Joe recalls that in the vicinity of these historic buildings in White House, there was a barber shop nearby. His granddad and other men in the neighborhood played checkers in the barber shop. He also remembers the red brick streets of Tyler. Joe - we still have some of those brick streets, but we've had to fight to save them! MLB

I just went on the tour of Tyler, Texas homes and etc. I spent many Summers in Tyler visiting and staying with my father's family. Would be fun to read what people remember as they grew up in Tyler. I remember so many wonderful events in all those summers.

I still have family there but only get back to Texas every 2 years or so. I looked at the railroad station and remembered the time my Uncle Dub and Uncle Gordon worked for the Cotton Belt. My aunts would either walk down to the Cotton Belt offices or drive down and then ride the train the short distance to the depot and get off and walk around town. Come back and catch a train going to the round house. Often times we would stand at the station and count the cars as they passed by.

What wonderful memories. The memories that I do have are very small and shadowy. A Christmas when I was around 4-5 and my grandfather making my wind up Crawling Doll crawl across the floor, which was 1X12 planks and very well worn. My grandmother's kitchen had the biggest table in the whole world, (at that time of my life anyway) with a whole passel of boys (my uncles) and one other girl (my aunt). These 'children' at that time were almost the same age as my mother. She was about 20 - 25 yrs. old and my father was 37 - 42 years old.

My grandfather smoked a pipe, and to this day I get flash backs when I smell Prince Albert Tobacco burning. I believe he was retired then, for he was always sitting in a rocker and Mamaw waited on him. She did her laundry outside in # 3 wash tubs and one summer she filled the tub and let me go 'swimming' in it.

My cousin, who is 18 months older than I am, was the only playmate I had there at the farm. She and I could roam anywhere we wanted as long as we didn't cross the road, an old red dirt one, or go past the back fence, where the woods were. Bears and Tigers lived in those woods we were told. We could get into some hair raising fixes too. We found that motor oil, which was kept by the case, made wonderful rich mud pies. We also found out that it was funny to put 'things' in Aunt Gracie's bed she would 'holler louder than a stuck pig' and never really knew we were responsible for the 'critter' in her bed. Uncle Jesse probably knew but kept his own council on the matter.

When we went to bed at night we washed our feet and walked to bed in gunny sacks so as not to get sand in the bed. I still try to keep my feet sand free now before I get in bed, even if I have had shoes on all day. (which is a rare occasion unless I have been out of the house)

Thank you again for your memories that triggered mine.

During World War II Camp Fannin was a reality in Smith County. Many young men came from all over the country. My Mother worked at the USO and regularly brought home a GI's wife who didn't have a place to stay. We enjoyed meeting these people and we really enjoyed the candy bars they brought us that weren't available in town. During this time I would catch a bus across the street from our house on the corner of Third and Sneed and ride to town for 3 cents - 6 cents after I was 12. I could then get a transfer and go to Fun Forest where I would spend a good part of the day with my friends swimming - then make the return trip. Other times I would go to the movie for 12 cents. I also made many trips to the Carnegie Library to check out books - the Janet Lambert books being my favorite. It still amazes me that I had the freedom to do those things when really just a child. No wonder I felt grown up when I left for Baylor University when I was 16 years old.