(Transcript continues)
INTERVIEWER: You were born right in Snow Hill?
HARRIET: Yes, in Snow Hill. They didn’t have the streets named back then but it’s called, now it’s called Mason Street.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
(Inaudible speech.)
INTERVIEWER: Okay so you were born in Snow Hill. What sort of work were your parents doing?
HARRIET: Well my father worked (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: What was your mother’s maiden name?
HARRIET: Bennett.
INTERVIEWER: Where did you go to school?
HARRIET: Here in.
INTERVIEWER: Alright was there a colored school here in Snow Hill?
HARRIET: Yes, the colored school used to be over here but they burned it down about 3 years ago.
INTERVIEWER: Over on (inaudible name) street.
INTERVIEWER: Over on (inaudible name) street.
HARRIET: No not (inaudible speech) Collins Street (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: Alright do you remember any of your teachers’ names?
HARRIET: Mr. Jackson (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: You had men teachers?
HARRIET: Men (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: Did you have chores to do since you were in town? Did you have your own garden?
HARRIET: We had chores to do. I always helped cook and the others after school they got the wood in (inaudible speech) get the eggs and shelled the corn to feed the chickens with (inaudible speech). Then they had their dinner. After dinner you got your bath. And then after your lessons you went to bed.
INTERVIEWER: Then it was time to get up the next morning and start all over again. Were your parents very conscientious about seeing that you did your lessons and your homework?
HARRIET: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: How long did you go to school?
HARRIET: (Inaudible speech) that was as far as they went at the time.
INTERVIEWER: Where did you go to church?
HARRIET: Right here (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: Okay Ebenezer. Was your family active in church?
HARRIET: Well yes I used to (inaudible speech).
INTERVIEWER: Oh you did.
HARRIET: (Inaudible speech) and I used to do a little substitute teaching. Just a little. (Inaudible speech.)
INTERVIEWER: What do you remember about downtown Snow Hill when you were growing up? You know the hotel was there. Was the hotel there?
HARRIET: Yes, hotel (inaudible speech) hotel was what it was called and Dryden’s store (inaudible speech) and (inaudible speech) Miss (inaudible name) had a store before him and Sanford’s Meat store. They don’t have that anymore.
INTERVIEWER: No. Was that where Mr. Herrick was?
HARRIET: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Cause didn’t they have a sausage recipe?
HARRIET: Yes, Sanford’s had.
INTERVIEWER: He had the sausage and then Mr. Herrick made some sausage after that.
HARRIET: He did but I don’t know whether he got Sanford’s because he wouldn’t do it anyway. I don’t know whether he got Sanford’s or not.
HARRIET: But I can remember. I know they used to carry Johnson’s sausage and there used to be that hotel down going across the bridge (inaudible speech). There was a hotel boarding house or something.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Since you worked in the hotel down here, you’d know the Purnell Hotel from when you were …
HARRIET: That’s where you were.
INTERVIEWER: Right, yeah. Did they have a saloon or anything in there or bar?
JOHN: They had a bar in the pool room.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
JOHN: It was in the pool room. Then they had a restaurant. Like a restaurant then a counter and you could sit to the counter or you could sit to the restaurant. All they served there was beer because I used to have to be there at 5:00 in the morning cleaning (inaudible word) doors solid brass and sweep the (inaudible word) off. I had a call sheet. Like a traveling salesman would come through, wanna get up early. The first thing I had to do when I went in there was look at the call sheet. See what time he wanted to get up and so that was my job. Then after I did that and got the (inaudible word) doors (inaudible speech) that was brass.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, that was brass.
JOHN: I had to do that and get everything all cleaned up in there. Then I had to go back in the kitchen cause I washed dishes and I did the shopping. Right to the, where the drugstore is now that was the A&P. That was the grocery store. Was it an A&P or … ?
HARRIET: Acme.
JOHN: Acme.
HARRIET: One was Acme, one was A&P.
JOHN: There were two, weren’t there?
HARRIET: Yes, there were. Acme and then A&P.
INTERVIEWER: A&P was where the Health Department used to be?
HARRIET: Yes, that was A&P.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, I remember a postcard. I remember that. (Laughter.)
JOHN: (Inaudible speech.) It got to the point every Thursday where the sheriff was supposed to be off and there wasn’t nobody to take his place. So Mr. Jack. We called him Jack. He says I want to teach you something. I say what. He says come out here and he showed me how to do this and how to do that. And he would do a ham and a leg of lamb and show me how to take the slices and everything and how to (inaudible speech).
NTERVIEWER: You make a sandwich.
(Inaudible speech.)
JOHN: And so every day he used to school me on that until I was able to do it. So one day Mr. (inaudible name) come in there.
INTERVIEWER: Now who was Mr. (inaudible name)?
JOHN: Mr. (inaudible name) was the owner. (Inaudible speech.)
INTERVIEWER: So this Mr. (inaudible speech), was her husband.
JOHN: Yes (inaudible speech). Said you ain’t had no time off. What you gonna do. He said I got somebody to replace you and he says who and he says John. He says John. (inaudible speech) And I had oh I had nerve then. (Laughter.) (Inaudible speech) Cause we had all those you know those caps they wear.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah those white hats and everything.
JOHN: His head’s a little bit bigger than mine (inaudible speech) Miss. (inaudible name) took a couple of them caps home and fixed em up to my size and (inaudible speech) and we got along fine. And it’s just something that you have to learn.
INTERVIEWER: Right, and you have to watch and do.
JOHN: You have to watch. Lots of things people think is hard to do (inaudible speech), but it’s the idea of getting the hang of it. Seeing how it operates. How it’s done.
INTERVIEWER: And be willing to take the chance.
JOHN: That’s right.
(Full interview can be viewed at link below:)
https://worcesterlibrary.libguides.com/Oral_History_Folklife/
