Notes: Aunt Mamie Griffin 14 Sept 2000
The Winn’s were killed in the
tornado of 1927. They lived in a house where the Tidwell house is now. The
Hardin house was destroyed and they were killed. There was a house (Mrs.Meyer?) about where the Baptist
Church sits now. That house was moved to the Hardin location=the house Bertha (Hardin)
lived in.
The Baptist Church—Did meet in
the Methodist Church for many years. They’d switch off Sundays with the
Methodist, but everyone went. When there was enough Baptist for the church to
come from Potts Camp and establish one here,
they built a frame church on Wilson street, just about where Aunt Mamie’s house
is now. She has found evidence of the church being there over the years. Grandaddy (Earl Magers) let them have the property with the stipulation that if they ever moved,
the property would revert back to him. They did move later to the location
where they are now. Moved the frame building. Later built the present church
when Uncle Malcolm (Griffin)was pastor.
She still says the school she went to sat
where the old agriculture building sat, the agri by the gym. It had double doors and at
one time had a long hall, but someone had divided it up so they could have more
grades. When you went into those double doors, that was her room. It had a long
bench in it with a bucket of water and a dipper at one end.
There was a big hole in the wall where something had been and was taken out.
She could see through the hole. She’s also told me in the past that the boys
would climb in and out of that hole.
The flood of 27, came because Big
Lake filled up and flooded all the rivers and bayous. Few houses in Dell were
flooded but water was high enough that they went to see Aunt Emmer on Jefferson
in a boat. Water never came up to the house in the Magers (506 E. Second St) yard. They built
scaffolding to the houses next door so they could get back and forth. The Potters
lived next to them (toward the west) at this time. Mom (Irene Magers Duncan) says that'’ right because when she was 3
she would climb the fence and say, “Aunt Lennie, do you want me to come see ya?”
Aunt Mamie doesn’t remember the box
cars brought in for families to live in during the flood.
Granddaddy bought old houses,
about to fall down and use the wood to build other houses. The two houses next
to the Magers house was built that way.
Doesn’t remember the denomination of the black
church on Adams Street. It was a frame building, with a steeple on top, two stories.
The second story was used for a lodge. During church, they’d shout and yell and
“fall out” and have to be carried out. She said it was great fun to listen to
all that and to watch it from their house. She says it faced what is school
street now. Mom says it didn’t.
There was a post office where
Potter’s grocery sat later. It was 2
story . The post office was on the lower floor and a lodge was on the top.
At one of the tent shows, she and
Aunt Naoma were all dressed in white stockings and white shoes, which was their
trademark. Cousin Mattie always talked about the long row of white stockings hanging from
Grandmother’s wash. So, this particular night as they came out of the show, the
ditch out front was full of water but it looked like the walkway to Aunt Mamie
as she stepped off into it.
She also said they had fences
with bob wire so it wasn’t hard at all to hang those stockings.
Revival when she was 13-at the
school. Stage outside. The choir and piano was on stage. She was in the choir.
