Ward: The way it was

Bill Ward

Know what I miss about Rushville of my youth? I miss the old corn fields that were right up to our yard at 13th and Main. That was where the hospital is now and we were the last house on that side of the street, and there were three or four further north on the other side of the street.

I miss the busy, and I do mean busy, Saturday nights in Rushville. That was the day everyone in the county it seemed came to town. I miss the Castle and Princess movie houses. I really miss the smell of coal smoke that permeated the air all winter.

The coal-fired steam engines that roared through town with their whistles screaming were pure ecstasy.

The Greek’s in downtown Rushville was the greatest of places for a teenager to go and enjoy themselves. And there was no booze, no rowdy actions, no loud (well, not too loud) parties going on.

The Peppermint Lounge, which was part of the Boys Club and open to high

school students only, was really great. The Boys Club had wood working,

photography, ceramics and many other interesting and enlightening things to

do, and it was almost free too.

I miss the police chief taking the grade school students home after school. And the police, all three of them, knew everyone in town and treated them according to how those people treated the policemen.

Life was much more open and easy then. We didn't feel like it was necessary to be loud or rowdy to be popular. Really, it was the opposite. Most

teenagers were generally pretty well behaved young people. They knew that it

was not right to be mean or nasty to others. They also knew if they stepped

out of line Mom and Dad would show them the error of their ways and

immediately put them back in line.

The neighborliness of everyone was something I really enjoyed. One could walk down the street and if someone was out on their porch just rocking go on up and join in. It wasn't necessary that you knew the person, just behave. Want to check out that new house being built down the street? Great, go for it. No one, not the neighbors, police, owner or passersby, would bother you as long as you don't cause damage. In fact, the builder or owner might well be happy to show you around. This was a huge investment for the family, possibly as much as $5,000 for that house, so enjoy it.

I miss being able to purchase 90 percent of my wants or needs right in Rushville and not have to go elsewhere. I miss the sales people in the clothing and other stores in town and their friendly and helpful ways. The paper was put out by people who had lived in town all their lives and it showed. They had weekly columns on the outlying communities: Glenwood, Milroy, Mays, Raleigh, Orange, New Salem, Manila, Homer, Moscow, Gowdy — all were represented at one time or another by columns in the paper.

I miss the sense of humor that we used to have. I remember the time Tippy Coons ran a front page April Fool story. He told of a destroyer visiting town, and it was well written and tongue in cheek.

And it did take numerous people in and then made everyone laugh. Even those who fell for the story thought it was funny and neat. This is one thing I

will remember to my last day. I was young enough to sort of question the

reality of it, but really also wished it could be true.

I miss the old car barns where the Interurbans were repaired and renovated. I miss the Southeastern Power Plant and the City Power Plant and the whistles that told you where each fire was.

The telephone company was local and usually well maintained. The city did their own electrical generation and it was right in town and used coal to generate the electricity.

There were four lumber yards and coal yards in town and all were busy and well stocked. I miss the old Metzger Lumber Company where Tweedy's is now. They really got my interest by the way they ran their machines that cut, sanded, formed the lumber that you could buy. I miss the friendly people like Bob Fudge who would let young boys come in and check out the machines, when they weren't running, and then help them make sailboats. We would let those little slabs of wood float down the Race and we could watch them flow along with the clear water.

The community pumps that were all around town where anyone and everyone

could stop for a cool drink of water in the summer or winter. The outhouses

that you just don't see anywhere at all any more. They were especially fun

around Halloween. We would tip them over. Of course, being careful not to

damage anything and being sure no one was in them.

I miss Havens School, Belle Gregg, the Annex and the high school. No busses for townies then, we walked or rode bikes to get to school. The grocery and drug stores that delivered your order to your door. The daily milk man who left fresh, creamy milk right at your door. The clothes cleaners in town and the smell of their chemicals as you went in the door to leave or pick up clothes.

I guess it is a sign that I am indeed getting older, but by golly I miss the old ways — much like my parents told me they missed theirs, and probably like our children will tell their children as they age. Things change, yet they don't. Possibly our way of looking at things change more than anything else.



Watch for Bill Ward Saturdays in the Rushville Republican. Add a comment at www.rushvillerepublican.com.

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