Visiting 517 West Main

It was a straight walk-way lined with moss roses and boxwood that led from the porch to the street. Never a sprig of grass could be found among the plants and the profusion of color was constant from early spring until frost. To the side of the house was the rose garden, continuing the riot of color and spotless ground cover between the rows of thorny plants. The perfume coming from the flowers was attractive to bees and butterflies and even a rare hummingbird-and certainly to those who walked in the yard or sat on the porch in the evening. There was always a vegetable garden just above the roses. Spring brought the smell of freshly plowed soil and late afternoons of planting all sorts of vegetables: corn, beans, butterbeans, beets, squash, onions, tomatoes. Potential abundance was foremost in mind when the planting was finished, because preservation of all extras must be made for later use. Every afternoon was spent chopping and weeding to give the plants every opportunity for growth and optimum moisture. At the back of the garden was the hen house and fenced chicken yard. The words “free-range” had never been heard at that time, but that’s what it was! Fresh eggs were abundant. A big red rooster was the intimidating factor among the hens, so little people were rarely asked to gather eggs! That job was delegated to the adults!


The yard at 517 West Main was the community play ground. Children were always welcome. In summer they played tag beneath the street light on the lawn, rolling and tumbling in the freshly mown grass until well past dark. In the fall, they tumbled in piles of raked leaves. In the winter, they built snow fortresses and constructed snowmen, playing until clothes were soaking wet and fingers and toes red and stiff with cold. Hopscotch was always a favorite whether it was drawn in the sand or in chalk on the sidewalk. Skating on the public sidewalk was allowed as long as the children never went beyond the streets identifying the “block”. Many skinned knees and elbows were repaired as a result of skating! Jumping the concrete expansion joints was especially challenging, and learning to stop forward motion was a major educational experience.

The end of World War II occurred at 517 West Main Street. The steps at the end of the walk-way provided an unbelievable spot for observing the sights and sounds that followed the announcement that fighting had stopped. The street was a main thoroughfare through town, and for days, it was inundated with cars blowing horns, people shouting from open car windows, and sirens blaring-- day and night.

President Franklin Roosevelt died during this time. The railroad track where his casket was transported from Augusta to Washington was only a few blocks from 517 West Main, and people gathered on the bridge to watch the flag-draped train slowly make its way down the track. A silent reverence existed; only the moving wheels along the track could be heard.