| BY ANN CIPPERLY |
On a sunny June morning when Pepperell Kids gathered for their reunion at the home of Janet and George Crawford at Lake Martin, they reminisced about happy, carefree days growing up in an idyllic setting in Pepperell Mill Village. Their school, churches, grocery store, drug store, hair salon, barber, post office, service station, scout hut, ball park and clinic were all within walking distance.
Since 2005, the reunion has been held yearly except during Covid. At the first reunion, 32 people attended, and the numbers grew to 161 attending in 2013. Members took covered dishes the first four years, then it was decided to cater with barbecue. To be included in the group, members must have lived in the village or attended the original school. This year, over 50 members met to remember blissful childhood days.
George Crawford was in the third grade when his father was hired as traffic manager at Pepperell Mill in 1949. Since there was not a house available in the village, they lived in the POW camp for two weeks while looking for a place. After several months in a rental, a house in the village became available.
“It is really difficult to explain,” Crawford said. “It was basically like one big family. It didn’t matter where you were, if the family was eating, you were welcome to eat with them. If you got in trouble at a friend’s house, you got spanked. Then, they called your parents, and you got spanked again.”
Crawford feels those in the village became close knit because they were a small community with everything they needed close by. The only time he remembers going to downtown Opelika was on Saturday mornings to the movie theater. They had a Little League baseball team and a midget football team called the Pepperell Dragons.
“We were in a league with three teams from Opelika and we rarely lost a game,” Crawford said.
He graduated from the ninth grade at Pepperell School, and then attended Cliff High School, graduating in 1958. He lived in the village until he was a junior at Auburn University in 1962.
Crawford had a successful career, becoming senior vice president at one of the largest carriers in the country. In 1994, he started his own his own business, S & H Transportation Services in Greensboro, North Carolina. He sold the company in 1999.
After moving to Lake Martin, Crawford received a call from Jane Worthington in 2003. Worthington, who also grew up in the Pepperell Village, was contacting him for a class reunion of Cliff High School. They then decided to get their village friends together for a reunion. Crawford coined the name “Pepperell Kids.”
After the first Pepperell Kids reunion, Washington began recording memories of those who grew up in Pepperell Village. In 2012 and 2013, she assembled stories and old photos, along with history in two Pepperell Mill Village books.
When cotton mills began to expand into the South, a group of Opelika businessmen learned New England textile plant representatives would be traveling through Alabama looking for a location to build a mill. They asked Tom Johnson of the Alabama Power Company, who was escorting company officials to possible sites, to come to Opelika.
“Late on a November afternoon in 1924, a gathering of citizens was called to order in the grill room of the Clement Hotel,” Worthington said. “The Pepperell representatives outlined the financial setup of the company to the businessmen, which involved raising cash in excess of $60,000.”
While the local businessmen reported they could raise the cash, they found it more difficult than expected. On a chilly afternoon in February, they told mill officials it seemed hopeless. The officials left on the 5 p.m. train for Birmingham to visit Gadsden since Opelika had failed to raise funds.
Worthington writes in her first book about Ike Dorsey going to see Bill Davis at his office. Dorsey told Davis they had the chance of a lifetime and lost it. After a long silence, Davis said, “Will it mean anything if W.E. Davis and Son give $5,000?”
Dorsey quickly began calling the officials to return to Opelika, leaving a message at the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham. That night 20 men met at the Davis home. As old subscriptions were replaced with larger ones, Opelika had more than enough funds.
“That memorable civic campaign was one of the most important and decidedly the most profitable one ever conducted in this city at the time,” Worthington said. “Everyone agreed the Pepperell campaign carried a new destiny for Opelika.”
In April 1925, ground was broken in a former cotton field, and construction began on the mill and 100 houses, as Pepperell Mill Village became a reality. The mill was completed in 1926. The school opened in September with around 200 students. Then business and the churches were built.
In the years that followed, the mill village was home to hundreds of families and countless children who grew up playing with friends after school and meeting at the drugstore for a cold drink. The mill closed in 2007.
On the night of March 12, 2013, the remains of the mill burned and disappeared from the landscape except for a water tower and chimney.
After the mill was destroyed, Pepperell Kids decided to preserve the dragon plaque. The group raised $4,500, with the City Council and Opelika Historic Preservation Society donating the remaining amount needed. The plaque was transported to its new home outside the Museum of East Alabama, which is on the former site of the Clement Hotel.
“Having the reunions have been a labor of love,” Crawford said. “My reward over the years has been watching someone say, ‘I know that person.’ Then, they will look at the nametag and say, ‘Oh, my gosh’ and start hugging. To see the pleasure on their faces is all the payment I need.”
Crawford has over 200 names on a Pepperell Kids e-mail list that he contacts when someone has a prayer request or he is advised of a death.
“Unfortunately, as we age, we are losing the Kids,” he said. “Others are getting where they cannot travel anymore. We were so close that is why the Pepperell Kids getting together is such a blessing.” At the reunions, Janet will prepare homemade desserts to serve with the barbecue. To further preserve memories, Pepperell Kids is sharing its favorite recipes, some of which the group members’ mothers served when they were growing up in Pepperell Village.
