Remembering The Filter Plant
Young Ben Honeycutt's father managed the facility, and Ben spent much of his time at the fascinating building on S. Main St.
William T. Ingram, Jr.
The Ingram families were an important part of Cliffside’s proud heritage. Gene Ingram, son of the man we all knew as “Bill,” reflects upon his father's character and his life as a soldier and a father.
The Class of 1943
Surviving classmates recently celebrated their 65th anniversary. Here's a story of that event, along with the original class photo, current photos of some of them, and a 25-year-old news clipping of their 40th anniversary.
 On March 1, we presented the famous movies of Cliffside (see below) along with a six-minute video of stills from the movies with many local people identified. We called The Players.
This month we've created a second video with over 100 more IDs. Go to the bottom of the movie list for the link.
From the July 16, 1995 edition of Foothills Magazine comes this account of how Phillip White discovered and acquired the Cliffside movies.
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Interview: Hollis Owens, Jr.
Could you have guessed that M.A. Bearden (who, in the 1950s, replaced Maurice Hendrick as the Company's general manager) only had a third grade education? That and other astounding details are revealed in this fascinating discussion.
Faces of '44
It may not be the entire collection of 2nd and 3rd graders of that year, but it's close. Bonus: Uncle Ben and Mrs. Johnson.
In the late 1920s, the athletic teams of Cliffside High were called "The Purple Cloud," and wore white jerseys and purple pants. Moreover, the school published in the Rutherfordton Sun a weekly multi-column spread with the same name. It had all the news of the goings on at the school.
The Thompson Columns
For a few years in the 1930s, a young Cliffside native named Francis "Skipper" Thompson wrote weekly columns for the Forest City Courier. In them he talked about movies, music, radio shows—and personalities and goings-on in Cliffside.
Getting the Christmas Tree
Not so long ago, most of us didn't buy a Christmas tree,
we'd go to the woods, find a nice cedar, and hack or saw it down. Benjamin Bailey recalls one year's adventure of "going with daddy" to get a tree.
The Thompson Columns
For a few years in the 1930s, a young Cliffside native named Francis "Skipper" Thompson wrote weekly columns for the Forest City Courier. In them he talked about movies, music, radio shows—and personalities and goings-on in Cliffside. Eventually we'll post all 83 of the columns, a few at a time.
Cliffside Sketches
Read about Aunt Beula Ruppe crossing the river to feed the pigs, about her son Fred's atrocious haircut and Howard Parris' wild ride on a hog. It's a new series of stories from JoAnn Huskey's old trunk, where she keeps her writings. They tell of the personalities and exploits of her Cliffside kin and their friends and neighbors.
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Reunion! The Class of '59
This past Spring the last class to graduate from Cliffside High held their 50th anniversary celebration at the old school. Lots of smiles, hugs and tears.
In the era when people grew their own food, there was a community cannery in Cliffside. Operated mostly by high school and college students, it was open in growing season and catered to anyone who needed to "put up" their fruits and vegetables. Jim Ruppe relates the history and traditions of the cannery, which was located very close to his family's home.
 On the rare occasions the Cliffside Railroad bought a "new" engine, it had to be "brought home" by railroad men like Shirley White (right) and John Padgett.
 Cliffside's former Baptist minister from 1914 to 1921, Rev. D.J. Hunt, wrote letters to a couple about to be wed (by him).
What we learn from the letters is that we shared Rev. Hunt with another church. Who knew? And who preached at Cliffside in his absence every other Sunday?
Jay Sailors was a long-time resident of our town. In the early '90s he wrote a delightful essay on some of the many wondrous features of Cliffside he remembered from his youth.
“RGee” is Glen Watkins, a Cliffside native who moved to Southern California over 40 years ago. He traveled light but made room in his baggage for memories of his beloved hometown, and, from time to time, he shares them with us. As they arrive, we'll present them here.
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What was your phone number in '48? Find it here in this comprehensive county-wide directory. You'll have fun viewing the quaint old advertisements with their primitive graphics. Quite different from the slick ads of today.
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