Fifty years ago, one could buy Tide detergent for 19 cents a box, a 10 pound bag of potatoes for 39 cents and a picnic ham for 37 cents a pound.

Talk about a bargain. You certainly can’t do that anymore. These old ads are so interesting to look at. I was married and buying all of these things, but I don’t remember thinking they were such a good bargain. I guess it was because everyone’s pay check was so little.

I can remember visiting with my cousin one day when her brother stopped by to tell her about his fabulous new job. He was so proud to tell her that he would be making $100 per week. I thought that was the most money that I had ever heard of for a job. Boy, we were living in a different world at the time. My first job I earned 75 cents an hour and thought it was pretty good. I have often heard my father tell the story of earning a good living from 50 cents a day during the depression. Too bad prices rise higher than people’s salaries.

In 1965, J. E. Everette announced that he would run for the office of state representative from Escambia County. Some of you may remember him.

During the year, the Escambia County Board of Education adopted it’s budget of $2 million.

Now, this sounds like a lot of money to me, and it was in 1965. That $2 million would be worth a lot more today.

East Brewton voted to install street lights and to pay for it, they were to raise the garbage bill by a dollar.

It seems as if that dollar would be worth it.

Brewton received five inches of rain from Hurricane Debbie causing a lot of problems around town, but at least was spared destructive winds.

This one was before I moved to Brewton. I was living in either Union Springs or Greenville at the time and I don’t remember it.

T.R. Miller High School was honored with some visitors from Pascagoula, Miss. who came to get a good luck at the school as they were planning on building a new school in their town. They saw information about our school in a Southern Pine Association article and one person had already been to see the school. I don’t know if they followed through with it.

In sports, W.S. Neal beat Evergreen 45-7 and T.R. Miller lost to Andalusia.

Senator John Sparkman spoke at the dedication of the new post office on Belleville Avenue, and the new stadium was dedicated at homecoming for T.R. Miller.

West Brothers had ladies dusters for $2 each and petticoats for 87 cents each. Canvas shoes were priced at $1.27 a pair.

I worked at West Brothers when we came to Brewton. Every time the trucks came in I could find all sorts of things that I “needed” really badly. I am sure that I spent too much at that store, but I worked with some really nice people.