Still on memory lane: Graham Part 2

Little hard to tell, but that is Albright Ave, first place I remember living, second actual place that I lived in Graham.  Eric and Barb's house is there on the left. The hill is actually quite steep and a memory I have is of the young adults and teens sledding down the hill at great speeds when it snowed. Another is of leaves burning in the fall. There were a number and still are a few very large oak trees along the street. The leaves would be raked into large piles and burned in the fall. It smelled quite good and I still like the smell though seldom have the chance to burn as burning leaves is no longer considered appropriate.

We lived here on Albright Ave until the summer I was six and started school that fall. We lived in the left side of the duplex until Mom and Dad bought out the other side and we lived in both units. One evening there was a fire in the attic and great confusion of fire trucks smoke and firemen and such.  No great damage but lots of excitement. The trees are gone, grass is in its place, the car on the left would have fallen down a steep slope towards a creek in the back.  I think the building is the same color.

The right side of the Albright Ave House and Nannie and Lee Henderson's house. They absolutely loved me. I mean spoiled me. Thought I was the most wonderful baby in the world. All this I did not know, of course, but did know that being in that house was great for me. I could escape the younger brothers, parents, and be just me.

"Grandee Lee" was retired I guess and did part time accounting (taxes) and had ledgers and such. I sat in a chair and tried to copy papers. Nannie and I drank coffee (or rather milk and some coffee in the kitchen and I explored the BIG upstairs where someone named Haywood used to live. We still have Grandee Lee's chair that Nannie game me after he died when I was about 8. The first person close to me to ever die that I really remember dying.

This house was across the street and down a couple of houses and not so much fun to enter. The piano teacher that we all studied under?  perhaps a better term would be went to piano lessons with.  Virginia, Aunt Julia and Uncle Eli lived here. On my piano lesson day cooked cabbage or saurkraut was on the menu and Virginia the teacher smelled like Ivory soap. The metronome ticked and the half hour would never end. And heaven forbid- "don't you run down that hill again either or I'll tell your Dad."  Mom and Dad wasted some serious money in this house.

And on Pine Street below is the basement apartment that I lived in when times were truly good. It was just the three of us - Mom, Dad and me. I have no memory of this place, Mom pointed it out to me.

First United Methodist Church at the corner of Albright and North Main. Eric and Barb, Kelly and Beth were married in there. It was built after I left home so my memories are more of the special occasions and services then of regular church. In addition to the weddings mentioned above it also was where Mom's and Dad's funerals were held.

Now this building below is where I went to church, remember watching flies walk across my arm or leg - entertainment was weak and service was interminable. In the summer the windows would be open and we sat towards the front on the right. Prime territory for the errant fly to entertain.  Mr. Whitehead was the preacher for about 100 years or so.  I liked him.  He was followed by Mr. Watson, I also liked him.  He was preacher when I was in high school and I don't think I chased as many flies in church then.

Also had some great times with MYF and Boy Scouts here. Ran down those halls bunches of times. Slid around the corners on the slick tile floors. You ought to see what I could do with a food cart when MYF served meals to Methodist Men or some other organization as a fund raiser. I flat out loved pushing food carts- fast, had some food cart races!

And those steps and that stone wall used to be quite high. Jumped off the wall a few hundred times waiting on Mom, Dad or car pool to pick me and brothers up.

Looking south down North Main Street toward the court house. In the distance on the right is the First Baptist Church. They were conservative even for then and we sorta knew it even then, I think.  

And west of the Court House one block is the Presbyterian Church. Mark and Vickie were married there. In Graham most people we knew belonged to one of those three churches, sure there were a few other smaller churches around but these three got the most. Now we had heard of Jews in the Bible, did not know any and we did not know any Catholics in Graham until the C twins (Henry and Tony) moved to town when I was in the 8th grade. Henry became one of my best buddies in high school and we spent a lot of time together, at our house and around town.

This was the mill across the street from the Presbyterian Church. As I mentioned Graham was a mill town — defined by the times of the three work shifts, names of the type of workers employed at the lines, and of course the mill whistles announcing shift changes. All that remains now are a few of the buildings.

and a little more to come in part III