The Gulch

 

The Gulch. On the news today The Gulch was mentioned. It looks like it might be hot piece of property in downtown. The Mayor wants to do something with it, others say it will be money wasted.

Looking at the aerial view on TV The Gulch looks like it might be my old stomping grounds when I worked at the Atlanta Post Office. Behind the Atlanta Terminal Station were the valve-ducks bridges. Underneath the valve-ducks bridges were the beginnings of what would become Underground Atlanta and blocks and blocks of property that hasn’t seen daylight in years.

I paid to park there. I think I paid $5 to a man named Thurmond who was some type of security man for the area.

I worked different hours on different days. I was a relief timekeeper. Sometimes I reported at midnight, sometimes, a 4pm and one day at 8am. One day after 4:30pm walking in the dark, under the valve-ducks a man materialized and asked for some change “for something to eat”. He said he just got out of prison that same day. I told him I didn’t have any money, which was true for this very reason.

He grabbed my arm and put a blade to my throat. He wanted my wallet. I gave it to him. He verified what I told him. He handed my wallet back and then put his arms around my neck and started singing “Jesus Loves You>” It wasn’t exactly inspirational.

I guess he felt sorry for me, he let me go.

Later, in that area, they bulldozed the beautiful Atlanta Terminal and for almost a year it gave postal employees a great place at night to go back and smoke mj on their lunch breaks.

Then the Richard Russell Federal Building was built.

And I suppose behind the Richard B. Russell Federal Building is a mudhole called the Gulch.

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