Walking on streets of gold !

 Today Preacher Henry  Coley, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Cowpens, went home to be with the Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ! 

He is walking on the streets of gold, no more night, no more pain ... 

I can  just imagine .... him and my dad Preacher Gene Franklin hugging each other!  

This picture was from the 50th anniversary of the church in  2015. My dad, "Preacher Franklin" started the church in 1965 and  "Preacher Coley" took over in  1985 and pastored the  church for almost 37 years.  He will be missed by all (we are still missing my dad too)  

Cookies from aunt Emily's recipe

 We are taking these no bake Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge cookies to our Christmas Eve in Cowpens family Christmas party tonight.  Aunt Emily taught me how make these when I was a kid. She also taught me how to eat Hershey's chocolate bars with popcorn, but that is another story for another day!

Thankful for those who served our hometown of Cowpens

 Uncle Albert (Knot) Dorman served on the police force 

in Cowpens, SC in the 1960's  (pictured at left)  

Front Porch Photo on Sept 11 2021

 photo after Winnie's funeral , 

on the front porch of the Baggett homestead

Sept 11 2021 

Baggett siblings photo from Sept 11 2021

 Three remaining Baggett siblings at the old homestead on Sept. 11th 

Robbie (Baggett) Blackstock with her husband Joel

David Baggett 

Roxie Baggett (wife of the late Kelsea Baggett)  

Leslie Baggett with is wife Pam 

Celebrating the life of Winnie Baggett

 Collage by Amy Baggett York   

Celebrating the life of Winnie Baggett, 

 Many said she would be so happy to see this family get-together!  

Winnifred Marie Richardson Baggett (May 8, 1935 - September 4, 2021)

 Winnifred Marie (Richardson) Baggett of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was born May 8, 1935, in Mahaska, Kansas, and was reared in Dorchester, Nebraska, and met her Savior on September 4, 2021, in Houston, Texas.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Elden and Daisy May (Simpson) Richardson; her husband, Joel L. Baggett; son, John D. Baggett; and numerous brothers and sisters.

She leaves behind to mourn one daughter, Cindy (Tim) Franklin; two sons, Sam Baggett, and Carl (Sharon) Baggett; grandchildren, Joshua (Janelle) Franklin, Stephen (Leah) Franklin, Brandon(Rachel)Franklin, Talitha Cabrera, Kim (Doug) Alexander, Jesse Baggett, Airel (Haley) Baggett, Josie Baggett, Brandy McDonald, Jeremiah (Catie) Baggett, Joel (Betty) Baggett; 31 great grandchildren, 5 great-great grandchildren; brother, William D. “Shorty” Richardson; sisters-in-law, Robbie (Joel) Blackstock and Roxy Baggett; brothers-in-law, David (Jo Ann) Baggett, and Leslie (Pam) Baggett; many nieces and nephews, and a whole host of friends.

While predominately a homemaker, she was employed at Young’s Cleaners in Pine Bluff, and The Pasadena Citizen in Pasadena, Texas, where she formed lasting friendships with her work family. Her hobbies included traveling to visit family and friends, and collecting owls. She loved large get-togethers with family and friends, where she was always serving on the clean-up committee.

She was a faithful member of Victory Baptist Church.

Visitation will be 10:00 A.M. Saturday, September 11, 2021, at Ralph Robinson & Son Funeral Directors, 807 Cherry Street Pine Bluff, AR 71601, followed by a celebration of her life at 11:00 A.M., with Rev. Joshua Franklin and Rev. Bryan Torres officiating. Burial will follow at Good Faith Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to Open Door Baptist Church in Greensburg, PA, or Victory Baptist Church in Pine Bluff.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Winnifred Marie Baggett (Richardson), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

 

Memories are made of this...

 Memories were made here...if walls could talk....I was glad to see this old cotton mill is being renovated  instead of being razed.  Originally Clifton mill no. 3, it was destroyed by flood in the early 1900's then rebuilt and became Converse Cotton Mill (on US 29 between Cowpens  and Spartanburg). 

When her youngest child was old enough to go to school,  my mother went to work as the Converse Cotton Mill as a "spare". As a spare hand she had to show up for work each morning just in case they needed her that day, and if not, then she went back home.  A friend of the family took her and waited for her just in case he had to take her back home. 

