and belonged to Uncle Zollie. This was originally Grandpa's property, first known as Potter and Smith, and later was G. R. Smith General Merchandise and Provisions. Munner loved

to tell me about his store; the many things he sold, and the big horse block in front on which his lady customers would dismount.

At the time of my story, Caesar and Norval were young pharmacist working for their daddy. The business later became F. Z. Webb and Sons; according to the Review, it still bears that name, and Norval Junior is kept busy filling prescriptions.

This store was the most glamorous place in the world the month before Christmas. Shiny new toys filled the shelves and counters, and bright holiday paper and tinsel hung from everywhere. Since toys were unknown except during the Christmas season, they were a real treat to kids and grown-up alike. The owners were too patient, and the toys received pretty rough treatment.

After the season was over and the carry-over toys put away for a year, a new contraption called a gramophone entertained the loafers. You needed to dodge the red-hot potbellied stove and keep your foot out of the spit-toon when you got up to change a cylinder.

Across Main Street from the drug store was the Peoples Bank, presided over by Homer Potter. Over the bank were the offices of Dr. Allison, Physician and Surgeon, and Dr. Bell, Dentist.

When you were about five and I was about ten, Pop carried us to Dr. Allison for tonsillectomies. When he had finished with us, we started home. The ambulance and taxi drivers were all out on strike that day, and our chauffeur had joined them in sympathy. Pop had no alternative -- he took each of us over a shoulder, and soon had us home. How strong and ready that shoulder was, for as long as he lived.

On the south side of the square was a livery stable, which was torn down and replaced by an edifice housing the General Stores Corporation. This colossal brain-child of Homer Potter was the biggest thing east of Nashville. I helped make the brick -- I was an off-bearer at a buck a day.

Next to the east was the jail house. Our cousin Mantie Cantrell married Ammon Frazier, who was High Sheriff for a time. I think they lived at the jail. I remembered they came to see Munner when she was real sick with a carbuncle. I'll bet they were kin of the present mayor.

But enough of the square -- let's go back toward blackbottom.

Mr. Harlan Mason owned a drug store just west of the Peoples Bank. When Uncle Zollie's old block burned, he bought the Mason store, and operated over there several years. Next to him was D. S. Colvert & Son, and next to them was Staley and Evans. The Review plant was upstairs.

My memory is very fuzzy right here, and my timing may be all fouled up. About half that block burned, but I can't remember the time or the stores involved. If Staley & Evans burned, they must have re-opened when the block was re-built; for I remember buying a fancy pinch-back coat and a pair of brown shoes from Cousin Oscar which I wore to Texas.

Incidentally, if you don't remember, Cousin Oscar's partner was Mr. Sherrill Evans. He and Mrs. Evans had two children, E. J., two or three years older than I, and Mildred, a little younger.

Later, Cousin Oscar and family moved to Murfreesboro and he went in business over there. I don't know if Mr. Sherrill was in that venture.

When that fire happened, it was in the usual wee hours of the night, and the courthouse bell woke the volunteer fighters from deep slumber. By the time I got to the square, it looked like the whole town was going to burn. A bunch of us ran to Uncle Zollie's store and started carrying merchandise out on the square. Thee Hudgins and I moved the safe away up by the courthouse, and I caught it and kept it from tipping over. I don't know how much it weighed, but the next morning it took four big men to carry it back.

As I recall, a fire wall stopped the fire at the Colvert store. A short time later, Howard Hooper and I got the job of cleaning up the burned brick for $1.25 for a ten hour day. One day we found a cigar box with four one-dollar bills and some change. There was no name of ownership, and we sure didn't go around asking if somebody had lost their petty cash box in the fire. What a bonanza! That plus our wages made it a four-dollar day! This was the beginning of Howard's grocery fortune.

Just west of the Staley and Evans store was a wet-weather creek which flowed under the street, then a vacant lot, then Mr. Jim Burch's store. Newbern was about my age and we were good friends.

The vacant lot was the official horseshoe pitching court, and a lot of us had nothing to do until George could get home.

Continue to Chapter 11

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