Oak Ridge days of old

Rear-view mirror

Fond images of an older Oak Ridge

by HELEN LEDFORD contributing writer Reprinted from our Oct. 19, 2012, issue

Memories of an older Oak Ridge linger in the minds of those born and bred here, and to them, our rich history is especially dear.

Oak Ridge Military Academy, in its pastoral setting for 160 years, is a great source of pride. And bragging rights are surely in order for the beautiful Old Mill of Guilford, in use for more than two centuries. Older residents, not totally thumbs-down on progress, nevertheless are prone to reminisce about “how it used to be,” and wish for the uncomplicated life of earlier days.

Traffic congestion on Highway 68 at one time was unheard of – there was no need of a traffic light. Farmers carried their grain to the old mill via horse and wagon. Cars were so scarce on the area’s main country roads that children with roller skates could whiz up and down on the asphalt pavement without a care.

According to resident Richard Watkins, it was once safe to lie down, ear to the road, and listen for the vibrations of an approaching car. Folks might see only two vehicles in a day, and one of those was the mailman’s!

A popular “watering hole” in close proximity to the military school was Carolina Lake, long since gone, as are many fields where prolific crops once grew.

We’ve come a long way since the first one-room school was erected on a plot of land near the present Oak Ridge Swim Club. Incredibly, that acreage was purchased in 1902 by Guilford County from Mr. John Benbow for the large sum of $20!

Social life here once centered totally around church and school activities. Families flocked to Oak Ridge Elementary Halloween carnivals, and Christmas programs which emphasized a Biblical theme.

Impromptu performances by traveling country musicians – who later claimed fame in Nashville – resounded in the old school auditorium. Proceeds from performances of Bill and Charlie Monroe, Grandpa Jones and others were kept in the desk drawer of the principal – a simple bookkeeping system.

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e Easter Horse Show was initially begun to raise money for the Methodist Church building fund. Eventually, the late Buster Linville would oversee the directing of horse show monies toward a new school gym.

Always a favorite was the footstompin’ Old Time Fiddler’s Convention on Easter Monday night, ably coordinated by Mr. Herb Redmon (now deceased), bringing pickers and fiddlers from near and far. Musicians vied for cash prizes as the competition lasted till way past midnight.

The grandstand at the elementary school playground, demolished several years ago, is recalled fondly as a community icon. It was built originally by Mr. Lan Blaylock at the corner of Beeson Road and Highway 150 West. Later, the rambling edifice was moved to the school for student and neighborhood ball games.

Lan’s son, our own Mr. Jack Blaylock, furthered the esteem of this, his birthplace, when he entered professional baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late ‘40s.

It is a known fact that, long before she became a glamorous screen idol, Ava Gardner was a visitor to our town. She had become a close friend of Jay Barefoot, a Stokesdale girl, who ...continued on p. 26