Summer Heat Tests The Rails
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It took four days to remove the debris that remained after the roof fell in on this building in Oakland. Michael Suggs (center) and his crew hauled off 24 loads of debris as they cleared out this building. An old invoice shows that it was referred to as The Big Store and had 10,000 square feet of floor space.
Oakland News
By Linda Aldy
We have lost a great man in our midst in the passing of Gene Standridge of Tillatoba. He served in many capacities throughout Yalobusha County, but we on the western side of the county felt he was an especially effective voice for us.
Gene and his wife, Lillian Bailey Standridge, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary just days before he died at their home surrounded by family. Their daughter, Gena Lea, has been a special joy and seems to combine the very best of both of them. Our love and condolences to Lillian, Gena Lea and all of the many family and friends who will miss having Gene nearby.
Well, it surely looked like we were going to get some much-needed and prayed-for rain on Saturday evening as a storm blew through, taking our electricity, tearing screens off the windows and knocking limbs and trees down. It seemed to spit on us with a few splatters of rain on the window and nothing at all in the rain gauge when we checked on Sunday morning.
The first thing I did on Sunday morning was drive downtown to see if the building we just had cleaned out had withstood the winds (reportedly 60 to 70 miles per hour). I was not particularly worried about the south wall because it is a joint wall with the former bank building, but the north wall was standing solo with nothing left inside to support it. The roof had caved in and in cleaning that out, I was concerned that it didn’t even have rubble left to support it, but, hallelujah, they built things well in the 1800s.
We are not sure of the exact year it was built, but the railroad was built through town in 1860 and the buildings and the town built around it shortly thereafter. The wall was standing tall and straight on Sunday morning and Mother Nature had laughed at the caution tape around it, throwing it hither and yon.
Getting the old building cleaned out was a highlight downtown this past week. I couldn’t stay away even with the heat index surpassing 100 each day they worked. I wasn’t the only one! Every time I was down there watching, townspeople and visitors would stop to chat and find out what was going on. I should have kept a list, but I had long visits with L.C. Suggs, Jr. of Tallahatchie County, retired Oakland Mayor Riley Swearengen, cousin Bradley Ross and Susie Leland. I learned from Willie Bradford that his mother had held Head Start classes in the building. After he told me that, I had a vague memory of knowing that. I appreciated Chamber Board President Tim Booker stopping by to give advice on a possible future construction issue.
There are several more steps that must be taken before we can actually start seeing the pretty side of things. Structural engineering, hauling dirt in and packing it, figuring out what the floor will be (thanks to Bill Riggenbach for ideas on that) and so much more, but the day will come when she is all gussied up again! Mother has old invoices from the store and printed on them is the fact that had 10,000 square feet and was called “The Big Store” by locals at the time.
Oakland still has our rail line and we believe (and hope) they are working on tracks and crossings up and down the line. This heat has the potential to play havoc. I’ve heard of road buckling, but a recent article I read said that the heat is causing tracks to expand to the point they bend. July is said to be the single hottest month on record in the contiguous U.S. and I’m guessing August will give it a run for its money.
Already road engineers are experimenting with new “recipes” for paving options to factor in the heat. Rail lines are dealing with what is called “sun kink,” which is when metal tracks can bend in extreme heat as the rails push against the ties. Train operators are cautioned to go slower in heat waves. Union Pacific is spraying white paint on some of its rails, hoping to cool the metal.
Our friend Mary Ann Johnson is enjoying her new Hyundai Elantra. She and I agree we want a car that is not going to quit on us! She said school is off to a good start this year.
Share your news with me. You can text or leave a message at 601-853-3942. Email me at oaklandareachamber@gmail.com. The text/message machine has a stern warning to scammers, but don’t let that stop you from leaving me a message!
