Top: A view of the East side of BHS, circa 1981. This low area was the "boiler room" where John kept a large fire going to send steam to the radiators in cold weather. "Pip", the other janitor, would sleep there during the day, hiding from Mr. Baker.First thing that comes to mind to us guys is the concrete top over the boiler room that we would sit on... and often the temptation to "look around the chimney" would get to someone. If you recall, the outside entrance to the boy's restroom can be seen at the left of the top, and the girl's on the right. The huge windows in each bathroom (on each side of the chimney) were wide open and there was no privacy at all. I'm kidding ya'll about peeking (of course).
"Our Home Hotel" is shown in the second photo. I believe that was the trademark name. It was an amusing place to us kids. "Uncle George" Pearce, the porter, was always the most congenial host to nosy boys. He told us stories of long ago and would make our nickels disappear, but he would always find it behind our ears. His luggage cart can be seen in the photo. This photo was made in the late 30s to early 40s as best we can find out.
Third: Larry Johnson is standing behind his Dairy Bar in the mid 50s. Remember those pineapple sundaes and the "purple cow"?
Lower: A shot of Prather Auto Co. in the early 1960s. A 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 sits in the service entrance. The dealership was bought by Ralph Pennington and moved West to the highway in 1966. People in photo unknown.
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Photos courtesy of Betty Smith Massengill, David Heflin, and Larry Johnson.
Boys will be boys! Peeking got a few of them in trouble.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Ford dealer move to where the dairy bar was, exactly?
ReplyDeletewayne
After he bought the Ford dealership from Roy Prather, Ralph Pennington built a new building on the lot where the Dairy Bar had stood for years. The old wooden structure that had housed Prather Ford was demolished and the new Farmer's and Merchant's Bank now stands on that location. F&M Bank is the only building in Baldwyn with an elevator. Can anyone remember what Baldwyn structure had the only other operating elevator? Hint: it no longer exist.
ReplyDeletePhil: The Baldwyn Cash Specialty Co. had an elevator. I don't know if this is the one you are referring to or not.
ReplyDeleteHeck, All this time I thought that only a few of us knew about the peeking point.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware that Cash Specialty had an elevator, so, I guess I stand corrected! The one I was referring to was in the large home of Roy Prather which was right across the street from the old Ford dealership where Cunningham's Grocery was later built.
ReplyDeleteI was always amused by the fact that Mrs. Prather drove a new car every year but ole Roy drove the same cream colored '50 or '51 Ford two door sedan forever. He always had that pipe hanging from his lip and I don't think he ever exceeded 15 MPH! He made the trip to and from the Fish Lake at least once a day and I caught a ride to town with him many times.
I really can't identify any of those guys in front of Prather Ford. I do remember that Joe Bailey worked there then. He always had some bad fast cars. He has a fast 55 chevy. He also had fast 57 chevy. In the summer of 1963 he bought a new blue 1963 1/2 blue ford like the white one in the picture. Joe's car had a 427 with 2 four barrels. That's the year that Ford brought out a new car in September called the "mustang".
ReplyDeleteSeaking of speed, Mr. Howard got mad and came over to Mr. Hoovers shop class because "someone" had been using the phone at the shop class to call Honest Charley's Speed in Chatanooga, Tennessee to order car parts. After that conversation Mr. Howard and Mr. Hoover were pretty mad. To this day I wonder who made those calls.
ReplyDeleteWaters Funeral home had a freight elevator and probably still does.
ReplyDeleteOn the phone call from shop class, maybe if anonymous signed the post, we would know... lol
Anyone who got to school on a cruelly cold morning went to the boiler room if the doors to the building were locked. John didn't like for anyone to be there, so he would pick up a broom and start sweeping dust all over you trying to get you to leave.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Post office resturant has an elevator, thanks to our ,much in the news, Jim Davis.
ReplyDeleteDid the hotel have an elevator?
ReplyDeleteJimmy G,
ReplyDeleteYou are wrong about the phone calls; I never owned a Ford and I don't wear glasses.
I don't think that the word is peeking; peeping. There used to be a "peep hole" in the high school football team's shower room which if one used could see into the high school girl's dressing room.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the rumors it was somewhat like the the one that was used in the movie "Porky's". It went pretty good till one of the football players looked through it and caught one of the basketball girls watching them in the shower. After that, the football players plugged their side up while they were showering.
That went on a couple of years until Doc Vandiver caught Joe Allen in there at lunch using the peep hole. Joe was in the eighth grade then and no one ever ever found out how he knew about the "peep hole". After that, Doc Vandiver had the "peep hole" filled up and Joe Allen will be forever known as "Joe Peepers".
After Doc filled the "peep hole" up, a couple of football swore that they would get revenge. On wednesday afternoon of Thanksgiving week at 4pm the hid in the gym and observed Coach Vandiver in the Basketball girl's dressing room. One of them eased the door together and padlocked the door. They then snook out of gym, wiping their finger prints off of the door knobs as they exited and locked the gym. I heard it took Mrs. Vandiver almost until 10pm to find him. I would have been to have heard the excuse that he gave her as to why he was messing around the girl's dressing room.
All those rumors makes me wish that I had played football instead of being in the glee club.
I don't remember any peep holes when I was playing football from 1953-56. That must have come later.I do remember being concentrated on winning football games especially the 1955 and 1956 seasons in which we only lost one game. Those were halcyon years. Peep holes. I guess the old gym developed some wear after we graduated. Henry
ReplyDeleteWow! I had forgotten about that peep hole. It was there in 1951. I heard a noise and noticed the hole and looked through it. There was an eye looking back at me. Chaos reigned, but I don't remember that anyone got into trouble.
