Last week we started looking at a collection of old tales told by the folks of Northwest Georgia. Paying careful attention to the ones from Dalton and nearby communities, we got a heaping helping of great stories. This week we’ll continue looking at the book “Brush Brooms and Straw Ticks” compiled by R.
T. Lasley and Sallie Holt. We begin with a series of memories from Evan Lawson of Dalton (born 1938) who grew up in “Happy Holler,” a small valley near “Happy Top.
” Happy Top I’ve heard of all my life, the area around current Dalton High School, but had never heard of Happy Holler until now. It was an area big enough that Evan and his family had a small farm there, rural enough to have cows, pigs and chickens. The five kids and parents lived in a three-room house with a living room, kitchen and bedroom.
All neighborhoods have that one yard all the kids play in and for the lucky Evan his yard was that yard. His dad was a World War I vet and it wasn’t long until there was a World War II. When the soldiers came home from Europe and were getting ready to go to Japan to fight, Evan and his buddies went and got G.
I. haircuts to honor them. Evan and his brother went and picked cotton for a week and they came home with about $5 each, with cotton picking going for a penny a pound.
He got 25 cents a week for an allowance and that would buy a movie theater ticket for all day on Saturdays. You got two movies, serial, newsreel and cartoon all for the one admission. He reca.
