My first 8 years were lived in

Herrin, IL. in the southern tip of the state. Living there involves having a southern accent, apparently, since when we moved north some people seemed to think we had that sort of speech. I never noticed and frankly I think they had something wrong with their hearing.

I could notice a southern accent on others but never us. My friend Jeanalee had one. I can still hear her call across the street in her southern drawl - Jeanie can you come oooover?

Home and neighborhood

We lived in a brick 2 story house - 4 bedrooms, 1 bath - on 14th street next door to the the First Presbyterian church. The street was paved with brick. In the middle of our back yard was a huge buckeye tree which, I've been told, was a largest in town. Behind our house was an alley and the other side of it was a lumber yard where I would sometimes play and get splinters in my feet - before we were chased out. I hated splinters mostly because of the needles that my mom had for the removal of them.

Weather, etc.

In the summer Herrin was HOT. We grew up without air conditioning. You haven't lived until you know what that is like. Since no one had it we didn't think too much about it but complaining about the weather had more credibility back then. In the winter we heated the house with a coal furnace. Mom used to complain that she had to wash the curtains so often to get out the coal dust. We had snow but not near enough - or long enough.

School

I walked 6 blocks to Lincoln school when I was in 1st and 3rd grades. For kindergarten and 2nd grade I attended North side school. That was probably about as far but in the opposite direction. I don't know why the switch. It might have had something to do with avoiding some teacher....but I have no idea. Back then we weren't assigned to any particular school... so there was more freedom to choose.

Community

There was a small town near Herrin called Colp where the blacks lived. They weren't allowed in Herrin after dark... in fact I rarely saw them since they had their own school. I didn't understand why they were treated any differently than the rest and even as a kid I thought it was snobbish. I knew nothing about Colp except what I heard - which was that the homes were more like shacks. It was said that some of them had television aerials on the roofs (there were very few televisions back then) and Cadillacs in the driveway. If one house did - that would explain the generality covering most of them. People tend to exaggerate.

(More later)