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| GARY
HOLLOW MEMORIES |
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Gary Hollow Memories ...Copyright 2004 Buddy
French...
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I have many wonderful memories of growing up in
Gary Hollow during the 40's, 50's and early 1960's and I'm sure many of
my friends that lived in Blackwolf, Pageton, Anawalt, Jenkinjones and
Leckie feel the same way.
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We've read stories about the destitute existence of
life in an Appalachian coal camp, usually written by someone that never
lived a day there. I'm not saying it was perfect, but most of us
probably have many more good memories than bad ones.
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All coal camps are not created equal and
fortunately, I think McDowell County had some of the better built and
maintained communities. I feel so privileged to have been a part of a
unique culture that is now sadly lost to history, but can forever live
on in our memories. The following contains a few facts and some
memories of growing up there, so come on Coaldiggers and we'll take a
little trip down memory lane. Let's climb aboard the "Time Machine
Transporter" and buckle your seat belts and hang on for the ride of
your life. The transporter starts out slowly, but as it gains speed,
the years begin to blaze by as the calendar rolls backward through the
1990's, 1988, 1987 and to 1986, when U. S. Steel's mines were still
operating. As its speed increases, the years continue to roll backward
and another chapter of history sadly comes to an end as Gary High
School closes out its illustrious history with the graduating class of
1978. The Coaldiggers would now become the Golden Knights as Gary and
Welch come together to form the new Mount View High School.
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The years continue to click off to 1972 and 1971,
when the Coal Company still owned the homes in Gary. We now see those
memorable years of 1970 and 1966 when the Coaldiggers were state AA
football champs and we were all so proud.
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With a terrific roar, the time machine accelerates
to its top speed as we feel the G-forces holding us glued to our seats.
Now the year 1962 has arrived and I see myself with all my classmates
at our graduation dance at the Gary Country Club.
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With a terrific roar, the time machine accelerates
to its top speed as we feel the G-forces holding us glued to our seats.
Now the year 1962 has arrived and I see myself with all my classmates
at our graduation dance at the Gary Country Club.
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Quickly, 1960 rolls around and teenagers head out
of Gary Hollow in droves on Saturday morning going to the Record Hop at
the Pocahontas Theatre in Welch. We see the girls riding to Welch with
their parents or friends, but the normal mode of transportation for
most of us guys was to hitch hike. Can you even begin to imagine hitch
hiking anywhere today?
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The Time Machine Transporter zooms along and
quickly arrives in those fabulous 1950's. Do you remember 1958 and the
McDowell County Centennial and the wooden nickels that one could
actually spend anywhere in the county? Our dad's grew beards for the
Centennial and were referred to as "Brothers of the Brush".
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As the time machine begins to slow, it's May 1957
and springtime has arrived in all its glory, along with the carnival,
as Thomas Joy Land Shows set up at the Gary No. 10 ball park. What
about those trips to Linkous Park swimming pool in Welch on those hot
summer days. And of course who could ever forget Elvis and the birth of
"Rock and Roll". Do you remember those fantastic dances at the Memorial
Building in Welch and at the Elbert dance hall on Friday nights after
the football games? How about those pegged pant legs and flat top
haircuts combed back into a "DA" that was so popular with the guys.
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It's 1956 and I bet you girls remember those pajama
party sleepovers where you all stayed up until those unheard of hours
like twelve midnight, giggling and talking about the guys at school
you'd like to date. Television signed off with the National Anthem and
came on the next morning with a test pattern that we somehow found
fascinating as we sat and stared at it until the regular programming
began. Sleigh riding was the favorite winter sport. It seemed there was
never a shortage of snow or a steep hillside to sleigh ride down in
those McDowell County hollows. Large bonfires were built to huddle
around for warmth and parents often joined their children for a night
of sleigh riding on the weekends.
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Times were good and we see those "I Like Ike"
bumper stickers as the 1956 presidential race heats up. The coal
industry is booming and coal miners are headed to Welch to buy new
cars. Best described as two-ton masses of steel and chrome, a new
automobile embodied the American dream. They zoomed down the highway
with the aerodynamics of a giant brick, but boy did they have class!
The time machine slows even more as we come upon 1952 and 1951 and as
we head into Welch, the traffic lines start at Coney Island on payday
weekend as people crowd into town to shop. Some ride those old blue and
white buses operated by the Consolidated Bus Line, frequently having to
stand in the isle because all the seats are filled.
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The sidewalks on McDowell Street are literally
packed with a mass of humanity as people swarm into G. C. Murphy's, J.
C. Penney's, the Flat Iron Drug Store, King Cut Rate, Franklins Dairy
Bar and many other stores. The sleek Powhatan Arrow, with passenger
cars filled to capacity, pulls into Welch. Hissing exhaust vents along
its sides send out blast of snow white steam as puffs of black coal
smoke swirl up into the air above its smokestack.
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Back in Gary it's now 1950. We have slowed to a
creep as we pass over an Italian lady's house in No. 6 Hollow. The
wonderful aroma of homemade bread being baked fills the air as she
slides the loaves from a large brick oven in her back yard. Television
has not yet arrived in Gary and people listen to the radio as Lowell
Thomas reports the news. On Saturday night we listen to the "Shadow", a
mystery drama that keeps us gathered around the radio, leaning forward
to the edge of our seat in an almost breathless state.
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It's now 1949 and Gary High School is nearly
bursting at the seams, as the hallways are so crowded that when the
bell rings there's barely time to get to your next class. The powerful
Coaldigger football team would enjoy four straight years of
unparalleled success and become one of the dominant teams in southern
West Virginia.
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Now it's 1948, 1947, 1946 and finally the Time
Machine Transporter grinds to a stop in 1945. World War II is over and
at last the world is at peace. With some having been gone for three and
four years, military men began to pour back into Gary wearing their
dress uniforms and black shiny shoes. Nothing can ever describe the
euphoria those mothers and wives felt as their sons and husbands
stepped off the buses and into the arms of their loved ones. And with
that, we see the beginning of the "baby boomer" generation. At this
point I wish, as many of you might, that I could just stay for a while,
but memories are there to be visited and not dwelled upon. Just
remember that your memories can never be taken away from you and money
can never buy them. So climb back aboard the Transporter, Coaldiggers,
and buckle your seat belts again. We can always come back for another
visit and the ride is free. I hope you've enjoyed our little trip down
memory lane and maybe we'll see you somewhere back in the future.
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Melvin "Buddy" French Class of 1962 Copyright 2004
budm16@juno.com
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Thanks goes to Buddy French for permission to use
his memories of Gary Hollow... bssims
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