Another slap of reality comes when we go back and physically visit those places that are carved into our memory. We arrive expecting to see what once was as we remembered only to find it to be vastly changed or even unrecognizable. Some of those changes are for the better and some of them no so much.
Today, a childhood friend and I took a trip back to Big Rock, TN where we both claim as our hometown. I was 'rural' Big Rock and she was 'downtown'. We passed what used to be an old grocery store run by Mr. Ben Ezell, her uncle. It was later a garage run by Mr. Elmer Threatt, both long ago deceased. The building had not seen a customer in several years or maybe decades. We turned and headed for Smith Cemetery located on a grassy knoll with tall cedars shading the back section. Like me, she has become all too familiar with that little fenced in area. A fresh morning breeze and birds singing was reassuring that our family members were indeed at peace. And, as always, the grounds were well kept. We didn't have to dig far into our memory banks to recognize many of the names on the headstones as residents that once lived in Big Rock. Some of the stones were dated long before we both were born. One particular headstone stood out with its calla lily carving. It was engraved as wife of J. S. Smith. We immediately looked around for Mr. J. S. Smith and quickly found him sharing a headstone with another Mrs. Smith. We wondered how peacefully he was resting between the two Mrs. Smiths.
Directly between two cedar trees was a stone that left me with a knot in my stomach. It was dedicated to the first burial in the cemetery. Somewhere in Big Rock was a dark secret the went with someone to their grave...perhaps one of the occupants of one of the many graves here.
We said goodbye to Smith Cemetery occupants and traveled on to a quaint little church that continued to charm the valley as it did so many years ago in our memory. There had been one change...it was once Methodist but now housed the Church of Christ. The old Church of Christ building was long gone and the Methodist church had merged with another in the Big A community. The beautiful little building had thus changed denominations after being purchased by the Church of Christ. I wondered how long it had been since the bell had rung to summons the community to a service or announce a celebration.
We then drove past the church to a large rock now practically hidden by vegetation. The large bolder was where Big Rock got its name. My friend shared memories of a path that led to the top of the rock where marshmallow and wiener roasts happened frequently. Now, one can barely see the rock.
The stores, once owned by Robert Feltner and Cap and Skeeter Martin, with benches out front where the older gentlemen congergated daily to discuss current events, argue politics, and whittle a small piece of wood with their pocket knives are long gone. Even the Post Office that once also served as the community library has been threatened by closure.
From there, we proceeded along the narrow road to where Big Rock Elementary School once stood. The little road the circled in front of the school that carried bus loads of children for thousands and thousands of days was no longer accessible. The school housed first through eighth grades all taught by three teachers (Mrs. Louise Ellis, Mrs. Lolita Link, and Mr. James Bogard), a great gymnasium, and a ball field with sheltered bleachers. The windows were huge and covered the entire wall of each classroom. This allowed fresh air to flow, sunlight, and the chance to gaze out and mentally escape the other three walls that were plastered with maps, handwriting guidelines, and other means of enhancing our education. The only windows with screens were in the cafeteria. Even a screen door covered the hallway entrance to the cafeteria serving the purpose of keeping out the flies and allowing the aroma of the daily home cooked lunch to infiltrate the building. Air conditioning was unheard of, but school was usually dismissed for the year mid-May and didn't start until after Labor Day in September. Most of the summer months were spent elsewhere. You could always count on a play to be performed on the stage in the auditorum every year at Christmas and every grade would participate in the program in some way.
All that is now left of Big Rock Elementary School is a few concrete blocks that once supported the walls of the gymnasium, and the outline that can be recognized from Google maps.
From there, we stopped at my friend's home place where she grew up. The house appeared to be well kept, unlike many others in the little community. Even the tree by the side of the road has withstood the test of time.
The Big Rock community now and the Big Rock stored in our memories are two different places. A tornado, a flood, and time have all made hefty contributions to the changes. Lawns that were once manicured to perfection are now over come with vegetation making it next to impossible to recognize the pride in what once stood there. Like the namesake rock that has almost disappeared from sight, so has the community of Big Rock as we once knew it. Thank God for the memories we have salvaged of the thriving but peaceful and calm little community that once nested in this little valley.
It was a great day visiting the past and present.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was, Linda. We must go again soon.
Delete