Keeping the Story Alive: Over the River and Through the Woods - to Kentucky and Grandmother's House (She was really Mama Lowe)

It seemed like as soon as Santa had arrived, we were on the road to Bowling Green Kentucky. You’ve heard the song – “Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother’s House we go.” As we left our house in Cedar Hill, we headed onto Buzzard Creek Road towards Keysburg, Kentucky. At this time, they had only begun to build stretches of Interstate 65, and it would be a few years before those existed between Bowling Green and Robertson County. So we would travel over these roads where so many friends and neighbors lived. Sometimes, we would drive towards Springfield, and head over the Hwy 431 N taking us through Adairville and on to Russellville.

But today we headed over to Russellville from Keysburg, and drove by the Russellville High School football field, where the concrete heads of famous football players graced the front wall of the stadium.

Once he turned on the road towards Bowling Green, we would venture through Auburn, which had a great 5 & 10 cent store (closed on Christmas), and we would drive by the Shaker Village buildings of South Union. We knew we were getting close to Warren County, the county where most of our relatives lived. After we crossed the county line, we would pass the Rockfield school on the right. Dad would remind us that he attended that school in the first grade.

As we approached Bowling Green, Dad usually turned on Dishman Lane to get over to 31W – called Louisville-Nashville road. When we turned on Dishman Lane, there would be a discussion about the table that Mom and Dad purchased from his Uncle Joe Lowe, who had a used furniture store on that road. That table was the first piece of furniture that our parents purchased after they married. I still have that table. We knew that Dishman Lane led us to toward Lost River Cave which advertised itself as one of Jesse James Hideouts. There would be some discussion about the cave and that there were parties held in the cave during our parents’ younger days.

There was the bowling alley where Uncle Ralph bowled. We often watched Channel 13 (WBKO-TV earlier WLTV) from Bowling Green on Saturdays from our house in Cedar Hill. Uncle Ralph sponsored one of the Saturday Evening Shows, and he would often appear doing a live commercial or a general discussion with the host. There was a time when a bowling tournament was featured on the channel, and we watched diligently. My Uncles were always very good bowlers.

We continued up the road to Potter’s Orphans Home , now known as Potter Children’s Home and Family Ministries. We knew the story about how when our very distant cousin Eldon Potter, died as a young man, his parent established Potter Bible College in his honor. The college found success under the administrative leadership of James A. Harding, president of the Nashville Bible School. His retirement 11 years later would leave the school with challenges that would eventually close its doors. Unwilling to abandon their good work in credit to God and their son’s memory, in 1914, the Potters and the trustees would later establish the Potter Orphan Home and School on the same grounds.

Since we had turned from Russellville Road on Dishman Lane to Hwy 31W, we did not pass our Dad’s Uncle Ben, a policeman, that lived a little further out towards Franklin. My Dad still mentioned Uncle Ben and his wife, Rebecca Miller, who was from Cross Plains. If we don’t remember these facts, it is not because our Dad didn’t repeat them, everytime we passed a landmark.

As we approached the campus of Western Kentucky University, Dad would mention that he graduated from College High School, which was on that same campus. He and Mom would talk about the people who lived in houses along these streets. We almost always drove by the City Fire Hall, where Uncle Lewis Tabor worked. He was married to Dad’s Aunt Esta.

It wasn’t long until we passed the Big Baptist Church and turned to head up the hill towards our Grandmother’s house. She lived in a house on a big hill that was near the Hospital at the top of the hill. This house was on 11^th,and we were ready to unload after that exciting ride from the South.

Sister Beverly, Cousin Linda, Aunt Ione, and Aunt Martha

It was the tradition with the Lowe Family that we drew names for a gift. We didn’t always tell who we drew, but it didn’t take long to figure out what was going on. There was always a lot of food, but we will talk about that later. My Dad’s family were always being funny. When someone opened a gift of clothing like a robe or even underwear, it was likely they would hold them up as though they were modeling, always smiling and nodding to the crowd.

Mama Lowe - Eunice Martin Lowe

Going to my grandmother’s house always meant getting to drink an RC cola (Royal Crown). There were always RC colas in the refrigerator at Mama Lowe’s house.