One of the best perks of growing a bit older is reminiscing about days gone by and of course, emphasizing how much better it was then. This thought struck me today in a brief conversation I had with an older customer on my mail route. And since last weekend when we traveled to my hometown and talked a bit about days gone by, the past has been very present with me.
Let me hasten to add that there are no illegal substances referred to in the title of this post. Just wanted to clarify that.
Both of my parents were long time employees of what was then Fieldcrest Mills, Inc, an Eden,Nc based textile manufacturer. Both were production employes in what was known simply as the Blanket Mill. She was a spooler hand and he was a warper tender. Their careers began around the 1930′s or 40′s and in those days there were no canteens or break rooms as we know today to take a few moments for a soft drink or cup of coffee. If my memory is at least partly accurate, the snacks/drinks etc were delivered by a pushcart that made its rounds through the plant. Again, this next is my recollection of what I was told. The carts were known as dope wagons since they also distributed a variety of headache remedies, a virtual necessity. Or they might have been called by that name since a Coke was at one time known as a “dope.”Cant prove but I bet that Goodys, a Richard Petty favorite, was a popular choice. I actually have a hazy memory of touring the plant as a child and being overwhelmed by the pungent aromas coming from the bleachery department.
Part deux of the title is from a delightful memory I have of home delivery of our milk by the Pet Milk man. The empty glass bottles were placed on the porch the night before I think with a note “ordering” the milk /juice to be delivered that morning. For many years I thought that Pet was the only milk available . To this day however, I believe that milk should be available only in glass bottles simply because it is a”proven” fact that it tastes better.
February 28, 2011
Posted by tarheeltalker |
Culture, History | Coca-Cola, Eden, Fieldcrest Mills, Food and Related Products, Goodys, Milk, North Carolina, Pet Dairy, Richard Petty, Textile industry |
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