 What a neat town Cowpens was back in the day!  When i was a kid, all the stores closed at 2 pm on Wednesdays, so folks could have time to make it to church that night.  Of course, all stores were closed all day on Sunday. 

Now after being closed down since the late 1970's, someone has purchased the property and is renovating the old mill  into 175 loft apartments.  The renovations will  cost about $50 million and should be finished in late 2022. 

Five Generations in one photo

 Cindy with her mom, Winnie, and niece Kim and great-niece Kendra 

with her baby girl...

this photo represents five generations

(picture taken at Airel's wedding)  

Celebrating 44 years of marriage today - Cindy and Tim

 Special memory from June 4 1977 as Cindy and I tied the knot

The wedding was in Chattanooga as i had to go to summer school to finish college.

our families traveled from South Carolina (mine) and Arkansas (hers) to be there for the wedding.

So many memories, God has blessed us with 44 years today! 

Memorial Day Tribute - "Thank You"

Converse Mill to be converted to 173 Loft Apartments by the end of 2022!

 So glad they did not tear this old mill down!  My mother started her working career as a stand by worker at the Converse Mill pictured here - on US 29 at the Pacolet River.   She had to show up each day to find out if they needed her to work  or not - if not, she went back home.  A friend of the family took her and brought her home each day.  She was glad when she was able to get a job at the Pentex Mill in Cowpens. She retired from there.   

from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal:  

After almost 50 years since operations stopped at the former Converse Mill along the Pacolet River, the site is being converted into 173 loft apartments.

The project has been in the works for the last several years but ran into some delays. Developer Britt Weaver said the $50 million project is set to be finished by December 2022.

"The deal was ready to close in 2019 and was HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) approved when the general contractor pulled out. So we had to start the whole thing over again," Weaver said. "It's been challenging and expensive but we got it done."

A chain-link fence is set up around the property and construction trailers are installed at the site. 

When developers announced the project in May 2017, it was scheduled to be completed by late 2018 or early 2019. The project, called Converse Mill Lofts, on Highway 29 received state income and historic tax credits.

read more at this link...

Congratulations to the newlyweds - Airel and Haley Baggett! March 27 2021

 

Five Generations in AR

What a great photo from the wedding of Airel and Haley Brooke Baggett on Saturday in Eureka Springs, AR - Cindy with her mom, Winnie, with Kim and Kendra and her baby -five generations in one photo 

Happy Birthday to our niece April ! (Born March 20)

 

Wishing a "Happy Birthday" to our niece April Logan Wyatt , pictured with her husband Robbie and daughters 

Hope you had a great day! 

Uncle James Darrell Rice, US ARMY during the Korean War

 My uncle James Rice  pictured in his Army uniform

He served during the Korean War. 

Aunt Robbie celebrated her 81st birthday !

Aunt Robbie celebrated her 81st birthday on Jan 3rd! 

 Jellies made by Susan Blackstock 

and gifted to Aunt Robbie and Uncle Joel 

Franks family photos from the past

 

On our last trip to Arkansas,  I took a picture of these photos of Uncle Bo and Aunt Dolores. These were photos of the original paintings by Dolores Franks, as noted on the back of each photo.  Jesse Gibson Franks, who we knew as Uncle Bo Franks, was the brother of  Cindy's grandmother, Mildred Franks Baggett. This painting was based on an old photo circa June 1969 when he received his Doctor of Education degree from Ball State University in Muncie IN.

The 2nd photo is from  a self portrait of Dolores, the original is a 12x18 acrylic painted from a photo at their wedding reception on March 3, 1973 in Taichung, Taiwan.  

Old Family Photos from Arkansas

 Photo from 1945 (as noted on the back of picture) 

"Aunt Phenie" Josephine (Franks) Stahl 

and her husband Aubrey E Stahl.

She was Mildred (Franks) Baggett's sister 

We spent time in AR last week and so glad 

that her daughter Peggy Granderson 

shared this photo with us 

By the dawn's early light and through the fight she stands

 

There She Stands

by Michael W. Smith

When the night
Seems to say
All hope is lost
Gone away
But I know
I'm not alone
By the light
She stands

There she waves
Faithful friend
Shimmering stars
Westward wind
Show the way
Carry me
To the place
She stands

Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands

There she flies
Clear blue skies
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands

When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands

We've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she stands

By the dawn's
Early light
And through the fight
She stands