Cowpens memories - swimming at Rainbow Lake

 

Another great memory from my childhood,  we would go to Rainbow Lake to swim.  I am not sure what happened to this place! I read that it was closed for improvements in 1967 but then the county decided to NOT reopen it.   

Cowpens Memories... 1982 photo of Potter's General Store

I remember this place just like it is still open , but sadly it is just  a memory now.  So glad they did not tear the building down and it has been converted to loft homes for rent.  I bought a Christmas present for my wife there - believe it or not - it was an old fashioned "sifter" for flour. Hahaha 

 

10 year anniversary for Pastor Joshua Franklin( our son)

 Our son Joshua became senior pastor 10 years ago 

at Open Door Baptist in Greensburg PA 

Elden Fay Richardson circa 1912

 

This picture is from the about  1912  

Elmer Richardson and Elden Fay Richardson (father and son)

Elden was Cindy's Grandfather  - and father of  Winnifred Richardson Baggett.

 

one our favorite places to visit

 We met in college in TN and really enjoyed going to Cloudland Canyon with friends.   We have been back to visit the state park several times since moving to Georgia in 2007. Oh, and this is one my favorite pics from our youth! (My, how time flies)

 

Family cars - memories over the years 1980's decade

Well our Belvedere was on it's last legs by 1982. A friend from church had swapped out the V6 (slant six) engine with a good used V8 engine. This kept us going until we were able to purchase a brand new Plymouth Reliant K Car Station Wagon in 1982.  I think this is the only brand new vehicle we ever bought.  We took many trips to Houston(Pasadena) TX, and Pine Bluff AR and Cowpens SC over the  years. I remember one Christmas we drove from Pine Bluff AR to Cowpens SC after Christmas with a car full of toys, so many that we had to make a trip back to Cowpens to bring home the toys from my parents.  

 Our next vehicle (used) was a 1986 Plymouth Reliant K car sedan, yes I used to love Plymouths! I am not sure what year we bought this , but probably around 1990.  The only issue was the fuel sensor , it seemed to go out when it got too hot, since it was on top of the engine, and we carried an extra sensor in our glove box.. I can literally say we drove this one until it died as the transmission went out before we traded it in for another vehicle.  So I used our new car to push the old car over the main street bridge in Jacksonville, to turn it into the dealer. hahaha 

Family cars - memories over the years 1960's decade

 

Ford Falcon 1964

The first car that I drove was a 1964 Ford Falcon.  Favorite memories:  we use to pick up other family or friends to ride to church with us. One Sunday after church we drove home in a downpour and my dad drove through a large puddle of water and the water splashed all of us in the back seat (as the floorboard was rusted out) LOL!  Second memory, the gear shift was not working and if you stopped at a light or stop sign, you had to shift all the gears to get back to first gear. So being my smart self, I turned the corner too fast in downtown Cowpens, on the road going to Cowpens High. Too fast because if you slowed down too much, you had to stop completely and shift the gears to proceed.  But the Cowpens policeman did not like that explanation when he pulled me over, but thankfully he only gave me a warning. Oops  

Plymouth Belvedere 1964 

The second car I drove was our 1964  Plymouth Belvedere...We bought it used, but when I left to go to college, my parents decided I needed a car and allowed me to drive to college in Tennessee (all four  years) . They eventually signed the title over to me and this was our first car as a family (when Cindy and I got married in  1977)  Memories abound:  1st memory - Cindy's brother Sam stuffed tissue in the carburator so it would not start when we were leaving for our honeymoon. Being a mechanic, he was quick to repair it. hahaha I guess he paid us back by painting the car in AR one year.   This car had a slant six motor and was a very faithful car until we bought  a car in 1982.  (more to come)  

WW II 1944-1946 - Dad served his country in the U S Navy

 Thanks you, Dad, for your service to our country in WW II , U S NAVY, 1944-1946!

Gene Franklin is pictured on the last row,  6th from the left. 

Missing my mom on Mother's Day

 This year will be a  year of first.  Sunday May 12th was the first Mother's day without mom.  She is enjoying Heaven this year. 

Yes, that's me,  pictured with mom in 1956!

Just a little snow ... 2016 in Cowpens SC

 

This is one of my favorite photos of Cowpens, SC 

 Just a little snow storm back in 2016. 

 I think we are due for another one , what do you think?  

Cowpens and the aftermath of the tornado on May 18, 1969

 

This photo was posted by someone on facebook recently and really brought back vivid memories.  On May 18, 1969 we lived one block south of the grocery store, Cut Rate Grocery, which was leveled when the twister touchdown briefly. This was rebuilt on the same corner of Main Street (now a church building) and across from the gas station(recently a BBQ restaurant) 

 The post office and First Baptist Church, just a half block away, were not damaged.   We could hear the loud sound of wind (like a train) and I crawled under a bed in the middle  of the house, but our house was spared.  Several houses below us ,  towards the railroad tracks, had large oak trees toppled as the tornado passed over.  Needless to say , this was a very scary event and hopefully I will never be this close to a tornado again.

remembering those already in Heaven

C 

 Cindy and I took my mother to visit the grave of her son and my brother, Stephen Anthony. He lived only a few hours after birth on October 26,  1956.   He is buried beside our Grandpa and Grandma Franklin at Thompson Chapel Cemetery.   Sadly , he would have been 67 this October.  

