Remembering times like these

I have the luxury of recalling my youth in Old Conway and the rustic experiences at my grandparents’ cabin in northeast Arkansas. But I am not alone in such memories. During the six years of writing columns for 501 LIFE, I have been pleased to hear from readers with similar or more interesting recollections! I thought it might be timely to concentrate on a few reader comments this time, with the related subject provided.

February 2014 edition of 501 LIFE – A vintage postcard (above) showing Downtown Conway. (Photo courtesy of the University of Central Arkansas Archives)

The now-gone train station

A teaching colleague once said, “In my youth, I lived ‘by the tracks’ in Galesburg, Ill., and Jefferson City, Mo. I loved the sound of the train whistles, and, with Dad’s supervision, learned how to feel the vibration of trains on the tracks long before their arrival with long, mellow whistles. Those are beautiful memories. Even progress cannot steal those!”

Thanksgiving memories  

The same reader also recalled, “We nearly always had snow. The women cooked, and the men played in the yard with the children. Sled rides, snowmen, forts, snowball fights. Dad even built an outdoor skating rink one year.”

Varieties of art including shoemaking

From Ron Spradlin: “My father also had those tools, which he used during and after the Great Depression to put new soles and heels on our well-worn shoes. I never gave it a thought; it was just the way things were. After the early 1950s, they were kept in a storage room just in case. Since his passing, I have wondered where those shoe lasts and tools were. Perhaps a scrap iron dealer came by and offered a buck for them. I would treasure them now.”

On the subject of ‘Champion’ trees  

Ron further added, “The Lord, Pat and I own the largest hackberry tree in Arkansas. When measured by the Arkansas Forestry Department, it was the second largest in the state, with the largest located on the courthouse lawn in Corning (Clay County). About 12 years ago, a storm took down the largest, and by default, we now claim the title. I have used it to teach our children its example, as it relates to growing strong, just a little every day.”

Cemetery history

Conway native Dave Hammond stated, “I can add to your history lesson on Oak Grove Cemetery. My great-grandfather, John Ingram, gave the land to the city to build the cemetery. It was a part of his farm, (with some becoming the former Conway airport) when my grandmother, Lillian Ingram Hammond, sold it to the city in 1941. Most of my family is buried there in either the Ingram or Hammond plots.”

My grandparents’ log cabin and springhouse

A displaced Arkansan in California stated, “Such comfortable reading — yes, there was always a dented dipper, placed by kind souls, at every cistern and spring. Water never tasted so good!”

The now-gone Joseph’s boarding house on Van Ronkle Street

Doyne Kelley said, “I remember coming to Conway from the Beryl community in a wagon with my Uncle Earl and parking in the back.” 

On the subject of ‘wheels’

Dale McMasters lives in Northeast Arkansas and recalled sitting on the porch of her two-story Queen Anne home in Imboden (Lawrence County) with her brothers, counting the different kinds of cars that came by. “One would decide that Fords were the most popular and bet a prized marble that those driving by in an hour would be Fords, with another betting his marble on Chevrolets. They would sit for an hour counting the cars that passed — not hard to do as there often weren’t more than a dozen in an hour.”  

Doyne Kelly added, “When I was in second grade, I rode in a bus Dave Ward probably built. It was on a 1935 Ford chassis, with a sheet metal body held together by an exposed interior wooden frame. It had a bench along each side and one in the middle. Windows were covered with chicken wire, and a tarp rolled up on each side that was rolled down in winter.”

Summer movies for children

Nancy Mitchell wrote, “The summer movies on Wednesdays were free for children. You simply picked up tickets at Simon’s Grocery. My parents took all nine of us to the drive-in movie to see ‘The Ten Commandments’ since you paid by the car. Mother would have popcorn and lemonade made beforehand so we’d have something to eat.” 

A common thread in these stories is life in less complicated times. Children created their entertainment; residents lived and walked about town without fear; families lived frugally and closely; and memories, good or bad, defined what grew us up. Hold fast to them. The older you get, the more valuable they become.

 

 

Vivian Lawson Hogue

A native of Conway, Vivian Lawson Hogue graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in art education. A retired teacher, she worked in the Conway School District for 23 years. She can be reached at [email protected].

Vivian Lawson Hogue
Latest posts by Vivian Lawson Hogue (see all)