Some McLemores of Marietta

This coming weekend is the Marietta's annual Tour of Homes, a.k.a. Marietta Pilgrimage.   It is a money earner for the Cobb County Landmarks Society.

One of the homes that will be opened is the first home owned by my mother's sister, and her husband John W. McLemore.

We knew him as Bill McLemore.  He was the parts manager at Anderson Motor Company.  Bill and his youngest brother Adrian were Little League Umpires.  Bill had twin sisters, at least one is still living and she is 90 this year.  There is an older brother B.F. McLemore.  There father worked at the Big Star Grocery Store one block from the Strand on Church Street.  They lived on Durham Street at the edge of Whitlock Heights and overlooking Brookwood Drive.  A member of the family, I forgot who, liked across the street from them.  That is how close they were.

Big brother B.F. was in the Air Force and stationed at Dobbins Air Force Base, here in Marietta.  He and his new family (wife and son) lived next to us in the Clay Homes.  During WWII, whenever a large plane flew over B.F. ran out and studied the plane.

After the war in my preteen years Allatoona Lake was created.  B.F. was very active in he E.M. Club on the base.  To raise money, on. I think, the first Labor Day on Allatoona Lake, there were to be sailboat races near the Red Top Mountain Bridge.  B.F. was in charge of putting people with these coolers cooled by "hot ice" carts on wheels to sell ice cream treats.  He talked me into being one of his ice cream hawks.  He put me on a little peninsula near the bridge with the ice cream cart on wheels.
I got very little business and out of boredom thew a chunk of hot ice into the lake.  It bubbled like a witches brew.  I was fascinated by that and threw more... more bubbles.

I don't remember if the "honkeys" and Popsicles melted or not.

Bill and Sarah Petty McLemore had two daughters.  Becky and Nancy.  The last I heard they owned a furniture company that specialized in motel and hotel near Gatlenburg..