Porterdale Mill on the Yellow River NAMED for

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Porterdale Mill on the Yellow River
NAMED for: Oliver S. Porter, Mill Owner

 

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Rockdale Citizen/Newton Citizen

 

Man reminisces on Meadors Dry Cleaning and Laundry

A change in the cityscape often prompts reminiscing, and where is the harm in remembering local personalities, fads, clothing or music from the past? The May 15 edition of the Citizen announcing the demolition of the old Meadors Dry Cleaning and Laundry building sparked some long-time Newton County residents to remember when the Meadors trucks were a common sight on the streets of Covington, Oxford and Porterdale.
Covington resident Gene Head once drove a laundry truck for Meadors, a business that was a fixture in Newton County for more than 80 years. Routes to pick up clothing for cleaning operated on Mondays and Tuesdays. Routes to drop off clean, fresh and pressed items and to collect the money ran on Fridays and Saturdays. This was the schedule to adhere to because most folks got paid every Friday. Wednesdays were for extra work — to go back for a customer missed or to perform other customer services.
Head believes he may have been the first to take advantage of the early work release program at school. About 1950, high school teens, age 14 and older, could be excused from school around 2 in the afternoon to work at downtown jobs.
“When I began at 14 to ride in the Meadors laundry truck, to jump out, pick up or drop off dry cleaning and laundry, I rode with Gene Hunt. He sort of took me under his wing when my older brother, Franklin, was killed in an auto wreck. Franklin was 21 when he died. Gene (Hunt) had the Meadors truck route in Monticello,” Head said.
“Folks just left their doors open back then, for the insurance man, paper boy, laundry man, milk man and so on. Clothes would be just inside the door or screen — often the money was left there, too.”
Head worked with Hunt on the Monticello route for a couple of years. He left the company to work in the Porterdale Mill at 17, because there was more money to be earned in production. Then, he joined the Navy at 19.
When he returned from the Navy, Head went to work for Meadors again, this time driving a truck route in Porterdale. Head felt very much at home with the folks who lived in Porterdale. He was born in Porterdale in 1936.
“There wasn’t a hospital at the time,” Head said. “So, I was born on the kitchen table. Since Porterdale was my home, I loved the route. I started driving a 1952 Chevrolet paneled truck, then the route grew to a walk-in truck similar to a UPS truck, only a little smaller. Then Volkswagen came out with a paneled truck that was also good on gas. The VW was the last truck I drove.
“Porterdale was a really nice place to live back then. Everyone knew everyone. If anyone got sick, it was like neighbors were family. They helped each other. You could sit on the porch in the evening and talk across porches.”
Head enjoyed his time working for Meadors.
“The owner (of Meadors’ Dry Cleaning and Laundry), Mr. Frank Meadors, was a fine man to work for,” Head said. “If I had a bad week on my route, he would give me a little extra, stating he didn’t want his help to go lacking. His son, Jack, was a good employer too.”
Henry Franklin Meadors, whom Head calls “Mr. Frank,” lived in Newton County all his life from 1893 to 1971. He founded Meadors’ Dry Cleaners and Laundry and ran it until retirement, passing the business on to his son, the late Jack Lee Meadors, born in 1928.
H. Frank Meadows was a member of the First Methodist Church of Covington, a Mason, a member of the Boy Scout Council, a recognized leader and business man, causing all to agree with Head that he was a fine man.
An example of Mr. Frank’s community caring came in spring 1942, when the city of Covington opened a cannery in the basement of a city-owned building on Usher Street and Mr. Frank allowed his laundry’s steam to be channeled into the cannery so that residents could process and save produce from their victory gardens.
Head said he only left the Meadors’ employ to work in the mill because of a higher salary.
“I was married; that takes extra money,” Head said. “A time-study job that set rates for salaries based on production costs came open, and I took it.”
Head believes wash-and-wear killed the laundry business, and that when there were mom-and-pop industries and trust between merchants, such as Meadors, and customers (who could leave their milk money in the bottle) it was a cleaner, more enjoyable time.
Linda Reynolds is a columnist for the Citizen. She is interested in stories about historical landmarks in Rockdale and Newton counties. If you know of a special story, place or event, e-mail her at [email protected] or call her at 770-483-7108, ext. 252.