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Porterdale Mill on the Yellow
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Porterdale Mill on the Yellow
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| From: doris & pete patterson <[email protected]> Date: 9/27/2005 8:51:50 PM The 2005 Porterdale 3rd Family Reunion Who says "you can't go home again"? I did yesterday, I went home to Porterdale. Thank you Porterdale and my childhood/boyhood Porterdale friends and the Porterdale friends I made yesterday on the softball field right beside the site of our 'ole High School, for welcoming me home to Porterdale. The gathering was billed as the Third annual Porterdale reunion but in reality it should have been called The 2005 Porterdale Family Reunion because we all seemed like family as we met, hugged and swapped stories about growing up right around there on the ball field, in the school buildings and all around town. I know some of you that I reminisced with yesterday about the "good 'ole days" I had not seen in 50 years but standing there holding your hand it seemed like only last week we were down on the ball field playing a game of push up. A few minutes before 1:00 PM I drove down Broad street past the ball field and fire station and turn left between where the two school buildings stood toward my old home at 1 Poplar. I knew I was not supposed to turn behind the fire station and back of Bud Berry's house and drive up on the ball field because I knew B. C. would know and be frowning. Low and behold the first person I saw was B. C. sitting under the tent looking right at me. I immediately stopped and backed in between the first car and the light pole and parked just right of the first base foul line and definitely not on the field proper. I sat there for ten to twelve minutes trying to locate someone I recognized besides B. C. I finally decided I'd have to go over to the tent and introduce myself. As I walked up to the sign in table, the lady in front of me said," I know you, you are Kate's boy". And for the next three hours I was Kate's boy, Archie's son, sonny boy , pee wee and all the other names one picks up when you are born and raised in Porterdale, Georgia down Hwy. 81 on the banks of the Yellow River. Now that I've said all of that allow me to introduce myself, My name is Harvey Glenn Patterson (and I know if we are not really relatives you will not know me by that name). I am the son of Kate and Archie Patterson. I was born 24 July 1933 on Walnut Street and grew up in 1 and 3 Poplar Street until I graduated High School in 1950 in the First Newton County High School Class and went off to Georgia Military College. After graduating from the Univ. of GA in 1954 I married Doris Garner from Dallas Georgia and we went off to the Army. It seems like ever since I have spent the rest of my life attempting to explain to people all over the world what it was like growing up in a Mill Village called Porterdale. They never understood what I told them. They had this preconceived concept of a mill village and never believed me. We stood around and sat around yesterday reminding each other what life was really like growing up there. These were the things I tried so hard to explain all those years, how year round there were paint crews that painted the houses inside and outside, how there were crews that planted flowers, shrubbery and grass and maintained it year round. How my mother would leave the house to work on the first shift discover a couple of boards were loose on the back steps and report at the office on the way to work and someone would fix it that day or the next. Not to mention our courageous policeman who gave a speeding ticket to the Governor's chauffeur with the Governor in the back seat. We had two great old school buildings and the greatest group of teachers that could be found. And when I told people that our teachers visited our homes about once a month to keep our parents advised about our progress no one believed it. It was great remembering all of this yesterday! About a year ago after our Newton High School Class finished our monthly breakfast and I went out to play a round golf with one of our classmates that was not from Porterdale. He told me how he had always been envious of all of us from Porterdale. I asked how he could be envious of us because we had been rather poor all our growing up years but he said very emphatically "Yes but you always had each other and you still do!" You know he was right and he is still right today! That was proven time after time yesterday as we renewed old friendships and the good times of growing up in Porterdale. I stood on the ball field and looked up at Poplar street and thought of my youth and standing all around me were Dottie, Judy, Jo Ann, Royce, Boyce, Helen, Patsy, Gene, Lousier and several others that had grown up right there on Poplar Street. What a day, what a day! I know I have rambled on and on trying to put all these feelings and thoughts into words someone might understand. But those of you that were at Home in Porterdale yesterday understand what I have tried to relate. Those of you that were not there must make a special effort to come Home and join us the next time that Nadia, Kay, Bo and the rest of the crew put this gathering together again. Thank you Nadia, Kay, Bo and the whole crew for a job well done. Glenn "Pete" Patterson |