Friday, July 3, 2009

OLD CHURCH IN DUNLAP, MISSOURI

I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS CHURCH IS STILL STANDING. IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE I HAVE BEEN TO DUNLAP, MISSOURI. DUNLAP WAS ONCE A RAILROAD TOWN AND HAD A DOWNTOWN AREA, A HOTEL, SALOON, BANK AND OTHER BUSINESSES. I FIRST RECALL THE DUNLAP OF THE 40S AS A SMALL CHILD. IT WAS NO LONGER A RAILROAD TOWN. THE RAILROAD DETOURED BACK IN THE 1920S, BUT THE OLD TOWN BUILDINGS STILL REMAINED. CLOSED AND IN DISREPAIR, I RECALL LOOKING THROUGH THE BOARDED WINDOWS AND SEEING OLD TELLERS CAGES, BARBER CHAIRS AND VARIOUS ITEMS. IT LOOKED LIKE THE TOWN SHUT DOWN IN ONE DAY AND EVERYONE GOT ON THE LAST TRAIN AND LEFT TOWN. IT WAS A FASCINATING SIGHT, THOSE OLD BUILDINGS. THERE WAS A BOARD WALK THAT HAD BEEN BUILT ABOVE THE STREET LEVEL TO SERVE AS A SIDEWALK. AT THAT TIME, I STILL HAD ONE ELDERLY COUSIN AND HIS SON WHO LIVED IN THE OLD HOTEL. THE TOWN BURNED IN THE EARLY 50S. IT WAS SAD. UNTIL THE EARLY 60S, THERE WAS ONLY ONE WATER SUPPLY, THE TOWN PUMP.

HOW DO I KNOW ALL OF THIS. WELL, I SPENT MANY WEEKENDS IN THE SUMMER IN DUNLAP WHEN MY UNCLE JIM AND AUNT DOROTHY DROVE FROM KC TO DUNLAP TO VIST HIS BROTHER, FRANK. THE OLD CHURCH WAS NEVER LOCKED AND MY COUSINS AND I USED TO ENTER AND PRACTICE ON THE PIANO. I LEARNED TO PLAY GOSPEL SONGS BY EAR IN THAT OLD CHURCH. I ALSO PLAYED A PRETTY GOOD RENDITION OF "THE TENNESSEE WALTZ." MANY MEMORIES OF OLD DUNLAP AND COUSINS, FARMERS, LOCAL FARMERS, FISHING STORES, PANTHER STORIES, HAULING WATER TO AUNT RUBY'S FROM THE TOWN PUMP. THERE WERE OLD JUNK CARS HERE AND THERE, A GREAT BIG TOY FOR US KIDS WHO WERE NOT YET DRIVING. BUT SPEAKING OF DRIVING, ONE OF MY COUSINS, GEORGE, HELPED ME PRACTICE MY DRIVING BY LETTING ME DRIVE HIS CAR FROM DUNLAP TO HIGHWAY 6, THE HIGHWAY THAT HAD THE 4 MILE SIGN. FOUR MILES TO TRENTON FROM DUNLAP. THESE ARE MERELY RANDOM THOUGHTS, IMAGES, RAMBLING, UNEDITED THOUGHTS, JUST A FEW MEMORIES I RECALL AS THIS FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND BEGINS. YES, WE USED TO SPEND THE 4TH OUT IN DUNLAP. PIN WHEELS, FOUNTAINS. BINGO GAMES UNTIL 2AM. GOOD TIMES REMEMBERED. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL WHO READ THIS SLICE OF LIFE IN AMERICA DURING THE 40S AND 50S

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