ReplyDeleteThere were lots of incidents around Baldwyn in the 1950's that resembled the scenes in "Potky's" the movie!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:55;
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you meant "Porky's". What a funny movie and well depicted some of the happenings I can remember from our escapades in Baldwyn.
I have a couple of boys in mind that remind me of "Pee Wee" in the movie. Bet you do, too.
Yes there was! About that time a member of the girls basketball team was seen totally naked with nothing but a jockey strapp on running around the basketball court. Can you emagine that?
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteThat ain't nothing! One day Mr. Arnold came and got Jimmy Miller...seems that his book case that he was supposed to be working on at Mr. Hoover's shop was found in a stall in the girl's rest room. What happened in there, Jim Miller?
Hey you guys.... recall any of the fun times at the LeeAnn Truck Stop??
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ReplyDeletegosh folks--tone it down--name calling - on hearsay--could be classified as defamation of character/everyone wasnt fortunate egough to live in town & be a member of the elete---if this site is just for those who grew-up inside the city limits say so & us outsiders can decide whether or not to participate!!
ReplyDeleteHARVEY DOES NOT NEED TO BE BASHED ANYMORE--THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP WITH HIM REMEMBER HIM AS A GOOD FRIEND-HELPFUL IN ANY WAY--HARVEY HAS CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN & SISTER WHO MAYHAPPEN TO CHECK OUT THIS SITE/SHAME ON U FOR POSTING THAT COMMENT
ReplyDeletePersonally i have no dogs in this race. I am only a spouse of a BHS person but I think that actually calling a name to someone that may have gotten caught peeping is totally out of line
ReplyDeleteElitism is the ill deserved attitude of a few misguided individuals.
ReplyDeleteBesmirching our fellow BHS friends and classmates is misguided to say the least. m
Carl,
ReplyDeleteFiner words were never spoken
thanks for being a peacemaker and a diplomat.
I apologize...
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a sundae from the dairy bar right now. Whatever became of Larry Johnson?
ReplyDeletePat
Hello Baldwynites. I didn't go to BHS and I'm a little younger than the memories that are being posted here but I have great childhood memories of Baldwyn. I saw the mention of Caldwell Clinic. My mother Edith worked there for years. Anyone remember Dr. R. B. Caldwell. He always had silver dollars in his pocket to give to children. I'm 56 and I still have all of mine that he gave me. Also Ralph Pennington was mentioned in connection with the Ford dealership. I remember him coming to our home several times before he bought the dealership. He was talking to my dad about being his partner in the purchase. Daddy and Rahlp would sit out side on the top doorstep discussing the purchase. My dad decided to stay at Henderson Chevrolet instead of going into partnership. I don't have any photos to post. They are all at my brothers house Thanks for the memories that this site has brought back.
ReplyDeleteDeb, my brother Dan was born at the Caldwell Clinic Feb 18, 1945. I wonder if Edith was working there that far back?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your dad stayed at Henderson, I purchased several vehicles from Gene over the years.
mc
Dr. R.B. delivered me--at home of course--but I had my tonsils out at the clinic.
ReplyDeleteDr. R. B. delivered me at home, also. He was assisted by Vina "Viney" Bradley.
ReplyDeleteDr. R. B. was my doctor for all the years I lived in Baldwyn. I remember he gave me more hard skin pinches than coins - ha.
yes, Dr. R.B. was a good one. I was his paper boy and everytime that I would go by to collect for the paper no matter what time of day it was he would always say "me amd Miss Grace were about to sit down and eat dinner; will you join us."
ReplyDeleteMr Ed McCarthy was also a real nice person also. When I would by the gin and see him about the paper he always said, "come on in son sit down and talk with me for a while." Mr. Ed was Mrs. Vandiver's and Babe McCarthy's father.
I never met Dr. R.B., Mr. Ed, or Mr. Frank Haney that I didn't leave with a good feeling inside; if you know what I mean.
Mother and Daddy were married in 1946 and Mother worked at the Shirt Facory in the payroll department then. I was born in '53 and Mother was working at the Clinic at that time. When Daddy was talking to Ralph about the Ford business I was just heartbroken. I was so indoctrinated with Chevrolet that I just didn't see how he could sell anything else. We lost them both within two months and a few days of each other in 2007. I haven't been back to Baldwyn since then. I'm glad someone remembers them.
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ReplyDeleteLarry Johnson has been to a reunion at Baldwyn in the last 2 years or so and is doing well. He is in real estate in central Mississippi around Jackson, I think.
ReplyDeleteThe two cars in the Prather picture are a 57 Bel Air Chevy, foreground, and a Corvair, 62-ish or thereabouts. The Corvair was a good driving car, but Nader had it killed off as unsafe to drive. The 57 is of course the epitome of beautiful design for that era, although they burned a lot of oil and smoked bad until the rings seated in the 55-57 engines.
ReplyDeleteDr R B was a busy man back in his day--on Oct 12, 1941 he delivered at least 3 babies at their homes in Pratts community & probably more-ha--we know of Betty Ann Lytal (Billingsley)- Wayne Hill & Paul Peters
ReplyDeleteHave to say what I knew about Harvey W. is that he was totally loyal, fearless and didn't care what anyone thought about him - qualities that many of the rest of us whould like to have. He was Cool Hand Luke.
ReplyDelete