West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 149 by Charlie Miller

- 1947- The following poem dedicated to West Jefferson, was written by Gladys Jewett Sealler, daughter of the late Dr. George F. Jewett who was the town’s physician for many years.

My thoughts turn back to my child hood

And the place where I was born

‘Twas surrounded by meadows and clover

And fields of waving cornerstone

‘Twas a little town on the highway

On the banks of a lived stream.

But now as I search thru my memory.

It seems as though ‘twere a dream.

In front of the church of my youth

Stands the town pump, rusty with age,

And the tin cup that hangs on the wire

Has, no doubt seen its best days

The opera house across the street

Was a place of wonder to me

A show in town was a special treat

In nineteen hundred and three.

How well I remember the school house

The sound of the clear ringing bell,

The face of the smiling professor,

“Little Dick” whom we all loved so well

The school yard was grassy and shady,

No cinders to wear out your shoes;

The old wooden stile that led from it

Was a landmark too precious to lose.

The little hill where we coasted,

Back of the old saw mill,

Is a place that is dear to my memory

Although we took many a spill.

The cherry trees back of dad’s officer's

Were a temptation to great to resist,

We’d never wait until the cherries ripened

Unless he would firmly insist.

To be continued on Series # 150