Independence Day

Yesterday was the 4th of July. We knew we were going to Ruth Ann's for a BBQ in the evening, but we had some time to kill and all of the museums were closed for the holiday. So we made the 75 mile trip to Newton, Mississippi where my dad grew up. I loved it, the boys are always pretty good sports (although they kind of have to be since I'm the one paying for this trip), and my sister, and the rest of the family tolerated the side trip.

Newton is a small town that hasn't changed over the years, and Joe commented that it was similar to Radiator Springs in the movie Cars. Downtown was pretty run down and the newer stores like Walmart were on the outskirts of town near the Interstate. I asked my dad which of the buildings looked the same or were still in business. He pointed out the Rexall Drugstore and the Roxy Theater. He also pointed out that his Uncle Stanley's law office was on the second floor of the brick building.


Our first stop was the house my grandma lived in and where many of my dad's younger brothers and sisters grew up. I remember visiting my grandma as a kid and thinking this was the coolest old house. I remember wood floors, a porch with a swing, the bathroom with an old tub, the old fashioned door knobs, and lots of stairs going down to the back yard which was down a hill. When we got to the house, it looked like the current owners were having a party. There were several cars parked in the yard and a beat up old Pontiac GT that did not look like it was in working condition. We were all standing outside in the street and I was taking pictures of the house. There were two signs on the door: NO TRESPASSING and BEWARE OF DOGS. While I was taking pictures, a man came out and asked if I was interested in buying his car. I explained the reason we were there, and he let me walk around  in the yard to take some photos. I wasn't brave enough to ask if we could see the inside of the house though.

Next we went to the cemetery where my great grandparents, grandparents and a number of their children were buried. We saw the headstone of Eloise, my dad's sister who died at the age of two when my dad was only five years old. We also saw the youngest brother Tommy's grave. He had Down's Syndrome and died when he was ten and I was just a baby. There were other gravestones of the Majure family that marked my dad's aunts and uncles. I didn't know much about them, but my dad though started talking when he got there and told me more as we looked at the markers.


Farther down a hill in another area were the graves of three of my uncles. Uncle Bob who died in a motorcycle accident when he was stationed in Japan. He left behind a wife (Sachiko) and two children (Bill and Tamiko). I remember my Uncle Bob and his family and I remember how sad it was when he died. He was only 33. Right next to his grave is a place for my aunt Sachiko when she passes. My Uncle Glenn's grave is also there who died in 1993 and my Uncle Martin who passed away in 1997. Each person has their own story and I'm hoping to learn and understand as much as I can about their lives.

Where my dad's house once stood

Across the road from the cemetery was a church and also the place where the house my dad grew up once stood. It was sold or traded (my dad wasn't sure) for the house I remember. We drove over to the area; the house that was across the street from my dad's house was still standing. My dad told me he used to compete with the boy who lived in the house to see who got the highest scores on their spelling tests. He also explained that this house was the last house in the "white" part of town. Further down the road only African Americans lived. It was a segregated town back then, and my dad lived in a poorer part of town judged by how close it was to the border between the two "districts."

The house across the street

As we left town, we stopped at the abandoned Ford's Ice Cream building where my dad worked as a teenager. The building was primarily a manufacturing plant, but they had a little shop where my dad was a soda jerk. I walked around the building and saw that there were many broken windows and open doorways near the loading dock in the back. Although I was tempted to climb inside and look around, I knew that this kind of stuff didn't really interest the rest of the party and they were ready to leave town. So I snapped some photos and climbed back into the air conditioned car for the drive back to the hotel.

 At Ruth Ann's we shared what we had seen with everyone and listened to the different stories. Earlier I had looked through several photo albums that Ruth Ann had of memorabilia from the family. I got to see photos of my dad as a young boy and read letters from different brothers. I love this stuff.

It was too dry for fireworks, so the boys didn't get to experience backyard fire crackers. They did however get the experience several years ago when we were in Idaho, so it wasn't a great disappointment. David and Zach got to ride Billy's 4-wheel ATV which was fun, but Zach was trying to go faster and didn't know how to shift! The younger ones went out looking for lightning bugs, but weren't able to catch any. When I went outside, I was astounded at the night sounds. There was a chorus of frogs croaking and crickets chirping. It was really loud. No seriously, I mean it was really loud. Really!

on the way to Ruth Ann's

Although we didn't get to shoot any fireworks, we did get our own 4th of July display on the way back to the hotel.  A thunderstorm was starting as we were leaving Ruth Ann's. The ground was so hot that when the rain hit the road it turned to steam and it was like we were driving through fog. The flashes of lightning were spectacular, lighting up the road and making it look like daylight. Some flashes were so bright that we said it was like a camera flash and that God was taking pictures of us.


Today is a kick back day with my sister and family. We are going to a sports museum, and bowling.