Charles H. Lemmons

Shortly after he was born in Gaffney in 1925, Charles’ parents Quince and Mary Lemmons moved the family to Cliffside. They lived for 10 years in a house behind the R.R. Haynes home place, before moving to Forest City.

Charles (his friends call him "Squeezer") had six sisters: Mavorean, Louise, Hazel, Lois, Jessie and Frankie. All are deceased. Mavorean was an Army nurse in WWII. She served in Fiji in the South Pacific and in Bombay, India.

Work in Cliffside:
Charles was too young to work; his father was a loom fixer.

Schooling:
"When I was four or five my sisters used to take me to school with them." He went to Cliffside School until the 4th grade. The teachers he remembers are Mrs. McFarland and the principal, Mr. Barron Caldwell, "who we called Onionhead." Charles graduated from Rutherford/Spindale School.

Friends:
Those he remembers best are the three Roberson boys, Austin, Jr., Jimmy, Fred; and David Caldwell and Mack Hendrick. "Junior and I would go to the train depot where they discarded old cog wheels. We’d make wagons with them."

Special or funny incidents:
Baseball in old ballpark, post office with the alligator pool, Memorial Building and movie, skating rink, ice house. We scraped the pipe for buckets of snow. Train rides on Sunday. We’d ride to Avondale and Caroleen and visit relatives. I loved watching my sister play basketball at the old church.

My first haircut was at home. Rob Sparks came to the house for the haircut. Daddy and I would walk up the dirt street to Hamrick’s Store to buy groceries. They would deliver with a Model T truck.

My dad bought me a small axe. I made my money by chopping up kindling for people to build their morning fires.

Special about life there:
Everything was so special. I was ten when I left but I remember so much, all good. We had the best, Dr. Robertson, Dr. Moss, Dr. Mills at the drugstore. Behind Mr. [Charles] Haynes house there was a muscadine vine. We’d eat them until our belly ached. And we’d play in his fish pond in the back yard and catch frogs.

One of my school buddies lived across from the roller mill. After school he and I would go swimming in the pool. On weekends we’d enjoy the baseball games between the mills.

Miss about Cliffside:
Everyone was nice. We knew everybody. There was lots of help, people helping each other

Adult life:
I joined the Navy in 1943, served in the Pacific, reenlisted in 1947 and was discharged in ’49.

Went to Charlotte in 1950 and worked for Johnson Motor Lines as a long line truck driver. Retired after 31 years. Had three sons with first wife, Elizabeth Alexander.

Family today:
I remarried in 1970. Now live in Huntersville, N.C. with second wife, Betty Axson.Have three step-children, thirteen grandchildren, six great grandchildren.