First home was on a farm belonging to grandfather Dell Hamlin across the train tracks on Hwy 25 (Cumberland Falls Rd) in Faber, KY. Next farm over was the Harps, Norman and Naomi. We moved to the other side of the road on another Dell Hamlin farm beside Smith Cemetery when Debbie was 4. Debbie wanted to go play with Sonny and Tommy Harp one day, so she just crossed Hwy 25, went down through the fields, across the train tracks and on up to the Harp farm (about a mile). Naomi was able to report she was found since we had just had party line telephones installed. Debbie, Naomi and Geneva went to Ma and Pa Hamlin's farm (great-grandparents) when she was about 3 1/2 to pick grapes, and coming back the car got stuck on the railroad track. A train demolished the car, after we all got out (had to go back to grab my doll baby, I remember) but there were grapes smashed along the tracks for about a half mile. We did not have indoor plumbing in any of our houses in Corbin. I remember the outhouse for the house beside the cemetery was covered in morning glory vines, and there was always a lizard sunning on the fence post by the door. We did have a sink pump for water, and a coal stove for heat. I also remember going with my Daddy to Corbin to get blocks of ice for the refrigerator. We moved to Covington for one year when I was 5 (dad Fred chasing work, always selling something), and then we moved back to this house for first grade. I guess we had indoor plumbing in Covington, all I remember is that it was an apartment on the second floor of some old house, and I hated it. Brother Steve (age 2) fell down the steps one time. I also remember dad Fred coming up the sidewalk and it looked like he had a blue tie on, but it was a blue hula hoop over his shoulder for me. Loved that thing! First grade was in a four room school in Woodbine, KY, and my teacher was a great aunt. I remember Steve in his high chair at the cemetery house and I guess Geneva was ironing. Steve got a coat hanger hung in his eye, but we got it out without cutting his eyeball. He was trouble.
We moved a lot. Debbie lived on the old farm in Faber, then the one by the cemetery, one year in Covington, one year back in Faber, then one year (second grade) in Somerset, then 2 years on East Broadway in Louisville before we landed in Jeffersontown. Steve and I thought we had died and gone to heaven. JTown was pretty undeveloped then, and we had carpet, and our own bedrooms! Of course we had to share the bedrooms shortly after that when our cousins Sandra and Johnny Posey came to live with us. It was nice while it lasted though! One of many favorite memories - riding our bikes (or walking) up to the center of JTown on Saturday to Newkirks Drug Store, to spend our quarter on two fudge ripple ice cream cones (spinning on those stools at the counter like idiots) and a couple of comic books!
Steve and I also spent a lot of summers in either Tennessee or Corbin, KY, since both of our parents were working. We took the Trailways Bus to wherever we were going, and never gave a thought to the risk of two kids under 10 riding the roads. It was fun!
