Train Trip to Atlanta
The Southern Railway ran a route
passing through Fayetteville to Atlanta in the morning,
coming back through Fayetteville in the late afternoon.
When I was about four or five I went to Atlanta on this
train and remember it very well.
Mother and I had seats on the left side of the passenger
car. There was a water jug mounted on the far side near the
back with a push button spout and a supply of small paper
cups. Mother let me get some water before the train started
moving, but I had to keep my seat for the rest of the trip.
I remember our stopping at Kenwood to pick up passengers. I
could see Carnes’ store that served as a kind of depot. I
don’t recall any of the other stops but there were a few.
When we arrived in Atlanta we exited the train on to a
broad ramp lined with fruit stands. Mother bought me a bag
of California grapes (white grapes). These were the first
I’d ever seen. They were sweet and had no seeds.
We walked from the ramp into the largest room I’d ever
seen. Mother said this was “Terminal Station”. The ceiling
seemed to go up to the sky. The walls were made of polished
stone and marble. The room was filled with huge wooden
benches where many people were seated. A loud speaker
continually announced leaving and departing trains. There
were large neon signs showing directions and naming ticket
offices and restrooms. I went to the restroom with Mother.
She had been holding my hand since we got off the train
because she didn’t want me to get lost. I’d never seen a
toilet like this. There were four or five sinks to wash
your hands and a bunch of small toilet rooms each with its
own potty. Most of them were free to use but there were a
couple that required a dime to unlock the door.
We left the station and walked about a mile or two to some
large department stores. Mother called them “dime stores”.
In their basement was a large section of toys. Mother gave
me a dime to spend. Most of the toys cost 5 or 10 cents. I
surveyed the several long counters trying to decide if I
wanted one large toy for 10¢ or two smaller ones for 5¢
each. I decided to buy two small toy soldiers.
We had lunch at the lunch counter in the store. We sat on
tall stools with seats that rotated. Mother ordered me a
boiled ham sandwich and a chocolate milk. The sandwich came
with toasted bread which I’d never had before. This was the
best food I’d ever had and I told all my friends about it
when I got home.
Mother said we had time to see a movie. We walked up the
street to the Lowes Grand Theater. This was some kind of
“picture show”, much nicer than the tent shows I’d been to
at home. We saw a “Shirley Temple “ movie. In one scene
Shirley blew up a small paper bag and popped it. When we
got back to Terminal Station we had to wait a short time
for our train to be called. I had finally finished all of
my California grapes and decided to try Shirley’s trick and
pop my bag. Boy! What a bang! It echoed through the
station. Mother scolded me but seemed to understand.
I was very tired and can’t remember much of the trip back.
When we arrived in Fayetteville we walked from the depot
across town to my daddy’s store on the courthouse square.
He was glad to see us. I told him all about the trip and
showed him the toy soldiers I’d bought.
The city had been exciting but I told Mother, ”It’s good to
be back in good old clean Fayetteville”.