Looking back: The Davis family made their way here
Published 12:01 am Wednesday, October 25, 2017
When I was looking in the 1967 Atmore Advance I found an interesting article about the Davis family, the founding family of Davisville.
If you know me at all, you know how much I love history. My attention was drawn to this story. It was about the family of H.R. Davis, who removed from Marengo County and made their way to this area in the early 1900s. To get here, they used a steamboat, a train, a two-mule wagon and a double-seated buggy. The article did not say how long it took them, nor why they moved. There were two daughters and several sons and they moved to Mortimer, (now called McCullough) where they lived until their house was built.
This article was about the family home about to be torn down. Too bad it couldn’t have been saved for another generation.
The Women’s Society of the Atmore Methodist Church collected $203.72 for UNICEF. That sounds pretty good. Do they still collect for that?
I was born and raised in the country and was a member of our local Methodist Church. We did not celebrate Halloween at all. I really don’t know why, but we just didn’t celebrate. I must have been almost a teen before I was subjected to the craze of dressing up to scare someone. Collecting for UNICEF was an alternative to trick or treating.
There were several schools planning some type of carnival 50 years ago. It reminded me of the harvest carnival we had every year about this time of the year. In fact, this must be the way we celebrated Halloween. I attended school out in the country at the G.W. Long Junior High School at Skipperville. We had a beauty contest (it really had nothing to do with beauty. Whoever sold the most tickets won, so it didn’t hurt if you had a rick uncle).
We had cakewalks and the cakes were all homemade. We also had shoebox picnic lunches. All the girls decorated a box with ribbons and bows and then auctioned off. Then they had supper together. I remember eating with one boy who I did not like, but I was obligated to eat. After all, he paid for it. It wasn’t so bad and we all had fun.
There were lots of ways that we had fun that was all innocent and I am afraid those days are gone to come no more. For instance, when was the last time you went to a peanut boiling?
Oh well, it’s all part of growing old I guess.
They were having carnivals at Ernest Ward High School, A.C. Moore and for Walnut Hill Quarterback Club.
Kathy Troutman was crowned Escambia County High School Homecoming Queen.
The Beta Club pinned those who made the grade. I remember the Beta Club. I guess that is the same as the honor society these days.
One day in the middle of history class, my teacher, Mr. Carpenter, stopped what he was doing and asked me if I was a member of the Beta Club. I very proudly said that I was. He, in return, told me that if I wanted to remain in the club, I needed to be quiet. Surely, I didn’t talk in class.
Leonard Peavy Veteran’s Service Officer, was to set up office in Atmore so veterans who lived in the Atmore area wouldn’t have to make that trip all the way to Brewton.
Janice Rolin was selected Little Miss Flame contest by the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Atmore Fire Department. Don’t you love that title?
And one lady from Flomaton hit the jackpot. Jacqueline Johnson won a 15-day trip to Europe given by her employer. She, and others, traveled to London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Lisbon.