Old Streetcar

Old Streetcar...
My family traveled by car and occasionally by bus--I can't complain, although, the VW bug was a tight fit for our family of four. The largest vehicle we owned was a Volvo station wagon.
I don't recall ever riding on a streetcar.
Atlanta streetcars first began as horsecars in 1871; the electric streetcar arrived in 1880 and shut down in 1949, which explains why I never caught a ride. The trolleybus replaced streetcars. The closest I came to travel by a streetcar were delightful tours of Savannah and St. Augustine via trolleybus.
The new Atlanta streetcar rolled out in 2014. It looks nothing like the 40s. The new streetcar resembles a monorail from Disney World, which doesn't adequately compare.
I fantasize about the 1940s era. I work at the Hurt Building in Atlanta, which still has the hooks that helped run the old streetcars. The new streetcar now rolls right in front of the Hurt.
In my current read, I vicariously experience life in Mobile in the 40s through the late Celestine Sibley's book, "Turned Funny." I hang on her words, "I caught the streetcar..." and envision riding through a tunnel of oaks draped in Spanish moss along a street lined with Indica Azaleas. Ideally, I would turn the corner and drop in for lunch at the historic Battle House Hotel.
Celestine Sibley, a friend of Margaret Mitchell in the 1940s, started her career in journalism in Mobile, Alabama and later took a job in Atlanta with The Atlanta Constitution where she worked from 1941 until 1999. During her years as a journalist and columnist, she also wrote 25 books. I have a few copies: "Sweet Apple Gardening," "Turned Funny," and "The Celestine Sibley Sampler." I hope to acquire a full collection.
Odd that my bucket list includes a ride in an old streetcar, but there you have it--my affinity for the 1940's. And Celestine Sibley.

~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran


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