Favorite Neighbors
This photo and story were submitted to us by Rome resident and RN- T reader Anne Culpepper. Her connection to the photo is that Seab Salmon was her father and Ben was his older brother. Sue Gresham is the daughter of Nilla Keith.
The three children in this photo were neighbors for years on North 5th Avenue. They are:
Benjamin Franklin Salmon Jr. ( 1899- 1980) Seaborn Wright Salmon ( 1900- 1922) Nilla Keith Warren ( 1905- 1995)
Many years later, after Ben had died in 1980, Nilla’s daughter, Sue, gave her a notebook and asked her to write some of her memories in it. The following is what she wrote about her “Favorite Neighbors.”
She mentions the shows they put on — how I would love to know what they were about. I wonder who paid a penny or two to see them. Nilla also tells about my grandparent’s player piano and how she would play it.
She grew up to be a piano teacher. I never knew they had a player piano and this was before he opened his piano store on Broad Street.
There is an American flag in the tent. Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907 so the flag probably had 46 stars.
Here is what Nilla wrote:
Our next door neighbors at 1109 N. 5th Avenue were the B. F. Salmons who had two boys, Ben and Seab. They had billy goats and wagons. We spent many a happy hour riding. We also planned shows to have in their barn and we would invite all the neighbors in and charge them a penny or two to see the shows. Too, the Salmons had a player piano which I played, hours at a time. The boys nicknamed me “Toodie” and to this day whenever I meet up with Seab Salmon ( Ben is gone), he sometimes calls me Toodie.
This photo was submitted to the Rome News-Tribune by Marla Payne Wise who writes:
My 93 year old mother wanted me to send this hoping you would use it. She and my father, Dr. W.Marlin Payne, grew up in Rome and the photo was taken at some point (maybe in the 1930s) when the rivers froze. I am not sure who Mr. Sims is, but a long-time Roman could possibly say. Daddy worked at Owens-Kong until he went to the Army.
My parents moved to Summerville in the late 40’s, where dad had his optometric practice. My mother, Montyne Brock Payne, currently lives at the Renaissance Marquis on Cedartown Highway.
I remember colder winters in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, but never one cold enough to freeze a river.