Page 106 - my-people-abbie-harris-beck

GENEVA, MY HOME TOWN

In the 1920's, you knew everyone within the city limits, where they lived, the work
they were engaged in, what church they worshipped in, and what they did on Saturday
night.
Transportation was by train, bus or car. The "Model T" was becoming very
common, nearly every family had one. The "Model T" was also known as the "Flivver"
and the "Tin Lizzie". It has been said that the coming of automobiles did more to change
life styles of this country than any thing else. Most business men walked to work, the car
being used just for pleasure and Sunday driving.
Geneva became lined with many small stores in the down town area. All the
businesses were on "Main Street" and Town Street. The doctors had their offices in the
back of the three drug stores. A message could be left at the drug store if you needed a
doctor. The doctor was almost always out on a house call. It was customary for
merchants to stay open till 10:00 P.M., on Saturday nights and the barber shops stayed
open till 12:00 P.M. or until the last customer left. People (men, boys little girls and
women as a whole wore their hair long), had to get their hair cut before they went to
church on Sunday.
On a Saturday afternoon the folks in town would park their cars downtown to sit
in and visit with each other and watch the people. It was a great afternoon spent in
talking, drinking cokes, and licking ice cream cones.
The high school and elementary school were located where the courthouse stands
today. The school were grades 1-12. School had become more than teaching the three
R's . Music, expression and clubs had been added. Sports became very popular. The
football team even had bought uniforms and football shoes, (home-mades were out).
Girls basket ball came into being and competition was furious, games often ending in hair
pulling. The school along with the church became the center of activities for a child.
Churches began to expand, preaching being held every Sunday. Other
organizations of the church were added and the church began to sponsor social activities.
Wreathes for funerals were usually made by friends of the family from home grown
flowers, right out of the yard. Most times the flowers had wilted long before they arrived
at the home of the deceased. In later years the flowers were ordered by the drug stores
from florists in Dothan, to arrive in Geneva by bus.
As businesses sections began to grow, the residential parts of town also grew. It
no longer consisted of Commerce, Academy or Live Oak. The Fleming addition and
Campbell Hill sections began to fill with homes. Many additions have been added by
1987, including two large additions south of the Talakahatchie River( The Pea).
Today, we do not know every one in Geneva, where they live or what they do for
a living. We no longer spend hours on the front porch to keep cool and watch the cars go
by. In the old days the parents knew where their children were . Today it is most difficult.
Today, automobiles have become the way of life. Most every family has one or
more. In the old days a trip for shopping in Dothan or Montgomery was a well planned
adventure, that only occurred once or twice per year. Today, it is an every day
occurrence, with many of Geneva's citizens commuting to work 40 or 50 or more miles
per day. For instance automobiles are so plentiful today, the students have overflowed the

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