Growing up in a small town was a wonderful thing. I have never felt deprived or that I missed out on anything. We knew each other, if not by name, by sight and familiarity. As children, no matter where we went there was a parent around, and they didn't have to be yours to correct you ! If they didn't confront you directly a report would be sent. I'm sure glad we didn't have cell phones and text messaging back then, the regular phone call or bumping into your parents gave some time for a buffering action on your part. I can't say that it ever helped all that much though. If an adult said it, it was true. Period, end of discussion and don't try and tell me Mr. Miller is making it up ! To question the integrity of an adult was akin to an attack on the Bible !
Even in small towns there are divisions. We had the upstreeters. They lived in town proper and owned the businesses and such. There were sections in town, like subdivisions, only we didn't call them that. There was the Springs. So named for a creek that people settled around. Round swamp was another section. The name is self explanatory. And there was Northwest. That is where I lived, down to Northwest. It was just across the way from Three Mile Harbor. Mostly the blue collar folks lived in those areas. Fisherman,farmers and tradesman.
When I was growing up Northwest was almost always referred to as Northwest Woods. It was a relatively large wooded area with houses scattered throughout. A town had been started there back a few generations. There was a harbor and shipping. A new harbor, with deeper anchorage and better access to the sea was opened on the other side of the bay and Northwest,as a town, died. Wasn't much to see down to Northwest except a few graves and some very old lop fences. There were a few barns sitting in the woods,abandoned and holding nothing but dust and memories. I played in those barns. Northwest was a lonely place.
When I was younger Northwest was considered so far away the mail wasn't even delivered there. You had to have a post office box in town. Was a good three miles to the post office. The school bus came down there but it was always the oldest one they had. Fact is the one I rode was green. The green bean we called it and it was an old one for sure. Probably could have had historic tags on it. Maybe it did ? We had a delicatessen. We called it a store. Well, Damarks store sits on the edge of Three Mile and Northwest woods. If you were coming into the wood down the Springy Banks road or the Three Mile harbor road that would be your last chance for anything. Keep going into the wood and you will wind up at the water sooner or later. No more stores past Damarks.
Now I haven't lived down to Northwest since back in '71. I hear tell Northwest is full of houses and celebrities. P-Diddy and the like. I hear there are roads everywhere. The days of roamin' the woods is long gone. I wonder how much was lost due to this expansion. How many lop fences destroyed. How many grave sites desecrated ? Well that is the way of progress. The past is always in the way of progress. Strange how things behind you can impede your progress, isn't it ? Don't let the past get in the way. No matter, build over them or plow them under. Man has always done so and that ain't gonna change, Bub !
Even in small towns there are divisions. We had the upstreeters. They lived in town proper and owned the businesses and such. There were sections in town, like subdivisions, only we didn't call them that. There was the Springs. So named for a creek that people settled around. Round swamp was another section. The name is self explanatory. And there was Northwest. That is where I lived, down to Northwest. It was just across the way from Three Mile Harbor. Mostly the blue collar folks lived in those areas. Fisherman,farmers and tradesman.
When I was growing up Northwest was almost always referred to as Northwest Woods. It was a relatively large wooded area with houses scattered throughout. A town had been started there back a few generations. There was a harbor and shipping. A new harbor, with deeper anchorage and better access to the sea was opened on the other side of the bay and Northwest,as a town, died. Wasn't much to see down to Northwest except a few graves and some very old lop fences. There were a few barns sitting in the woods,abandoned and holding nothing but dust and memories. I played in those barns. Northwest was a lonely place.
When I was younger Northwest was considered so far away the mail wasn't even delivered there. You had to have a post office box in town. Was a good three miles to the post office. The school bus came down there but it was always the oldest one they had. Fact is the one I rode was green. The green bean we called it and it was an old one for sure. Probably could have had historic tags on it. Maybe it did ? We had a delicatessen. We called it a store. Well, Damarks store sits on the edge of Three Mile and Northwest woods. If you were coming into the wood down the Springy Banks road or the Three Mile harbor road that would be your last chance for anything. Keep going into the wood and you will wind up at the water sooner or later. No more stores past Damarks.
Now I haven't lived down to Northwest since back in '71. I hear tell Northwest is full of houses and celebrities. P-Diddy and the like. I hear there are roads everywhere. The days of roamin' the woods is long gone. I wonder how much was lost due to this expansion. How many lop fences destroyed. How many grave sites desecrated ? Well that is the way of progress. The past is always in the way of progress. Strange how things behind you can impede your progress, isn't it ? Don't let the past get in the way. No matter, build over them or plow them under. Man has always done so and that ain't gonna change, Bub !
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