The Town Clock

Throughout small towns in Mississippi and Alabama, it is common to see a town square that sits in the middle of the town. In most cases, that is where you find the county courthouse. This is the case of the small town where I lived when I graduated from high school: Houston in Chickasaw County, Mississippi.

When I first heard the song, Forever and Ever, Amen, by country music star, Randy Travis, I thought of this courthouse on the square in Houston.

As long as old men sit n' talk about the weather
As long as old women sit n' talk about old men

It was not uncommon to see older men sitting outside the courthouse on the square, particularly on Saturdays. I suspect they were waiting on their wives who were shopping at the retail stores that surrounded the square or maybe playing dominoes or just talking about the weather. Chances are they checked the accuracy of their watches with the town clock that struck on the hour.

Long before digital clocks, the old town clock could be relied upon to tell us the time. It told us when to return to school after lunch, when we were out past our curfew, and when to reset our own watches. It was the community's reminder of the passing of time.

This video was shared with me by a Houston classmate and good friend to this day as a reminder of our shared history.