Converse Mill Lofts opening soon

The old Converse mill in the photo on the left - brings back many memories.  My mother worked there for several years when I was a little kid.  And the two lane highway to Spartanburg was a bear! We only went 3-4 times a year to shop for Christmas, Easter, back to school clothes, etc. but if you were behind one of those old Ford T Models or trucks  , it would take forever to get there. 

Below is a picture of the remodeling at the mill. So glad they did not tear the building down. It is being converted into loft apartments now. 

Nice photo of the beautiful new windows , probably custom made. The website below gives more information for these apartments. 

 

"Memories like the corners of my mind"

Remembering Aunt Louise:

I ran across this photo from 2010, when my mom and dad went with us to Arkansas for vacation.  We were able to stop in Jefferson City TN on the way back to SC and visit with my mother's sister (Aunt Louise) .  She is in Heaven now (she died May 31st) and so is my dad(he died July 2018)  

We miss them both.  

"So it's the laughter,  

We will remember,  

Whenever we remember the way we were" 

Barabara Dorman Wilkie (1951 - 2017)

In memory of cousin Barabara Wilkie,  born August 28, 1951 , died January 03, 2017. Barabara was the daughter of my dad's sister, Ann Franklin Dorman.  Her OBIT as published in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal is below. 


BLACKSBURG, SC-- Barabara Dorman Wilkie, 65, of 200 West Carolina Street, Apt. B-4, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. 

Born in Fort Benning, GA, she was the widow of the late Keith Wilkie and daughter of the late Albert Dorman and Ann Franklin Dorman. She retired from textiles and was a member of Lighthouse Baptist Church. 

Surviving are a son, Charles Wilkie of Chesnee; a daughter, Annette Gardner and husband, Ronnie, of Blacksburg; a stepson, Richard Wilkie of Spartanburg; a stepdaughter, Candy Wilkie Abrams and husband, Robert, of Spartanburg; two sisters, Gloria Walker of Landrum and Dianne Pettit of Spartanburg; a stepsister, Maudine Wyatt of Cowpens; five grandchildren, Payton Wilkie, R. J. Gardner, Jamie Gardner, Brian Gardner and Don Wilkie; four step-grandchildren. 

The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 PM on Thursday, January 5, 2017 at Blakely Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, January 6, 2017 at Lighthouse Baptist Church with Rev. Grady Gregory officiating. Interment will be in Daniel Morgan Memorial Gardens. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Lighthouse Baptist Church, P.O. Box 547, Blacksburg, SC 29702. 

Letter from my grandmother dated July 22, 1969

As I mentioned in my previous post, my mom found this letter written to me by my grandmother Rice in July of 1969. 

It brings back lots of memories of my Mamaw Rice (Ethel Mae Allen Rice). She spent a few months in TN with my Aunt Louise's family when she was sick with cancer. 

I can't remember for sure, but I think I wrote her a letter and she was responding.  She was living with us when she passed away in our living room in 1970.  We tend to remember the way things were right before someone passes away, so it was nice to read this again and rekindle the good memories.  (Click each page to enlarge) 

Memory Lane - memories of a "PK"

Calvary Baptist Church celebrated its 50th anniversary last Sunday, October 11th, in Cowpens, SC.   When God planted this church in 1965, he used my Dad, Gene Franklin,  to start it and we met in this little store-front building owned by Mr. Robert Murph.   I cannot remember how many were there on the charter Sunday, but I do remember my mom and dad, my two sisters and myself.  I was 10 years old so I am not sure if I was old enough to be a "charter member" on the list.  




Back in 2010, I took the photo above and posted my memories of this "preacher's kid," growing up in Cowpens SC.  There are three posts about those memories on my family blog "Our Journey of Life" and you can click the links below to read them...

When God uses a man part one...

When God uses a man part two...

When God uses a man part three...

A four generation photo from the past

Four generations (photo from Sept 1954) 

Cindy on her dad's lap - Joel Layton (J.L.) Baggett, Jr. 

Mildred (Mam-ma) Lorena Franks Baggett (left) 

Josie Viola Kindrick Franks (great-grandmother)

Baggett Family Reunion June 14 2014

Video for Memorial Day: "Here's to the Heroes: A Military Tribute"

Thanks to my dad, Gene Franklin, and others who served our country in time of war. Dad was in the Navy from 1944-1946, during World War II. This video tribute sung for the Ten Tenors..."Here's to the Heroes"

Tracing our ancestry recently, we learned that one my grandfather Charles Clinton Franklin's brother Private John P Franklin was killed in action, Feb 19, 1919, during WWI.