Just wandered through a bit of our history - probably for the last time. The demolition of the Middle School building has begun. The remaining first floor of Lander Hall (which housed the auditorium during our elementary school years and later the shop) is gone. The Superintendent tells me he is saving the old foundation stones to be used for benches. The Gym will be the last to go. There will be an auction tomorrow of tables, chairs, desks, etc., in the Gym, so just walking through was not easy. But I walked through the whole building, including the stage. Many memories. I was alone in the building at the time, so I did not venture down into the swimming pool area.
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Lucy, this is sad news. Lander Hall and the Gym are the last two remnants of Logan Female College and - later - our Grade School. I remember several years ago when you and Andy and I were measuring the doors and windows of Lander Hall, trying to connect back to much older photos we had. I know you tried to save the Gym, but the renovation costs must have been prohibitive. Walking through the now-doomed Gym, with its trove of memories, must be difficult. I remember Jimmy Riley playing ball there against Bowling Green. He was tall, thin and had razor-sharp elbows that he used to maximum effect under the basket. And graduations, and so much more. Thanks for posting the photo.
Initial estimates for basic, necessary renovation was $250,000, (electrical, heating and plumbing are all tied into Middle School building, plus roof and floor) and the State will not allow the local School Board to spend any money on a building of that age, so my problem is with State and not local folks. There is also a situation with the School District's bonds and the real estate - the Board cannot simply give away the building, if anybody would take it. Even after renovations, overhead on a building of that size is a consideration.
Historical preservation is an ongoing struggle - and sometimes it is hard to see the value of recent history - I still remember my grief when the old school came down - especially for the trees that went with it.
When I look at those doors I think of Adrian Cooper's thumb actually - and the way the building "thundered" when the game was moving up and down the floor.
There has been a lot of controversy here for turning the old tobacco factory into a museum and a performing arts center - as much for the location - in the "bad" part of town - and yes, unfortunately that designation does live on in this little town that to some extent time forgot. Fortunate for me since I live in an old house in the "bad" part of town which I could not afford if it were not for the prejudices of the local folks.
It is amazing to think that nothing remains of where we spent 13 or 14 years but the auditorium. I well remember that cold water of the pool where I tried to learn to float and swim. I remember the trek to the old auditorium in the grade school, and that still haunts my nightmares upon occasion. It is sad although I understand the economic reality and the use of funds. That doesn't mean that I like it.
Ann P.
I too remember those swimming lessons - and especially walking through that foot bath - was it pure Clorox?
One of my memories standing on that stage was the show/assembly we did when Ann Piper was scheduled to lip-sync a June Carter number, and somebody (who-?) "accidently" put on the flip side of the record she had rehearsed.
Charlotte, those "bad" sections of town were formerly the "good" sections and do have some wonderful old houses. Of course, they are coming back in favor in cities - "gentrification", and I am pretty ambivalent about that.
Lucy, the neighborhood that my daughter bought into twenty years ago in Nashville has become gentrified and while their financial investment has grown, the neighborhood has lost a lot of the character that it had when she moved in next to Sister Annie and the Church of the Rock who kept chickens in her backyard in downtown Nashville and held services for a handful of communicants. I still miss Sister Annie and Tom - they were good neighbors and we still treasure cuttings from the wonderful old roses she grew - since they were nameless we call them Sister Annie's rose.
There is no danger of gentrification in my current neighborhood as it is not grand - except for McHaven which is a true mansion and currently stands empty but cared for by the current owner who bought it as a speculation. Unfortunately for him, locals other than teachers at the college and some other few other iconoclasts would not deign to live here even in a very grand house with large grounds. Most of the houses are bungalows and four squares on relatively small lots - and in varying condition depending on the means and intentions of the owners. It is a very colorful if not by and large well to do neighborhood and I do enjoy the neighbors that I have gotten to know through Fred's efforts in the community - I don't want to live anywhere that is not a reflection of all sorts of people - no retirement community for me where grandchildren can only come for two weeks and everyone you see looks exactly like you.
Lucy, how well I remember the horror when the song for which I had practiced failed to boom out from the speakers. Talking about feelling like a fool and looking like one, too. Oh, well! Charlotte, I love your descrition of the chickens next door and the rose cuttings you have kept. What college is in Rocky Mount? Neighborhoods do change--some for the better and some for the worse. The Armstrong St. property where I grew up is in a state of flux, some privately owned and some rental where across the street from my house an upright piano sat on the porch for months. The inside of my house may resemble that but I am constantly fighting that. We hold on to memories or some try to recapture the past or keep up and move on with renovation or gentrification.
Ann P.
Ann, I remember that day as well - I know is must have been hard for you, but my impression was that you were cool under inordinate pressure.
I am all for preservation and even renovation in order to save a property and make it "useful" to the community or to an individual - but gentrification is not something that I am totally comfortable with as it tends to recreate homogeneity of the sort that I see in the school across the street from me - all the faces are the same color and that does not portent well for any of us in my opinion.