RECIPES
Maureen’s Ice Cream Cake
Janet and George Crawford
Janet makes a couple of these to serve for dessert along with others at the reunion with the barbecue. Instead of the Whoppers candy, you can also use toffee bars or Butterfinger candy.
12 ice cream sandwiches
Large carton of Whoppers candy
2 cartons Cool Whip
Hershey’s chocolate syrup
Place ice cream sandwiches in a 9 x 11 ½-inch glass dish.
Crunch half of the Whoppers and sprinkle on top.
Spread Cool Whip on top. Then drizzle chocolate syrup over Cool Whip.
Add the other half of crunched Whoppers, and then more chocolate syrup.
Layered Lemon Dessert
Janet and George Crawford
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, softened
Filling:
Two 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
Two 3.4 oz. pkg. instant lemon pudding
3 ½ cups milk
Topping:
12 oz. container Cool Whip
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, pecans and butter until a ball forms. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Baek for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding and milk for about four or five minutes. Spread over cream cheese. Chill until set.
Spread Cool Whip over pudding. Chill until ready to serve.
Slow Cooker Smothered Steak
Jane Worthington
1 1/2 lbs. chuck or round steak – cut in serving sizes
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced (optional)
14 oz. can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar
Coat steak pieces with flour, salt and pepper. Brown in small amount of oil on stovetop. Add to slow cooker, top with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high 1 hour then low for 8 hours. (Or high: 4 to 5 hours or until steak is tender) Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Brunswick Stew
Katie Belle Johnson, Glenda Johnson Adcock and Bobby Johnson
Sauté following ingredients until onions are clear:
2 Tbsp. butter or oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper to taste (optional), chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
Add:
16 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
5 oz. white shoe peg corn
1 to 1 ½ cups sliced okra
1 to 1 ½ cups lima beans (small or medium can)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until vegetables are done.
Add:
2 cups cooked and chopped BBQ pork
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour until meat is tender.
Add:
½ cup barbecue sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray’s original flavor)
1 Tbsp. (or to taste) Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce to taste
A pinch or so cayenne pepper (to taste — this adds the heat.)
Simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour for flavors to blend.
Serve with cornbread or crackers.
Mom’s Buttermilk Pie
Tommy Waldrop
Two unbaked pie crust
Filling:
2 ¼ cups sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
Mix all filling ingredients together. Pour into pie crusts. Bale at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
Easy Chicken Casserole
Judy Burgess
6 chicken breasts, cooked, boned, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. sliced water chestnuts, drained
Sleeve Ritz crackers
1 stick margarine
Combine soups, sour cream and water chestnuts in bowl. Add chicken and mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Top with mixture of crackers and margarine. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Mom’s Cheese Casserole
Cindy and Curtis Prince
8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small jar pimento, drained
1 lb. shredded Longhorn cheese
1 chopped bell pepper
1 small, diced onion
Cook macaroni, drain, while hot, add soup, mayonnaise, pimento and cheese to this and stir until cheese melts.
Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter and add to cheese/soup mixture.
Pour in baking dish and cook 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.
Banana Split Pie
Cindy and Curtis Prince
1st Layer:
1 box vanilla wafers, crushed finely
1 stick melted butter
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Pour in greased 9×12 baking pan and cook 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.
2nd Layer:
2- 8 oz. soft cream cheese
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Mix all together. Pour over cooled crust.
3rd Layer:
Add 4/5 sliced bananas spread over above mixture.
4th Layer:
Top bananas with a medium to large size can undrained crushed pineapple.
5th Layer:
Cover this with cool whip, large tub.
6th Layer:
Dot this with cherries and pecans, or you may use strawberries and blueberries, and/or chocolate sauce.
Fresh Tomato Soup
Jane Haynie
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup butter
4 lb. very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1/3 cup chopped or 2 Tbsp. dried basil
In large saucepan, sauté 2 medium coarsely chopped onions and 2 crushed cloves garlic in 1/4 cup butter until tender.
Add:
4 lbs. peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped very ripe tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper
Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, cool slightly. Puree in blender or food processor. Return to saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped or 2 Tbsp. dried basil. Heat gently. Serve hot.
Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze
Cora Reames
3 cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan
1 lb. box dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
5 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan. In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt; stir with fork. Set aside. Into small bowl, pour milk and vanilla; set aside.
With mixer, beat butter at high speed until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar in three batches, then white sugar, beating well. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
Reduce speed to low, add half flour mixture, then half milk, beating until flour and milk have disappeared into batter. Add remaining flour and milk.
Pour into greased pan. Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until wooden stick inserted into center comes out clean.
Leave cake on wire rack 20 minutes. Loosen cake from pan with table knife and turn onto wire rack or plate to cool. When cool, pour caramel glaze over top.
Caramel Glaze
1 stick butter
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
In large saucepan, place butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir until butter melts and blends with brown sugar to smooth sauce, 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and let icing come to gentle boil. Stir well, remove from heat, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well until glaze thickens and loses a little of its shine, 1-2 minutes. Pour over cake.
