Holland Greer (B)
(4:07) Holland Greer talks about his father's many occupations. This interview was conducted as part of a joint project of the Music Preservation Society and the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. This project focus was oral lhistory interviews with area residents who had lived or worked on t...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic |
| Published: |
Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/oral_hist/id/113 |
| format |
Electronic |
|---|---|
| collection |
Oral Histories Collection |
| building |
Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
| publisher |
Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
| topic |
Oral histories -- audios and transcripts |
| spellingShingle |
Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Holland Greer (B) Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
| fulltopic |
Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Tugboats; Tennessee Valley Authority; Occupations; |
| description |
(4:07) Holland Greer talks about his father's many occupations. This interview was conducted as part of a joint project of the Music Preservation Society and the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. This project focus was oral lhistory interviews with area residents who had lived or worked on the Tennessee River.Florence-Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Holland Greer
November 6, 2007
Florence, Alabama
Conducted by Patti Hannah and Rhonda Haygood
Clip 2
Rhonda Haygood: Do you know what a typical day would have been like for your dad? What time did he get up and what did he do during the day and that type thing?
Holland Greer: He just got up and worked a regular eight hour shift. And the rest of the time of course we had a garden, and you know pigs and a milk cow and all that kind of stuff that you know him and my mother would have to take care of around the house. Then he, ah, in 1935 you know a glutton for punishment he built him a grocery store. He worked up at the dam and operated the grocery store. And then he operated the grocery store way on up in the forties. And after 1936 he got a job as a hop tender up at Wheeler. He worked at that for many, many, many years and ran the grocery store. Then in 1940 he rented a five hundred acre farm so he was doing all that at the same time.
RH: Okay. What did he like about his job as a tow boat pilot? Do you know? What would have been his favorite
HG: Well, those people that came off the farm you know that was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. They were making good money for the time. And they kinda had a social side to it you know. They enjoyed each other’s company, and just a God-send. Where you‘ve been living from hand to mouth and all of a sudden you’re making decent money.
RH: Did you ever get to go with him, to work, on the tow boat?
HG: Once, I was about four. You couldn’t do that now. They wouldn’t let you within a mile of that place, even before nine eleven. But we went way out, walked out to the middle of the dam. And went way down you know how far down the dam is, wooden steps and got on the tug boat and he moved some barges around, we shuffled them. I thought that was the greatest thing that ever was (laughter) that he would go out there, you know a tug boat and those barges looked like this library to me back then you know. But it was really something. Of course, being the first dam around here you know, people were really in awe of that thing.
RH: Did you just pretty much watch him work, or did he actually let you help out?
HG: No, I was just on the boat. He was doing all the operating. I don’t remember how he moved those barges by himself. You know normally you had a deck hand that tied the tug boat to the barge, but I don’t remember how he did it.
RH: Well, do you know were there any customs or superstitions associated with working on the river?
HG: Not that I remember, of course when you get out in the country, people are just naturally superstitious about a lot of things and I don’t know that he ever bit for much of that. He just believed in working and working and saving his money and working and saving his money. He didn’t, he didn’t want to get things too complicated evidently.
|
| spelling |
Holland Greer (B)Tugboats; Tennessee Valley Authority; Occupations;(4:07) Holland Greer talks about his father's many occupations. This interview was conducted as part of a joint project of the Music Preservation Society and the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. This project focus was oral lhistory interviews with area residents who had lived or worked on the Tennessee River.Florence-Lauderdale Public LibraryFlorence-Lauderdale Public LibraryHolland Greer2007-11-06sound; textaudio/mp3 ; text/pdfEnglishIs part of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library CollectionContact Florence-Lauderdale Public Library for permission to useFlorence-Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Holland Greer
November 6, 2007
Florence, Alabama
Conducted by Patti Hannah and Rhonda Haygood
Clip 2
Rhonda Haygood: Do you know what a typical day would have been like for your dad? What time did he get up and what did he do during the day and that type thing?
Holland Greer: He just got up and worked a regular eight hour shift. And the rest of the time of course we had a garden, and you know pigs and a milk cow and all that kind of stuff that you know him and my mother would have to take care of around the house. Then he, ah, in 1935 you know a glutton for punishment he built him a grocery store. He worked up at the dam and operated the grocery store. And then he operated the grocery store way on up in the forties. And after 1936 he got a job as a hop tender up at Wheeler. He worked at that for many, many, many years and ran the grocery store. Then in 1940 he rented a five hundred acre farm so he was doing all that at the same time.
RH: Okay. What did he like about his job as a tow boat pilot? Do you know? What would have been his favorite
HG: Well, those people that came off the farm you know that was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. They were making good money for the time. And they kinda had a social side to it you know. They enjoyed each other’s company, and just a God-send. Where you‘ve been living from hand to mouth and all of a sudden you’re making decent money.
RH: Did you ever get to go with him, to work, on the tow boat?
HG: Once, I was about four. You couldn’t do that now. They wouldn’t let you within a mile of that place, even before nine eleven. But we went way out, walked out to the middle of the dam. And went way down you know how far down the dam is, wooden steps and got on the tug boat and he moved some barges around, we shuffled them. I thought that was the greatest thing that ever was (laughter) that he would go out there, you know a tug boat and those barges looked like this library to me back then you know. But it was really something. Of course, being the first dam around here you know, people were really in awe of that thing.
RH: Did you just pretty much watch him work, or did he actually let you help out?
HG: No, I was just on the boat. He was doing all the operating. I don’t remember how he moved those barges by himself. You know normally you had a deck hand that tied the tug boat to the barge, but I don’t remember how he did it.
RH: Well, do you know were there any customs or superstitions associated with working on the river?
HG: Not that I remember, of course when you get out in the country, people are just naturally superstitious about a lot of things and I don’t know that he ever bit for much of that. He just believed in working and working and saving his money and working and saving his money. He didn’t, he didn’t want to get things too complicated evidently.
http://server15947.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/oral_hist,113 |
| title |
Holland Greer (B) |
| titleStr |
Holland Greer (B) |
| author |
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
| author_facet |
Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
| id |
FLCPLoral_hist113 |
| url |
https://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/oral_hist/id/113 |
| thumbnail |
http://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/oral_hist/id/113 |
| _version_ |
1782468787904184320 |