This is installment no -20 - my story August 17th 2011

This is installment no – 20 -


A package of ready roll Wing cigarettes .15 cents, a pkg. Camel or Lucky Strike was .18 cants, a bag of Bull Durham tobacco .05 cents, a bag of Golden Grain tobacco .05 cents, a pkg. Bugler tobacco to roll your own .12 cents, a can of Prince Albert smoking tobacco .18 cents, a plug of Days -Work chewing tobacco .10 cents, a plug blood hound chewing tobacco .05 cents, a small can of Burton or Garrett snuff .10 cents a large can was .25 cents, a package of sweet granger chewing tobacco .12 cents. A yard of broad cloth sold for .10 cents per yard. A spool of thread was a nickel. A 1940 ford car sold less then a $1,000. Dollars, I know because we bought one.


We purchase coffee, dry lima beans, dry pinto beans, dry peas, sugar in 100 pound sacks and we would scoop them in to small brown bags making .10 cent bags and .25 cent bags. A pocket watch sold for a dollar, work glove was .35 cents, work caps was .25 cents, a twenty four pound sack of flour was .75 cents, a peck of corn meal was .30 cents, a pair or overalls was $1.25 a blue denim shirt was .50 cents, a blue denim jumper coat was $1.00. The flour sacks came in various colors of nice broad cloth and familiars made dresses out of them.

We had a screened in compartment to keep our loaf bread into and some bakery goods like some sweet rolls or jellyrolls. Our mail carrier Mr. Blankenship brought us fresh bread from Sylacauga bakery two or three times each week. I am sure that he was not paid for performing this wonderful deed I am sure he was doing this deed in the goodness of his heart because he was a good Christian man.


The Post office building—picture number-5

In the very earliest period time we did not receive any mail in the town because the town had no name and no post office building. We would receive our mail on the star route and we would have to meet the mail carrier at the forks of the road at Mt. Moriah and receive our mail. After the town was name “ Hillwood “ Mr. Rich had us a post office building built and Mr. Rich or Mr. Duncan Guy, contacted the postal department and we were assigned a postal carrier and a postmistress. Mr. Blankenship was assigned as our mail carrier and I do not know or remember any one ever being our mail carrier but Mr. Blankenship. Mr. Blakenship would pick up mail in Sylacauga and bring it to us in Hillwood at exactly 12:00, noontime, and you could check you watch for his prompt arrival time. Mr. Blakenship would stay in town until 3:00 afternoon and retrieve all the mail and take it to Sylacauga to the postal department. Mr. Blakenship did not live in Hillwood, he lived in the Weogufka community.


Mrs. McMain was our first postmistress and to my knowledge was the only one. My sister Helen served as an assistant when she was needed. So was the sister of Mrs. McMains, Mrs. Russell. Mrs. McMain had two children a daughter Evelyn and a son Gaden, and her brother and her sister live with them.


This is the end of installment no –2 0 -