Baked Chicken and Rice
Pat and Jerry Gaylor
1 pack long cooking rice
Chicken pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
3 cans water
Put rice in bottom of pan sprayed with pam.
Lay chicken over it.
Mix soups and water and pour over all.
Salt and pepper as desired.
Cover with foil and cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove foil and cook for 15 minutes longer.
Barbecue Wieners
Pat and Jerry Gaylor
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
½ cup chopped onions
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. mustard
4 tsp. sugar
Tabasco to taste
½ cup catsup
3 Tbsp. vinegar
Melt butter in skillet, add onions and cook until clear.
Add remaining sauce ingredients and heat to a simmer.
With sharp knife cut 3 inch slits in each wiener. Place wieners in baking pan, slit side up. Pour sauce over wieners and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees, basting frequently.
Favorite Salad
Martha Hillyer
Make a basic green salad with what you like in it!
Drained whole kernel corn.
Drained and rinsed black beans
Add corn and beans to salad. Amount is dependent on size of salad.
Dressing;
Combine following to taste. Again, no set amounts because it depends on size of the salad.
Mayonnaise
Salsa
Juice of a lime, usually a half
Topping:
Top your salad with crushed tortilla chips.
Blueberry Pound Cake
Sandra Moore Branson
¼ cup sugar for coating pan
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries and ¼ cup flour for coating
Grease tube pan and coat with ¼ cup sugar. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Blend well.
Dredge berries in ¼ cup of flour and fold into mixture.
Bake at 325degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes or until cake tests done.
Banana Split Cake
Delores M. Butts
Crust:
1 or 2 stacks graham crackers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan or dish.
Filling:
2 eggs
1 ½ sticks butter, melted
1 box confectioners’ sugar
3-4 bananas, sliced
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
Combine ingredients and beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Pour mixture over graham crackers. Place sliced bananas on top, then pour crushed pineapple over bananas.
Topping:
Large container Cool Whip
Chopped pecans
Spoon Cool Whip over pineapple. Sprinkle chopped pecans on the top. Refrigerate overnight.
Chicken Fajitas
Janet and George Crawford
3-5 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
1bell pepper (can use more and also use red and yellow peppers, sliced
Fajita seasoning mix (We prefer Old El Paso.)
Olive oil
¼ cup water
Tortillas
Toppings (cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.)
Pour a small amount of olive oil in two pans and allow to heat before adding chicken, onion and peppers. Cook until tender, being careful not to overcook. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, this step will take about 6-8 minutes.
Combine fajita seasoning with ¼ cup of water. Add to the chicken and vegetables; stir well. Add up to an additional ¼ cup of water if needed. Cover and simmer for a couple minutes to ensure the seasoning has fully covered the chicken and veggies.
Uncover and stir well. The sauce should be thickening up. Cook uncovered for a few more minutes.
Serve with tortillas, sour cream, cheese, salsa and other toppings you like.
To warm tortillas, place desired number on a microwave plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat for 30 seconds. If you have more than 4 tortillas, you may need to heat 35 to 45 seconds.
Strawberry Triple Layer Cake
Christine Lacy Stillwell
1 box white cake mix
3 ounce box strawberry Jell-O
4 large eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup milk
Strawberry Buttercream frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
Two 16 oz. packages of powdered sugar (more if needed)
Two 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup strawberries, finely chopped (more if desired)
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line three 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until just combined.
Scrape sides of bowl and increase speed to medium and beat three minutes.
Pour cake batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
Cool cake in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Refrigerate cake until completely chilled.
Make frosting:
In large bowl beat butter at medium speed until it is pale yellow and fluffy. Add cream cheese and continue to beat until combined and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and strawberries and beat at low speed until well combined and creamy. Place in refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to firm slightly.
Spread one of the layers of cake with frosting then refrigerate. Frost second layer and refrigerate until the frosting on both layers has firmed up. Assemble all layers and frost the top and sides.
Can decorate top with fresh strawberry halves. Refrigerate cake.
Pizza Casserole
Christine Lacy Stillwell
I like to combine lb. sausage with beef rather than adding it to the top.
1 lb. beef
16 oz. pkg. mini tie pasta
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. oregano
6 oz. sliced peperoni
Three 26 oz. jars pizza sauce
10 oz. can diced Italian style tomatoes (drained)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. pkg. shredded Italian cheese blend
1 jar bacon bits
Any other pizza toppings you like, such as olives, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, etc.
Boil water and salt for pasta. Once it starts boiling, add pasta.
Brown meat in separate frying pan. Cook and drain. Lightly grease 9×13 dish, pour a jar of pizza sauce to coat the bottom, add layer of pasta and 1 jar of pizza sauce, can of tomatoes, garlic power and oregano, another layer of pasta and on top of pasta, layer ground beef, mushrooms (sliced) pizza sauce, a layer of pepperoni, sprinkle parmesan cheese and Italian cheese blend; add another layer of pepperoni and top with bacon bits and anything else you like on a pizza.
Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.