|
Willene tells Jonathan about life in Glendale. |
Interview with February, 2001 |
Glendale Mill today. |
At
the early age of thirteen she went to work in the Glendale mill and says she
didn’t get paid for the training. She
often spoke of her brother who also worked in the mill. She has a check stub that shows he made
$9.95 a week. She says they would
threaten and yell at the workers all of the time, saying they weren’t working
hard enough. It was the hardest job she
can ever remember. It was a hot place
to work. You could not raise the
windows for it would mess up the thread.
At one point Willene went to work in the Company Store, which she said
she thoroughly enjoyed because she loved talking to people. She made $12.95 a week working in the
store. She thought a lot of her father
who also worked in the mill, starting when he was eight.
Willene
said Glendale was a good place to live.
You never had to lock your doors; you could leave them open all night
and no one would ever bother you. The
mill owned all the houses in Glendale and rented them out for $1.50 a
week. The electricity and water were
free.
Willene
and her family lived on Mill Street, which is now called Douglas Street. It was the only street with a water
pump. All the other streets just had a
well. She can recall when Glendale used
to be known as Bivingsville and she was told it was called Pinpoint before
that. Willene was reared in Glendale
and she also brought up her children there.
Now eighty-one years young, she and her husband still live in Glendale.
Willene had some confederate money she shared with Jonathan. The horn Jonathan is holding in the picture is a dog caller.
“I really enjoyed talking to
Willene”--Jonathan
|
Willene talking to Jonathan about places in Glendale. |
Willene showing the horn called a dog caller. |
Jonathan looking at Confederate money. |
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