Baldwyn R&R Club

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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?
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Submitted by Jim Greene.

Kid's Photos from Yesterday 1

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

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Thanks to Jim Greene.

Official Patrol Car

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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!
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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...
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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.
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Submitted by Nancy Goodson Bruce

3 Ways to Decorate a Christmas Tree

From Nancy Goodson Bruce

Achievers

From Nancy Goodson Bruce

More Spotlights From 1957

From Nancy Goodson Bruce

The Bludworth Family and Others.

Mr. and Mrs. Bludworth, Miss Hortense Latimer on right, Billy Bludworth (left) and Mrs. Stanley McKay. Not at all sure of the year, but probably mid 1960s.
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Submitted by Jim Miller.

Remember your first Phone Number?

Sometime in the late 40s we got our first phone. Our number in Baldwyn was 3332. The only places that were a local call was the community near Baldwyn and Tupelo. Elsewhere was long distance and needed an operator to assist with the call and record charges according to the amount of time you talked.

We had at least one technician stationed in Baldwyn to maintain the service, I believe his name was Jack Farmer. I still see his name on a mailbox south of Guntown on old US45.

How many of you can recall your phone number at that time? Later, exchange numbers had to be used; FOrest 5 for Baldwyn and VInewood 2 and others for Tupelo.
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Thanks to Milton Copeland for the old rental bill.

Dudie's Diner and Festival

I'll bet many of you have eaten at this little diner! It was a favorite of folks from all over the county.

UPPER PHOTO (1957): In 1947, Truman "Dudie" Christian bought a decommissioned Memphis streetcar, brought to Tupelo and turned the barely six foot wide streetcar into Dudie’s Diner. Dudie’s Diner and the burger soon became a local favorite in downtown Tupelo.

Christian learned to make the burgers (a mix of meat, flour, oatmeal, and water) when meat and staples were rationed during World War II. But neither the burger's appeal nor the charm of the diner's converted Memphis streetcar could compete with fast-food chains. The diner closed in 1986, and the streetcar ended up at Tupelo's Oren Dunn Museum, where the town's beloved dough burger is celebrated with a festival each year on the first Saturday in May.

The namesake of the festival is the Dudie Dough Burger. At one time you could get ten for a dollar.

LOWER PHOTO: Today the diner is on display at the Oren Dunn Museum in Tupelo where, incidentally, the Lee County Bookmobile is also on exhibit.