“Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind; Memories, sweetened through the ages just like wine…” I love that song made popular by the king, Elvis!

Remember when there were parking meters on Court Square? The policemen would ride around and mark your tire with a chalk marker.

Remember when Church Street ended at Snowden Drive?

Remember when the drive into Andalusia High School was on the left side instead of the right side? This has shown up on old aerial photographs of when the school was first built and completed around 1939-40.

Remember when AHS graduations were held in the stadium? This was before the AHS auditorium was built, prior to the 1964 graduation exercise, the first one held in the new building.

Remember when the streets of Meadowbrook Subdivision were unpaved and not the first house was built there yet?

Remember when the by-pass around Andalusia was built?

Remember when there were only a couple of golf carts at the Andalusia Country Club?

Remember when families used to have picnics and church socials down by Prestwood Bridge?

Remember when there used to be early morning revivals at the new First Baptist Church on Three Notch? That was at the 7:00 a. m. hour but afterward before the students left for school, they served those in attendance chocolate milk and donuts!

Remember when one of the early drive-in restaurants was at Stokie’s on Sanford Road. One could order BBQ sandwiches by phone, drive around the back, and blow the horn for service?

Remember when telephone operators would say “Number please,” when you would pick up the phone to call someone. Andalusia numbers usually ended up in “W” or “J” – 571-J was our home phone number.

Remember when there used to be a country drive-in theatre in Sanford (on the left going toward Opp) where the mosquitoes would take you away if you forgot to use mosquito repellant? I remember seeing my first Esther Williams swimming movie there! That inspired me as a child to try and be a good swimmer!

Remember when baseball games were played in the Andalusia Municipal Stadium? Home plate was right in front of the covered area!

Remember when you could stop in Searight as you motored past on your way home from Montgomery and drink cool water from the spring bubbling up?

Remember when there were Saturday rummage sales on the seat walls in front of the Covington County Courthouse?

Remember when families could go to the ice house behind the Martin Theatre and buy crushed ice in big brown bags so your daddy could go home and make homemade ice cream!

Remember when drivers could leave their keys in your car’s ignition on the square when they went into the courthouse to take care of business or shop at a store in the vicinity and the car would be there when they got back?

Remember when you could go to the City Drug Store on the corner of Pear Street and South Three Notch and look at magazines on the rack while you sat and drank a cherry Coke? Mad magazine and movie star magazines were the craze!

Remember when the display window at T-P Flower & Gift Shop featured a life-size Santa Claus during the Christmas season? That window decoration scene beaconed to a lot of shoppers to come inside and thrilled children who rode by in their parents’ cars!

Remember when the bus station (or terminal) was located on the curve on East Three Notch Street at Wilson’s Store?

Remember when you could go to Wilson’s Store and buy banana, grape, orange, and strawberry popsicles? Have kids quit eating popsicles these days?

Remember when the “bank day” program at the city schools encouraged children to take money to deposit for their savings account at The Commercial Bank? My parents sent $1.00 with me each week and years later, I had a down payment for my first piano for my home as a newlywed with my savings account!

Remember when neighborhood children used to walk to and from East Three Notch School, Church Street School, and Andalusia High School?

Remember when oak trees used to overhang East Three Notch Street on both sides when the street was two lanes? Way back when, there were picket fences in residential yards. These were pictured on old postcards (Circa 1917).

Remember when the public library used to be located on the corner of Sixth Avenue and College Street? One had to whisper! I loved that place but I was afraid of the librarian!

Remember when teenagers used to congregate at the canteen on the corner of Crescent Street and Burnette Street after home football games? I can still hear the jukebox playing “Dream, Dream, Dream!”

Remember when The Gables Restaurant was a popular place to eat buffet-style lunches? Ollie, the faithful butler in the white serving jacket, would come around and ask politely, “More tea?”

Remember when tv cable finally came to Andalusia? Those workers came to Andalusia and stayed for weeks headquartered at The Gables Hotel. Grace Larson, Andalusia’s premiere hostess, made them all feel welcome. I remember a lot of guitar picking and singing as they congregated in the lobby each evening!

