Baldwyn Bearcats 1938

Your parent or other relative might be on this team.

Submitted by Milton Copeland.

Hagy's Catfish Hotel in Shiloh, TN (Stantonville)

Many of you still enjoy a somewhat long drive to get the catfish and atmosphere at the Catfish Hotel. I have been a guest of theirs for many years, also, and since it is close by now, take an ocassional trip there.



The restaurant in the 30s or 40s. Lady pictured is not known.

On this spot in 1825, Henry Hagy and his wife Polly docked their flat boat, laid claim to several acres of bottom land, and began to build a farm and family. Later their son John built a rough log shack next to the river to store items that were to be shipped by steamboats. The shack was occupied by Union soldiers during the Battle of Shiloh.

The shack earned the name "Catfish Hotel" during the early thirties when Norvin Hagy entertained friends at cookouts. He became well known for the delicious catfish, hushpuppies, and hospitality he served up. Guests who had arrived by river were often forced to spend the night after becoming engrossed in yarns spun and darkness made it unsafe to travel the river, thus the nickname Catfish Hotel.

Yum, yum. Ya'll come!

The river view is from the parking lot looking North at Diamond Island.

Okeelala Festival 2010

Well, it's about that time again! The Baldwyn Okeelala Festival will be held on 2 October (Saturday) and you are invited to attend and meet and greet old friends again. We have been having a good attendance of old Bearcats the last few years, and it seems more are able to come each time.

There are at least two get acquainted events to plan for this year. The 1940-60 (or so) BHS alumni will meet at Agnew's Restaurant at Pratts at 9AM for breakfast, coffee and greetings. Afterward, a former student, Dr. Robert Hamblin will give a reading from his new book Crossroads: Poems of a Mississippi Childhood, published recently. Robert lived across the road from Brice's Crossroads battlefield site and heard many tales from the local loafers that sat around the porch of his family's general store. He has written from those accounts.

Another breakfast for 1960s and up BHS grads will be held the same morning at The Country Inn in Baldwyn. Info for that event will be forthcoming from Phil Cooper and Don McKibben. I will post it to this when complete arrangements are sent to me.

Please try to be there if you can!!!

First TVA City

Remember this old sign as you came into Tupelo from the North on old US45? It greeted us for many years, and I think it may still be there in the area of Main Street and Gloster.

Tupelo was the first city to become a T.V.A. power purchaser. In those days you were required to join as a member to get a reduced rate on your power bill.

The structure in the background is over the railroad tracks and held the traffic lights for the Crosstown intersection as well as for the trains' signals.

Liddon Lake

-click to enlarge-

Here are a couple of old photos of Liddon Lake swimming pool area in Corinth in the 1950s or early 60s. It was the place to go for a swim in the hot Summertime. There were games, food (5 cent slugburgers and 10 cent hot dogs) and lots of places to sit with your main squeeze after swimming. The lake out front (not shown) had rental boats- with oars- that you could get to take a little "cruise".

Bad thing about it was that your parents loved to come there, too, so they usually told you that they would be there. Then you had to be on your toes and watch your behavior.

The facility has been closed for years and sadly, the structures are still there but in decay. This was reportedly the largest concrete pool in Mississippi and the entire South for many years. When Booneville got a pool, it took some of the load off of Corinth and Tupelo pools.
____________________________

Thanks to "anonymous" for emailing these photos.

Kids Photos from Yesterday 2

Click to enlarge-

A couple of photos from 1957 (top) showing some of the group from that time. Notice a fad that was popular then; Lanny has a watch chain and possibly Jim does, too. We wore them although some had a pocket watch and others kept their keys on the pocket end.

Wrist watches were getting cheap in those days and most people were getting them from Popeye's for under 20 dollars.

Can you recall the girls in the lower photo? The year is unknown. The faces are familiar still but names are beyond my recollection.
___________________________

Submitted by Jim Greene.

Baldwyn R&R Club

click to enlarge...

Carolyn McCarley and Harriet Franklin seem eager to welcome you to the "opening dance". Anyone recall what this was about? A social event, I feel sure.

Anyhow, dances at homes and pavilions were a great thing in this time era. The larger commercial dance halls were expensive and far away from Baldwyn.

Booneville, Rienzi, Fulton, and New Albany had nice teen dance functions. Can you remember others?
____________________

Submitted by Jim Greene.

Kid's Photos from Yesterday 1

-click to enlarge-

Do you remember these guys and gals? Hint: they lived on N. Second Street and nearby.

_____________________

Thanks to Jim Greene.

Official Patrol Car

-click to enlarge-

Photo of Billy Greene and his Ford F-1 pickup truck. Notice the logo on the door is his initials in Old English (top) and "Bat Patrol BSA" (lower).

The old truck is probably 6-7 years old - the F-1 was introduced in 1948 - so this photo is probably from 1955 or later.

The Boy Scout troop in Baldwyn (Troop 33 at the time I was a member) was made up of groups of boys called patrols. I was in the Wolf Patrol and remember that there was a Badger Patrol, a Hawk Patrol, and others that escape me. Each Patrol had its' own unique flag, badge, call, and cry in order to gather and stay together by sound other than voice commands.

Evidently there was a Bat Patrol that Billy belonged to, and he was probably a leader and had transportation for his group to go on outings. There were many fun outings, marches, overnight camping and cookout trips. We would walk to an encampment at Blue Mars in Prather Bottoms, swim, cook, camp overnight and return the next day (sometime raw with poison ivy and chiggers) but had a dickens of a good time. The cold artesian water was better that we had to drink in town!
________________________

Photo courtesy of Jim Greene.

BHS Spotlight, 1957 featuring "Snooper"

Thanks to Nancy Faye Goodson Bruce

Smoking is Bad For Young'uns

Mrs. Martin: Grover, you shouldn't smoke in bed! To be perfectly clear, you shouldn't smoke at all! They cost 20 cents a pack and aren't good for your lungs...
_____________________________

From Ellis Christian (circa 1957 on the senior trip). Click on photo to enlarge.

Small Towns are Preferred

Some thoughts about the future from Barbara Bryson. As with half-century old clippings some of the text has been damaged, but you can get the entire meaning with just a little imagination.
______________________________

Submitted by Nancy Goodson Bruce