Sandra Waldrop Doolittle > Growing up in Columbus 2

Growing up in Columbus.
By John Jeffries

Part 2

Dr. Moffett's Teethina Powder.
Well known baby teething powder in
the early 1900s. Located across from the
old Train Station.

My Father and my older brother were both projectionists. My Father worked at the Rialto theater and my brother at the Springer. I have to say most of my Saturdays were spent in the theater watching westerns with Tom Mix or Buck Jones or Hopalong Cassidy. I loved the singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the Sons Of The Pioneers. There was also Movietone News and usually two cartoons, enough entertainment to last all day. In those days the theaters had restricted operating hours on Sundays. They weren't allowed to operate during church in the morning and had to shut down during evening worship hours. Some of the theaters had a midnight sneak preview, but I was never awake long enough to go to one. My Father was a prominent leader in the organized labor movement in Columbus. He was President of the Columbus AFL for many years and was an active participant in labors efforts to organize mill workers. There were many battles between the organizers and the goon squads who were hired by the mill owners to break-up the organizers efforts. As I remember, the Labor Temple was located on Eleventh Street.

Riverdale Cemetery after Linwood and before Park Hill Cemetery.
Located on the old Victory Drive.

Labor Day weekend was a big thing when I was a kid. On Friday through Monday there was Carnival rides, food stands, sack races, three-legged races, egg tosses and many other games and events all being held at the Fair Grounds which were located at Fourth Street and Fourth Avenue where the Coliseum now stands. The event was open to the public and always well attended. Some of the men spent all night on Thursday cooking barbecue and Brunswick Stew for the event. The ladies would prepare corn-on-the-cob and Cole slaw among other things. The event was superseded only by the Muscogee County Fair which came later in October.

The Fair had a big carnival with many rides and side shows and a large midway with games of all sorts. It lasted a full week and you needed a ticket to get in the gate, that is, unless you knew the secret ways to sneak in. I'm not saying I did that, I'm just saying I knew some that did. I have to say the Fair was great fun and I looked forward to it every year.

Octagon Shape House
Historical District
Columbus's Folly.

Another event that loomed large in the community was the football game between Georgia and Auburn which was played each year at Memorial Stadium. Auburn University did not have a football stadium at the time and Columbus was deemed a neutral zone for the game. This was almost like going to an opera. The men would wear suits and the ladies would dress in their finest with school colored corsages and all. Not at all like today's football fan in cut-off jeans and ragged tee shirts.

On a lesser scale was the football rivalry between Jordan High, Columbus High and Russell High in Phenix City to claim the area Champion bragging rights. Baker High later joined the competition. All the students were fiercely loyal to the school they attended and supported their school in every way.

Columbus Industrial High School
Columbus Junior High School

I don't know who coined the phrase "You Can Never Go Home Again", nor do I understand exactly what the author was trying to say to us. For me, however, going home dose not always mean having to physically be present at the site. It also means to be at home with all the memories you carry with you of the places you saw and the things you have done in the place where you were born. You can always go home again in your heart.

Many Thanks to Uncle John for allowing us to share his memories . Glory Days are a time in our lives when we often look back and wish time could have stood still just a little longer.
I too , have always heard " You Can Never Go Home Again." but, we can always *visit* with our Glory Days stories, just like Uncle John said, "You can always go home again in your heart".

John Jeffries is the Uncle of another guest writer for Glory Days, Ann Coots Brown.

Thanks again, Uncle John. Love ya,

Sandra