The vehicle shown in the photo with Cynthia Mink and ??? is strangely familiar... I seem to remember it, but can't really recall its' purpose or owner. Several Baldwyn men had vehicles similar to that and charged people to ride to destinations, like a Mr. Morris whom I rode to school with in a modified Ford "woodie" on bad weather days. He charged just a few cents per trip or a dollar or so a week.
School children, Blue Bell workers and others that needed a ride were patrons of these "taxi" operators, long before Otis Mink and The Adams' taxi service. Also, I remember a Mr. Reynolds that had such a service with a wood-covered-bed truck, as did my uncle, Bob Bartlett, before he moved to New Orleans in the late 40s. They both were in the "taxi" business.
Does anyone recognize the rig? It appears to be on a new-looking Chevy pickup truck, and is apparently home-built to slide in and out like some of the more recent camping units.
In the Claude Gentry movie clips of the 1940 decade, there are quite a few of these wooden buses shown transporting kids to Cedar Hill school.
Can anyone identify the background and home in the photo?
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Photo sent by Cynthia Mink
Can't ID but do remember Mr. Clint Morris's school bus and Durant Reynold's running a cab service.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to figure out where the photo was made. With the leaves off the trees and the shadows visible, the view is probably to the east. In the background there appears to be the builtup roadbed of the GM&O Railroad. That house looks a lot like Mack and Danny? Chisholm's house. They lived between Carl Martin and J.P. Gentry on North Second street, across from the old (burned) high school.
ReplyDeleteThat might help ID the people if this can be verified by anyone.
These people would make quite a bit of money with a large bus like this. They would take workers to hoe cotton, pick it, and lots of other jobs where quite a few people were needed. Even to the cheese factory in Booneville and jobs in tupelo.
ReplyDeleteanybody know who the blurry boy in front of cynitha is. looks like grover.
ReplyDeleteHard to determine who it is. Doesn't look like Grover as much as it does Stanley Hendrix or Cark Houston.
ReplyDeleteOne summer in the early 50s we all got roller skates and spent much of our day skating on North Second Street, as it had the smoothest surface in town. In the photo, I'm holding onto the back of the truck because I was trying to balance on skates, and the blurred kid must have been on skates also. I can't remember who all was in our skating group, but I do remember Betty, Freida, Rachel, and Melvin. Anyone remember who else skated with us?
ReplyDeleteI did, Cynthia. Bought a pair of skates for a couple of bucks, used. They were previously owned by Nancy McElroy - it made no difference then, skates were dual-gender. Learned to skate without falling on the concrete area under the steps and porch of the Methodist Church. We had some good times and covered a lot of ground....
ReplyDeleteCarl, that area of the Methodist Church served as our playground when we were kids. There was a ping pong table, too.
ReplyDeleteI skated on North Second street also but this was probably 1955 or so. It did have the smoooooothest surface, being slick ashphalt. Then one year, the street department poured slag and tar on it to resurface and ruined it for skating so back to the sidewalk and the Carnation milk plant. Also, there was a lot of skating room on the east side of the high school. The sidewalks were laid out in 2 or 3 squares with sidewalks all around. Bobby Baker and I even skated down the main hallway. this was after school of course and if Mr. Baker, the principle had caught us, my rear end would still be stinging. . .
ReplyDeleteOkay gang -- this is my take on the location of this picture-- I believe it to be on West Main street -- I think it is the duplex between the Gene and Ruby Prentiss home and the Voy Roberts home-- the picture seems to be taken across the street in front of the duplex next to Cynthia's home. The front yard of this house had 2 driveways -- the bus seems to me to be parked in one -- ?? Just a thought-- I think the home you can see was lived in on one side by Mrs Ethel McDonald and she rented the other side-- I lived on this street most of my life and this is what it looks like to me
ReplyDeleteJMD
Wooden, handmade buses were common during the 40's due to being rolling stores or back to a bus if needed. My best memories were the only way for my mom and I to get to Southwest Prentis School when the roads were bad, especially the bottom land just before the Epting's house---corduroy (logs laid down in the worst mush). I was 4-5 yrs. old and we drove to a house across from the Lewllen sister's with ? McGee's just to the south from them, waited on a "bus" mounted on a full-sized truck. Getting inside was a chore, not counting the plank backless bench down the middle and on both sides. The smell was smoked clothes, BO, and the aftermath of a sweet potato breakfasts. We rode it only when roads were rough. SWP was both, Elementary and High School with only about 5 teachers total. Snacks and supplies came by every few days at lunch time in a rolling store, very similar to the bus.
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