I can't ride up the street that you lived on anymore as the house that Mama and Daddy built and struggled to maintain makes me very sad indeed simply because it looks so bare and unlike itself - and the memories at this point unfortunately are mostly of their last days and I don't really like to call them up.
Ann, sorry I forgot to answer your question about the college in Rocky Mount - my attention span is not what it once was for sure. Wesleyan College of NC is the answer - Rocky Mount competed for a branch of the UNC system here recently but we failed to make the cut - not enough college bound folks I suspect and not an adequate draw for folks from other areas. It would have been a boon to our little town for sure.
One of my favorite things to see is an old house, looking loved (reasonably cared for) with a swing set in the back yard.
More about Gym: Jim Turner has a nice piece about, - even if he did quote me. The link to the Logan and Beyond site is shown on our home page.
Lucy, I enjoyed Jim's post and your embedded comments. He also had many of the same teachers that we did, and I share his warm memories of Ruby Fuqua and Myrtle Linton. We were fortunate to have LOTS of really good teachers from K - 12.
I, too, enjoyed Jim Turner's blog and comments about the middle school and the gym. I, like all of you, remember the "old" gym on the same spot with the high rails around the floor. My mother once told that when they were teaching at Olmstead someone brought a black cat with a string tied around its neck and dragged it around that floor. I, too, remember Mrs. Linton, Miss Moore, Miss Johnson and her Johnny and Mum Mum stories, and the other teachers mentioned. I remember that Lucille who later cooked at the Country Club and the Woman's Club cooked at the then elementary school and her son was a cute little boy. The memories are precious. I am glad that there is still someone to share those memories with, aren't you?
Ann P.
I had an e-mail exchange earlier after James Milam sent inside pictures of the original gym and pool. Keith, could you add them here? The pool looked exactly as I remembered, and Jim Humphrey reminded us there was no filtration system. I seem to remember heavy chlorine in the water in addition to the Clorox foot bath. Did they shut the pool down for a few days to drain it once or twice every summer?
I had forgotten how little seating was available in the old gym. In the picture, it appears there were only about two rows of seats behind the baskets. Was there a lot more seating on the north side?
Ann, there have been several references to your lip sync performance over the past few years. What was the outcome? Did you ride it out with the flip side or did you stop and start over with the correct song? I was always running the projectors and things. Was I the guilty party with your record? If so, I humbly apologize! It sounds like something I would do, but I honestly don't remember.
Funny, Russellville-type story about those pictures: Thursday afternoon I got my car serviced at Brookhaven Performance, owned and operated by Vanessa and Brad Priddy, who are two of those hard-working Band Boosters. We had a conversation about the Gym, and I sent Vanessa those pictures Friday morning (I had scanned when we were working on our Logan College site); at 2:00 they came back to me from School Board Chairman James Milam. A bit like the old game of Gossip, with a modern twist.
I have enjoyed the exchanges about downtown and remember all of the stores that we are talking about. I remember going into Bentley's as a youngster and buying a ball that I had coveted and spending all of my allowance for the week on that with the week yet to go. I didn't do that again. I surely remember that now as the market continues to stagger up and down and ask myself if I learned anything from buying that ball. Clearly, not enough. However, as are we all, we are lurching around making the best of everything.
Ann P.
Andy Mac, as regards my performance lip syncing the the Carter's song that I did not know, I just staggered on and on and got off stage as soon as possible. It was good practice for many of life's experiences.
Ann P.
Don't know if you all can stand one more post about the Gym or not, but I was by this morning. The Band Boosters are taking out the floor and will sell pieces as a fund raiser, and one of the nice young band members escorted me into the pool. It is like a concrete basement, - even the slant is still there (from the deep end into the shallow), and the area covered is just that of the pool. Now I am satisfied.
Jim Turner has posted some interesting comments on his Logan & Beyond blog page. Do I remember Miss Moore having a play-store set up, or am I misremembering?
I'll have to check out Jim's latest blog. I don't remember Miss Moore's play store setup, but then there's a lot I don't remember. ;o)
I had forgotten Miss Moore's play store until I read the comment. As I recall, you earned the right to play (work) there; and I don't recall ever attaining that honor.
Was it made out of wooden blocks? I seem to remember a window and door, and I think it sat on the right as you faced the front of the room.
Didn't she also have a little circle of chairs in that area for a reading class? As I recall, Miss Johnson also had a circle of chairs at the front of the room for some functions.
Yes, Andy, I think you're right about the store. Strange that I would not have thought of, but the comment surely brought it to mind.
And didn't all the classes have separate areas for reading? Maybe just in the lower grades. I remember reading aloud - ?
Andy and Lucy - I think I remember something about a store now that I have been reminded - if it required being the center of attention I am sure I avoided it. After my long illness in second grade my self confidence never really recovered.
I am pretty sure that I remember that reading classes were divided by skill in the early grades.
As I mentioned before, some of my memories are clear and some are not - I had forgotten the pool until someone mentioned the smell of the foot bath. I do remember that.
Andy, now that you mentioned the little wooden blocks in Miss Moore's store, it begins to come back to mind. I think it was as you describe, although in my addled dotage it could well be that I'm confusing it with my grandsons' block store.
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