Dorothy Downie Age: 91 Occupation: Housewife Hometown: Pomeroy Interviewer: Wesley Thoney

Interview

Q: Your age?

A: Ninety-one.

Q: Who are your parents and your grandparents?

A: My parents were Alan and Jane Turner; Grandparents—uh, John and Esther Turner, and Sam and Barbara McGlothin.

Q: Were they from this area?

A: No.

Q: How did World War II change the area?

A: Well, Ican’t really say, people were-- we were food rationing, gasoline rationing, but everyone was doing the same thing and you sort of tightened your belts and that was it.

Q: Did you have any relatives fighting in the war?

A: My husband’s brother was in the army.

Q: In what ways did the women in the area fill the roles left by the men who were fighting?

A: Well, a lot of those, for instance, the rationing offices were taken over by women and run by women, and uh, a lot of public jobs were taken by them.

Q: Was it hard to raise a family on the rations?

A: Not particularly. Um, my older son was born in forty-two and um, of course there was sugar rations. Um, before that time and I didn’t need the sugar. It came Christmastime and I wanted some sugar, so I went in and the lady that was in charge of the rationing office didn’t like the idea at all—"Why hadn’t you been here before?" and I said, "Well because I didn’t need it." I had a time getting that rationing but I did!

Q: What do you remember most about 1937 flood?

A: Oh that was quite an experience. I was raised in Fairfield County and I had never seen water across the road anywhere, and that river kept coming and coming, and I worked for my father-in-law on Court Street—he was a dentist. And we were out of that office the entire time of January because the water stood in there that long!

Q: Where did it crest at in the Pomeroy area?

A: Oh gosh, I don’t remember.

Q: How much of an inconvenience was it for you?

A: Not really, um, I lived there, on the hill and um, there was um, special gas line installed over the hill so the people up here could have gas for heating, and um, I walked over the hill to Sugar Run School, which was of course operating then and that’s where they brought all the clothing in for all the people who needed it, and food and that kind of thing. People came in there from all over the county getting rations and clothing that was brought in.

Q: How did the community react to this aftermath?

A: Well, they took it in stride.

Q: What kind of entertainment did you have as young girl?

A: As a young girl? Well, that was a long time ago. Um, we had music, and phonograph, and victrola and we danced, played games and were active in church groups.

Q: What was the first movie that you remember seeing?

A: Huh! It was a series of movies and it was, the name of the thing was Pearl White. It was, of course all black and white and it was quite exciting for the kids.

Q: When did you own your first TV set?

A: Oh goodness. Must have been probably forty-five, forty-six.

Q: Can you describe it?

A: Well, it was smaller than this, but I remember it as a cabinet.

Q: How have the types of entertainment you’ve experienced changed from the entertainment today?

A: Oh, my land, we have had a lot of entertainment from TV, and well, I really don’t know, I just don’t have too much connection with young people, I don’t know just exactly what they do.

Q: What occupations did you have?

A: After business school I went as a file clerk for an insurance company and all of my working experience is insurance.

Q: What was the average salary?

A: Huh! When I started, I made sixty-five dollars a month.

Q: Where was your job located?

A: In Columbus.

Q: How were working conditions now different from working conditions now?

A: Oh, I found them very satisfactory, I enjoyed working and everything was very agreeable in the office and I liked the people that I work with.

Q: How has fashion changed through the years?

A: Oh, fashions come and go. Things that uh, for instance, in the twenties we wore short skirts, the girls wear now—they keep reviving old styles and maybe adding a little here and there.

Q: For what occasions did people get dressed up?

A: Oh, dinners, banquets, um, maybe even to see a movie—I mean a real nice movie.

Q: How have hairstyles changed?

A: Quite a lot when you see young men going around with hair down to their back.

Q: In what cultural areas did you look for role models? Like sports or theater?

A: Oh, I can’t say. I was pretty independent, I didn’t hunt for role models.

Q: Were sports stars as prolific as they were then?

A: Oh no.

Q: Were the politicians looked upon more positively then?

A: Oh, I think people looked at the politicians the same as they have ever since there were politicians.

Q: Did you live on a farm as a young girl?

A: No.

Q: Did you have any kind of chores or responsibilities that you had to take care of?

A: Oh sure.

Q: What are some examples?

A: Well, my father died when I was five months old and my mother raised three children, and we all had our chores around the house to do and we had our responsibilities and took them.

Q: Did you have any time left for fun?

A: Oh, I think so, I grew up in a small town and we had a group—a group of girls and we enjoyed games and just being together. We spent a lot of time on school work, working together.

Q: Where exactly did you grow up?

A: I grew up in Fairfield County, Ohio.

Q: And when did you move to Meigs County?

A: 1935.

Q: Do you have any children?

A: I have two sons.

Q: How old are they?

A: Fifty-three and fifty-six.

Q: What was it like raising children in this area?

A: Very nice. We lived in Cincinnati for a short period and I was very happy to come back to Pomeroy to raise the boys.

Q: How has the downtown area changed?

A: Oh, a great deal—especially in the last few months since they’re trying to spruce it up a bit.

Q: What specific businesses do you remember that were in the downtown area?

Q: That were?

A: Yeah.

A: Oh—there were two, three shoe stores and there is only one now and there were um, groceries--small groceries, meat markets.

Q: Do you have any memories of the trolley that ran through the town?

A: No, but when I, before I was married, I came to Pomeroy with a friend—we came to Karr’s Run, then that must have been in 19….oh, 29 or 30. And we got on the trolley and went to Racine. And a short time after that I think the trolley was discontinued.

Q: Do you think the recent changes and the changes you’ve seen during your lifetime have helped or hurt Pomeroy?

A: Well, I think it’s helped.

Q: How has the use of the river changed?

A: Why, I can’t say except that I see a lot of traffic—uh, boats going up the river.

Q: Do you have any memories of the river actually freezing over?

A: Yes I do. Um, and I, I tried to find the exact date and I think it must have been around 1936. And the river froze solid and people walked across it and I understand that they even drove a car across it. And my husband walked across and I wanted to go, but he wouldn’t go with me, so I didn’t get to go across.

Q: Has trade on the river substantially changed over the years?

A: Oh, it definitely has, but I don’t know to what degree.

Q: Was the river used more or less often for leisure then than it is now?

A: Yes, there used to be a, um, a swimming area in Syracuse, um, several years and we, um, put the kids in the car, take them to Syracuse to swim and it was—we went quite a lot.

Q: How has technology changed during your lifetime?

A: Oh, gosh, I can’t explain that, I don’t know.

Q: Did your family have a radio?

A: No.

Q: What kind of music you listen to, if any?

A: Oh…….lively tunes, I don’t know.

Q: What ways did you use to stay in touch with people?

A: Oh, of course there was mail and telephones.

Q: What do you think are some luxuries that we take for granted now that weren’t so easy then?

A: Oh, turning on the water in the morning. There were times, you know, you didn’t have, you didn’t have city water and um, had to go to the well to get the water and that sort of thing.

Q: How did you store your food without refrigerators?

A: I sometimes wonder why—how that was so successful, but uh, it was and, and people seemed to live through it. Uh, maybe they um, uh…there were cellars which were cool and they kept food and um, of course people on the farm—I remember my mother telling um, that there was a spring…um, on their land and they built a little house around it and that’s where they kept their milk and cream.

Q: How was your home heated?

A: Um, gas. Little gas stoves.

Q: How often did you eat at restaurants?

A: Ha! HA! Never!

Q: Are there any other questions or comments that you have that we may have missed?

A: No, I think it’s covered pretty well.

Okay then, thanks for doing the interview.

Okay.

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