opinion
A few days ago I stood on the bridge over First Creek at Jackson and McCalla avenues to get a feel for the community as I knew it before urban renewal projects began. I visited three other intersections of my youth to visualize how things used to be, including a site in front of the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, Patton Street and Summit Hill across from Weigel's, and the corner across from the dog park at Summit Hill and Central.
'Snow' in the summertime
Each of the locations brought back memories of my youth. At the First Creek location I was reminded of the North Star Ice Co. on its west side that supplied ice to many households in the area. I often saw signs on the houses served by the company that let the ice salesman know if the homeowner wanted a 25-, 50- or 100-pound block.
Sometimes my neighbors let me earn a nickel or a dime by bringing them ice in my little red wagon. It was always a pleasant treat to be at the ice house and catch the snow shavings as the machine marked the huge blocks of ice so they could be chipped into the right size by an ice pick. That spray of snow into my cupped hands was a summer delight.
Behind me as I stood on the bridge was a large catalpa tree that was loaded down with what we called "Indian cigars." We were not allowed to use real tobacco but could puff on those things until we either got a sore throat or burning tongue. There were several apple trees on that tract as well, but the trees and brush were so thick I could not see if they were still there.
Western movies and the stockyards
When I stopped at the intersection of Willow Avenue and Central Street, that also brought back many memories. I thought of the Southern Railway spur line that ran by the ice house, paralleled the creek, divided Jackson and McCalla and ended near Willow and Central. That was the site of the Union Stockyards where farmers brought their cattle and hogs to be sold. The livestock was then loaded into cattle cars and shipped to market.
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There were large holding pens on both sides of Willow with lots of animals, and we often sat on the fence to watch them. That was less than two blocks from the Gem Theatre, where we had just seen a good Western, so a stop there enhanced our thoughts of the Old West and the exciting lives of cowboys.
After leaving the stockyard area, we usually walked up Campbell Avenue, a six-block street that ran between Willow and Jackson. During that walk we crossed one of the three trestles built by the railroad crossing the creek from that location to the Magnolia Avenue Bridge. Campbell Avenue had a number of houses and several businesses. At the east end of it at Kentucky Street stood Heiskell Elementary School.
As the plans for urban renewal advanced, people moved from that area and Heiskell School closed. Mount Calvary Baptist Church, which was at the corner of Jackson and Kentucky, also decided to relocate. After a fire, Tabernacle Baptist Church on Campbell was advised not to rebuild there.
Indeed, the old neighborhood as I knew it is gone.
Robert J. Booker is a freelance writer and former executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. He may be reached at 546-1576.
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July 14, 2020 at 04:14PM
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Urban renewal destroyed the old neighborhood | Opinion - Knoxville News Sentinel
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