Remembering Who I Am & Where I Came From: Bluefield, VA & WV

I may be a full-time traveller now, but I always remember where I’m from & growing up there was full of great memories.  I just watched a wonderful video about Bluefield VA & WV.  It has me feeling nostalgic & wanting to share my roots. 

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Bluefield, VA

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Bluefield, VA is where you would have found my family.  My mom’s parents, Robert & Elizabeth Compton, called it home.  Robert served in the military & retired from National Electric Coil in Bluefield, WV.  My grandmother owned & operated Elizabeth’s Beauty Shop on Virginia Avenue for 60+ years. 

“Nanny & Pappy,” as I called them, were a staple in our lives & I loved them both.  Pappy was quiet & worked hard every day keeping everything just so.  I learned my love for order from him.  Nanny worked hard, too.   Her beauty shop was busy & everyone in town knew her.  She always had a driver’s license, but I never once saw her drive!   My mom would “take her to town” every Monday to run errands & pay bills.  This was always a highlight.  We would eat out for both breakfast & lunch, go shopping & Nanny always spoiled me. 

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My father’s parents, Ambrose & Nellie Gills, lived in the same house on Olney Avenue in Bluefield, VA until they both passed.  Ambrose was a retired accountant & Nellie a retired elementary school teacher.  Grandmother Gills gave me books to read, including her old teaching books.  Grandaddy Gills told jokes & played Chinese Checkers with me.  They encouraged me to get an education & better my life. They were “good people” & loving grandparents.  

Every time I visited Grandmother & Grandaddy Gills house, we would have the same meal.  Grandaddy was the cook & his beef & potatoes were the best.  We had iced tea to drink & usually pears for dessert.  Grandaddy loved Wheel of Fortune & we ate vanilla ice cream while watching it at night.  He also attended church at the local Presbyterian church & walked down the hill there each week. 

Grandmother Gills was so proud of her red rose bushes in the yard.  I remember watching her cut them & how good they smelled.  Their washing machine was in the basement.  They had one of the old-fashioned types with rollers and a washboard, which both fascinated me.  They were humble people who enjoyed the simple things.  

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Bluefield, WV

Bluefield, WV is where my family moved right before my senior year of high school.  It was a huge change for me, going from a class of 30 to a class of 300.  I graduated from Bluefield High School (Go Beavers!) and continued my education at Bluefield State College, now a university. 

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After graduating college, I began my library career at Craft Memorial Library in downtown Bluefield, WV.  I drove the bookmobile around mountainous Mercer County.  I have fond memories of my time working there, the people I met & the experience of bringing the library to people who couldn’t travel to it. I am so grateful to Library Director Nancy Moore for taking a chance on me. 

You see so many of the places I love in the video above.  Over East River Mountain was where I drove in Driver’s Ed!  I don’t know how our instructor, Mr. Kegley, survived all of those years with teenagers behind the wheel. 

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Mercer Mall is a place I knew well.  I worked there throughout college at Claire’s Boutique selling accessories & piercing ears. 

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Railroad Towns

The railroad was a part of your life no matter on which side of the state line you lived.  It was across the street from Nanny’s beauty shop.  It was in front of Bluefield State College.  It was where your friends worked or their family had worked for generations. 

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The sound of the train whistle was heard frequently, as was the sound of the clanging arms coming down to block the road so the train could pass safely.  Children loved when the train came through town.   We could signal for the conductor to blow the horn & wave to the man in the caboose.  What fun! 

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I hope you have enjoyed my reminiscing today.  So many great memories from time passed that need to be shared so they aren’t forgotten.  May this encourage you to share memories from your lives with those you love.