The Social Experience

THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE: ER Shipp encouraged everyone to chime in on the Blue Room experience and got quite a bit of conversation going. Paulette Hill and Steve Camp provided a lot of detail.

Paulette added the Rap House on Hardin Street. In talking to Paulette, the Rap House was a place for the young people to come together. She recalls that Lilly Mae Walker and Pinkola Mithell were the sponsors working through the EOA. They would pick the children up from the various neighborhoods. This lasted for three to four years.

Well there were other social experiences that I am finding out about as I talk with different people. According to my cousin Horace Printup, there was the Crestwood in the Crawfordville neighborhood. Aaron Lester first ran it and then Johnny Lester. There was a jukebox and dancing, food, and social drinks.

Sister Benton ran a place called the Dew Drop Inn located in Milstead near the area right before you get to the traffic light to make that right turn to go behind the hospital and the professional buildings. This also had a jukebox, food and social drinks.

Over on Veal Street, the Rib Shack, owned by Clarence Vaughn, Jr., was another place for social gatherings. The Rib Shack was first operated by Elijah Shepherd and mostly open on weekends. There was a jukebox, food and social drinks as well.

In my conversation with Coach Stroud, we talked about the many Social Houses; there were one or more in every community. Back then you could not go into the stores to buy drinks because it was illegal to sell alcohol at the time. Atlanta was to far to drive to the clubs. There was no expressway so if you went up GA12 that would take an hour. So people would just go house to house to add to the social life. It was just like going club to club. Everyone knew who was selling what. As long as the the houses were not causing any disturbances, the police would leave you alone. Coach Stroud also recalls that every Thursday people gathered at Lester and Bertha Gilstrap's cafe on Main Street for barbecue sandwiches and socializing.

Horace Printup, remembers there was also the pool hall where the masonic lodge building is located on Hardin Street. it was a two story building with the masonic lodge on the top floor and the pool hall on the

first level.

Please share other memories on the social life. If you know of other places not listed here, please add them. Please share pictures of the old buildings if you have them.

Submitted by Norma Shipp, July 30, 2017 to the Black Heritage of Rockdale County Facebook page.