Virginia is so in the news this week, what with their tornados wiping out so much of it's natural beauty.
They say Sofolk is 30 miles southof Richmond, and I believe Petersburg is probaly 20 to 30 miles
west of Richmond. I know it was close enough that I applied for a job in Richmond at the Raleigh
Tobbaco Company. I didn't get it, they just wouldn't hire people connected with the Army, too transient
Well, anyhow, I think we had just boarded the train in Milwaukee, and I do believe I cried all the way
to Chicago. We changed trains in Chicago and I am not exactly sure how long it took to reach Petersburg
but, am assuming we got there late Friday night.
TOTAL CULTURE SHOCK Growing up in the north, with black people as neighbors, I had no idea what
segregation was really like down south. The first thing I noticed was the drinking fountains at the
train station. I liked to call them "bubblers" There were always at least 2. One was marked White
and the other Colored. They also had "white" doors and "colored" doors. When we walked down a
street the colored people would step off the curb into the gutter to let us pass. I was seriously "chewed"
out by a southerner one day, when I stopped and spoke to a black lady who worked in our converted
apartment building. She was the baby sitter/housekeeper/slave. She arrived at 6 in the morning and
worked until midnight, caring for 4 children and doing all the cleaning and laundry and cooking. For
this she received $10 a week, and thought she had the greatest job in the world. We just met outside
one day and chatted, and after that I was told "we don't chat with the coloreds down here" and I said
maybe We don't, but I do. I also sat in the back of the bus when I went to camp by myself.
Anyway, we arrived in Petersburg, and stayed in a hotel the first night. Then we found out where
Jerri and Roy and Dick and Carol lived and went to see them. They told us to go to the red cross
housing and they would help us find a place to live. We did this, and found a place not too far from
our friends. It was on High Street in Petersburg and was an old fashioned plantation house remodeled
into apartments. You know the kind with the Big white pillars in front. Remember those pillars, they
played a role later on in our stay. We rented the apartment on the second floor for $10 a week, incl.
utilities. Our living room/bedroom was large enough, but we had to enter the hall by the stairs to
get to our kitchen and then go down the long hall to the shared bathroom. There were 2 apartments
on this floor and one single bedroom, rented by a third party and it was a common hall, used by all.
the kitchen had no running water, an ice box, not refrigerator, and an old fashioned stove, gas,
standing on 4 legs with a side oven at eye level. Now the refrigerator was truly a challenge because
you see the drip pan under it had to be emptied and the bathroom was at the other end of the hall.
Wayne had to report for duty on Monday morning, so I decided to walk downtown to the grocery
store to shop for food. Not realizing everything was closed down, after all, it was Thomas Jefferson's
birthday. Everywhere we went, we would see footprints painted on the sidewalk, Thomas Jefferson
walked here, or slept there or whatever. There was one park which was just a huge crater, the site
of a southern victory, where cannons had mowed down hundreds of northern soldiers. I know at
that time they did not believe that the south had lost the war, and I hear that feeling still exists today.
What a place for a damnyankee!
We made lots of friends while there. Wayne had more training to do for the Army Corps of Engineers
so that left me and Carol and Jerri to do what we wanted with our days. We explored a lot and even
did a lot of sunbathing, in April, which you couldn't do in Wisconsin. We soon discovered that we
didn't have a whole lot in common with Jerri and Roy. The 4 of them shared an apartment upstairs
over the home of a Colonel. He shacked up with this lady downstairs, and we could hear them a lot
as they had floor heat registers and you could see downstairs as well. Nuff said, anyway, Jerri and
Roy felt she could further his career if she slept with the colonel, so we kind of distanced ourselves
from that situation. We knew our husbands were destined for overseas duty, and they thought they
could avoid that. Wayne finished his training first and was to report to California late in June, Dick
finished his training next and went to Germany. Jerri was very smug telling us she was going to a
formal dance with the Colonel and it did buy them some time, about a month I guess and then we
heard he was being shipped overseas too. Never did hear from them again.
Wehad a lot of company while we were there, but of course money was tight. We only earned $70
a month and my allotment hadn't started yet, nor Wayne's off base living allotment, so whenever
someone came over, everyone brought their own drinks, food, etc. Most of the guys were living
on base and they liked going to someone's home. They would write their names on their drinks,
and would show up whenever they could. We also had a favorite place just outside of town. I
don't remember the name of it but it had a canopy over the driveway, so we always called it the
"can-o-pee" We got busted one night by the MP's and the only one they asked for ID was me.
Thank Goodness, Wayne and I were the only ones who were 21. Virginia was a dry state, no hard
liquor, but you could get a beer in any restaurant.
One night it was raining and we decided to walk to town for an ice cream cone. Holding the umbrella
in front of us, we walked right into another soldier. It was Kenneth Numrich a kid I went all thru
grade school with. talk about a small world. He was stationed at another army camp a short ways
away.
The first time I went grocery shopping,when the stores were opened, I spent $7 and had to take a
cab home. I had too much to carry. It was because of that trip that I met our neighbor who had
the one room apartment. He saw me get out of the cab and offered me the use of his car whenever
I needed it. In return for other favors. His wife was in Georgia nd it was ok with her if he had a
little on the side while they were apart and that way we both would be happy==NOT== I thanked
him and said no. those people from the south sure hate blacks, but loved sex. You figure.
Anyway there is so much more to tell about our southern adventures, I will continue next time.
Love you all.......................
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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4 comments:
hahaha Maybe that's why they lost the war? Just sayin'!
Love these stories, Grandma! Thank you!
I too am lovin it.... thanks mom! it's like reading a book that you can't put down, except you take breaks so we have to! hahaha which is good since it's 11:00 pm and I gotta work tomorrow! Love you! Beth
LOL!!! Grandma are you serious about your neighbor offering you his car for sex?! Did Grandpa kill him?
EW! I thought the south was supposed to be all about morals and manners? Shame, shame on them!
Good for you for chatting with "the colored people" Grandma. I think standing up for what we believe in must be a family trait for sure.
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