The most vivid memory is the trains that stopped at the crossing of First Street and stayed there for hours frustrating through traffic. This short cut to the north side caused people to find other ways of getting around-such as driving down Lomb Avenue around Loveman’s village or taking on 6th Avenue South toward town.
In particular, I remember people crossing over the couplings between the rail cars and the shotgun houses near the tracks that could hear the trains day and night with the “shaking” that inevitably took place with their passing.
I remember the insurance people who would visit people house to house. It seems they are almost all white and they came in twos like Jehovah’s witnesses, to back each other up, I guess.
I remember the people who lived in the shotgun houses on Iota. We had a widowed member in one of them and another lady who I visited who was a hoarder and needed help with food from time to time.
I remember the fun of Loveman’s Village where our church would hold Vacation Bible School during the summer and over 100 children would be attending. We never seemed to have enough supplies for all of them, so sharing was the name of the game. I remember Mrs. Love, the Director there.
I recall coaching a basketball team of 11–13-year-olds in Loveman’s Village where we would play there and teams at other housing project gyms. Borrowing a VW from the Pastor at the time, I would pack 6-7 boys in that small car which was not even a van!
I remember being followed by white guys in a truck who were shouting at me on Sixth Avenue until I pulled off to 2nd Street South and they sped off.
I remember driving a group of kids around Titusville when the Birmingham Police would spot me, turn their lights on and I would have to stop and show them my out of state license. Not that I was speeding, but that I was white, talked like a Yankee and was helping in the Black Community. I was at first scared, but eventually got used to it.
When I returned to Birmingham so 10 years later, I missed a light on Lomb Avenue. When the police saw it and turned their siren on I instinctively reached for my wallet! Fortunately, he let me off with a warning I think because I was wearing a clerical collar!
I remember one could walk out the door of the church (St. Paul Lutheran) and there would be children all over the place in the neighborhoods!
I remember doing grunt clerical work at the church in the 60’s sending mail and newsletters (fold, stuff, seal and put on address labels) regarding information about Mass Meetings for the local clergy, events, and civil rights organizations at the time (1965-66).
I remember the little Titusville kids liked to touch my hair because it was different than theirs; how kids would put cream on “ashy legs and elbows”, see them put peppermint in big pickles and talk about “cold drinks” when I knew them as “sodas”. To me a cold drink had to do with water!
I remember when 6th Avenue was always flooded with cars trying to get to the West End after work hours. It was hectic!
I remember going to a shop on 6th Avenue and the barber doing his best to cut my hair!
I remember going to Bowman’s after youth events and buying the kids soft drinks.
I remember Mrs. Lockett, whose house was at the corner of 2nd Street and 5th Avenue, seemingly going out every morning to sweep in the street around her residence.
I remember the Ullman/Parker football and basketball games and what a rivalry it was as well as going to Legion field to watch other High School teams play.
These are some of my memories….
Rev. Thomas R. Noon, Parish Worker at St. Paul Lutheran from 1965-66 and Pastor of St. Paul from 1976-2008.