In a message dated 5/23/2006 4:54:00 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
agschnozz@xxxxxxxxx writes:
Feeling a little inspired, I wrote a little essay about a tiny
community here in Iowa. I hope you enjoy it.
www.image66media.com
bottom of page, click on "Killduff - Disappearing History"
Ken, thank you for sharing your thoughts, impressions and images of family,
photography, life and little towns. As one who grew up or some might say was
"raised" in a small central Texas town I can relate to the passage of a way
of life that was so common 50 or 60 years ago. San Marcos was 10 or 12,000
people back then and the country folks thought of us as being city folks.
Guess we were. That may give some who really grew up in a big city a laugh.
Some of these places seem to fade back into the earth while a few of them
become tourist destinations as folks are drawn to the past . . . some to a
past
they knew and others to one unknown. For any who know the Austin/San Antonio
area, you probably know Gruene Hall, which 50 years ago was a beer joint and
dance hall that was where families in the area gathered on a Saturday night.
These were to a large extent the people involved in the agriculture industry
(small farms and ranches) and the entire family showed up for an evening of
fun and relaxation. Gruene Hall survives, however rather than families in
Chevy or Ford sedans or the pickups they depended on for their lively hood, it
is now big SUVs, luxury cars or perhaps the pristine pickup with a spotless
bed and high powered sound system, which carry folks from the big cities to
this once sleepy little village on the edge of the Guadalupe River. Traffic
used to be when you passed 4 or 5 cars while driving the few blocks through
town. Now there is a traffic jam most of the time on weekends.
I enjoy the occasional visit to the places which have survived and
transitioned as has Gruene. I also enjoy a visit to the ones which haven't
such as
Killduff. Each has transitioned, just in different ways. You don't have to
do
much poking around in the country to find folks whose way of life has not
changed nearly as much as yours has over the past 50 years or so.
It is interesting that regardless of the degree of transition, it appears to
me there is one constant in these little communities. It is best expressed
in your words:
"As unkempt as other parts of town were, the church showed signs of care and
attention."
This was and apparently still is an important part of these little
communities, many of which are struggling to survive, some of which have simply
surrendered to the passage of time.
Again, thanks for sharing your essay and your images. Thank you for the
journey in time. <[8^) Bill Barber
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