Remember when the City Pool was a popular place to swim in the summertime and had so much chlorine that is sometimes turned swimmers’ hair green?

Remember when the horse shows would come to town, corner directional signs would be placed at all the intersections? Cowboys and horse trailers would be seen all over town!

Remember when Kiwanis Club members who missed a club meeting back in the 1950s would have to board and feed a duck in a cage for a week as a penalty?

Remember when you had to be sedated with ether if you had to have your tonsils or appendix taken out at Covington Memorial Hospital?

Remember when children were encouraged to go to the health department for an annual typhoid shot at the beginning of summer? Those nurses dreaded to see me walk in the door!

Remember when during the 1950s those horrible series of polio shots were administered at the schools? They hurt like ____ (the devil)!

Remember when parents made children take afternoon naps in the summertime during the polio scare? It would be hot as blazes, and we would have fans moving air around the room with the windows wide open! After about an hour, we could jump up and run outside again for afternoon play!

Remember when the Bellwood Subdivision used to be the Shreve sweet potato farm? The late Hazel Shreve, extraordinary home gardener, once showed me a picture of that from her scrapbook!

Remember when children used to roller skate up and down the sidewalks of East Three Notch Street? I was careful to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk! I still avoid stepping on the cracks as I walk on sidewalks!

Remember when you could drive up to Russo’s Service Station on South Three Notch, say “Fill it up and charge it,” and they would!

Remember when you could go to Mrs. Enzor’s Cloth Shop on Perry Street, pick out a pattern, material, buttons, and notions then take it to a local seamstress (there were many then) to design and sew your dress?

Remember when a “Gone With the Wind” ladies’ dress-up party/club meeting was held at the historic Avant home at the end of Sanford Road? I wonder who impersonated Miss Pitty-Pat?

Remember when teenagers in the 1960s used to “ride around” and then end up at Charlie Bradley’s Big R sitting on the car hoods singing folk songs? (“The Answer My Friend is Blowin’ in the Wind…”)

Remember when teenagers of the 1950s used to frequent the “Idle Hour” on Sanford Road and “The Pit” on River Falls Street?

Remember when the railroad trestle crossed Gantt Lake at the bridge? Only the abutments are left (Look for the trains to come back to allow us to tour America!).

Remember when most of the roads at Point A and Gantt Lake were mostly dirt roads? Seems like my friend and I learned to drive a car up there on one of those roads, but we often ended up in the ditch. Right, Paula Sue! Well, that was probably because it was her father’s straight shift!

Remember when King’s Cafeteria used to be located on West Court Square, and the King family served the most delicious lemon meringue pie? Our family ate many a Sunday dinner there! Now their industrious grandson Anthony King continues the family tradition at Corner Market!

Remember when back in the 1950s several tennis courts used to be located above the stadium parking lot on what is really First Avenue?

Remember when the most delicious chocolate milk shakes and malts were served at the O’Neal Drug Store on Court Square?

Remember when Sunday hats were the fashion for women at morning church services? One hair dresser once told my mother at church one Sunday, “Come see me next week and I will style your hair to go with that new hat!” And I’m sure she did!

Remember when men’s every day hats for downtown business attire were in style? Makes me think of the old black & white gangster movies!

Remember when there was a skating rink on Church Street across from what used to be The Commercial Bank?

Remember when palm trees lined the median on Church Street?

Remember when the carillons in the bell tower at the First Methodist Church played hymns (at Mr. Scherf’s request) especially at the five o’clock hour when the Alatex employees were headed home? Someone please bring back the carillons! It will be a worthy and welcome project! We could sit in our car at The Sonic eating a hot fudge sundae and listen to the bells ring!

Remember when they installed the first stop signs around town? It was said that Mr. E. R. Merrill would drive up the hill on South Cotton Street from his Andalusia Manufacturing Company business and at that corner of the First National Bank building, he would sit on his horn and blow his way through that intersection without ever putting his foot on the brakes of his car. He did not approve of the newly installed city STOP signs!

With that, I will also STOP but if you have other REMEMBER WHENS, pass them along to me so I can share them with the readers!