This is a blast from the past....
I was six years old when my mother and I stood in the huge crowd of people filling the town and surrounding the First Methodist church.
Our town was small... I am not sure but in 1940 there were probably around 8,000-10,000 people living inside the city limits.
One of those families were the Bankheads. William Brockman Bankhead was just one of that family to become politicians, well-known ones at that! He was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1936 til his death in 1940.
I am finally getting to the part that caused the 'biggest crowd' in Jasper, up til that time.
Bankhead was a huge supporter of President Roosevelt's New Deal. When Will Bankhead died, his body was brought back to Jasper from D. C. on a train. And, being the Speaker of the House.. almost all of Washington D. C.'s senators and representatives came to the funeral. As well as the President!
We know that President Roosevelt was crippled. The front door of the Methodist church was up a flight of steps so the town got busy and built a ramp up level with the door so that the President could exit his car without any problem. They figured the driver would just back down, then when the funeral was over he could drive back up the ramp to get the President. But, no... President Roosevelt said, "I never back down for anything or anybody" so at the last minute men got hammer and nail and continued the ramp forward on down to the street.
The crowd as I said, was crushing. My Mom and I were standing there at the side of the church when somehow I got separated from her. Being six, I was scared. I'd lost my Mommy. But, the Boy Scouts were helping with crowd control and one of them quickly found my mom for me.
It was quite a day. These pictures were recently shared on a hometown facebook site and it brought back so many memories. I just wanted to share it with you. Oh, by the way, William B. Bankhead was the father of the, I guess you'd say, notorious actress Tallulah Bankhead.
I was six years old when my mother and I stood in the huge crowd of people filling the town and surrounding the First Methodist church.
Our town was small... I am not sure but in 1940 there were probably around 8,000-10,000 people living inside the city limits.
One of those families were the Bankheads. William Brockman Bankhead was just one of that family to become politicians, well-known ones at that! He was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1936 til his death in 1940.
I am finally getting to the part that caused the 'biggest crowd' in Jasper, up til that time.
Bankhead was a huge supporter of President Roosevelt's New Deal. When Will Bankhead died, his body was brought back to Jasper from D. C. on a train. And, being the Speaker of the House.. almost all of Washington D. C.'s senators and representatives came to the funeral. As well as the President!
We know that President Roosevelt was crippled. The front door of the Methodist church was up a flight of steps so the town got busy and built a ramp up level with the door so that the President could exit his car without any problem. They figured the driver would just back down, then when the funeral was over he could drive back up the ramp to get the President. But, no... President Roosevelt said, "I never back down for anything or anybody" so at the last minute men got hammer and nail and continued the ramp forward on down to the street.
The crowd as I said, was crushing. My Mom and I were standing there at the side of the church when somehow I got separated from her. Being six, I was scared. I'd lost my Mommy. But, the Boy Scouts were helping with crowd control and one of them quickly found my mom for me.
It was quite a day. These pictures were recently shared on a hometown facebook site and it brought back so many memories. I just wanted to share it with you. Oh, by the way, William B. Bankhead was the father of the, I guess you'd say, notorious actress Tallulah Bankhead.
What an exciting event in your city, and interesting about FDR and the ramp and his comment. I am reading my second book about the heroic Winston Churchill and the war, and how he courted FDR to get the USA to help Britain. In 1941 FDR got Lend Lease Act passed, a big win for the fight against Hitler.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful memory post!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMore please! And they don't even have to be about famous people. We who are older, really should write down many of our memories. Lest they be lost forever. -smile-
And ahhhhhhh, Tallulah Bankhead! Haven't heard that name in a long time.
And look, I looked up a page, with many of her quotes. They are so great!!!!
One of them.... "They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum."
She must have been a hoot!!!
She was born in 1902, so she must have been at the funeral too. Did you ever see her?
No, I did not... least that I remember. I was a pretty small kid back then. Oh, and I have tons of memories.
DeleteHow interesting and thank you for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I was born in 1939. I never did get to meet the President, but I'm glad to hear that you did. BTW, Shirley Temple was born April 23, 1928. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteHow amazing! It's wonderful to get to see old photos that show up on the internet now. You're making me want to do a search for my hometown! Have a good week sweet lady!
ReplyDelete