Barbara Walton
February 2008
I am proud to be an American and I am proud to be from Spearsville. In these days when “a lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is just getting on its boots” I felt compelled to spread some good news. Then you, too, can feel pride; in this little sliver of Union Parish called Spearsville (nicknamed Glory in olden days).
When I was a child the men left their wives and kids at home while they went to “Glory”. In cold weather they could be seen swapping stories around the old pot-bellied stoves. On pretty days the benches on the storefronts was the place to be for a game of checkers. Of course, the weather was always right for a hand or two of rook or dominoes over the Glover’s service stating. Times have surely changed. Now the men gather up all the family – kids, wives and grandparents and head for Hollis’ Seafood for a delicious meal. They enjoy there family as well as visiting with friends and neighbors. You just never know who you’ll see. Who could ever imagined that people would come 50 or more miles to Spearsville to eat. Pat and Calvin Hollis did. What an asset to all of us.
Other things have happened that you might not know. In the past 12 months our Volunteer Fire Department has become active once again. We now have a fully equipped police car and the area is patrolled on a regular basis. Our Senior Center has a new paved parking lot and the leftover asphalt was used to repair several streets. The Town Hall has a new roof and the exterior has been painted. Just recently, Mayor Shoemaker, with the help of Oda Rockett, requested and received a gift of land and a cottage from Ms. Pat Freeman to expand our park. All this in just the last year.
It has been said that great men dream, invent and build. They never waste time thinking about the “could’ve or should’ve” but are always thinking of the future. We have a vast resource that has yet to be tapped into — creative minds of the citizens of Spearsville. As we unite, dram, and put boots on the ground, the best is yet to be. I say again, with pride, that I am glad to be from Spearsville. Maybe it’s not “Glory” but it is a good place to live, raise kids and a great retirement home.
Shiloh to Canaan 