‘Decades’ display brings ‘wows’ and memories to visitors

Some of the displays drew questions of “What is that?” Others generated grins and comments of “I remember those.” Still others led to forgotten memories and the sharing of what life was like back in the day.

Tables spread through the gymnasium at Christian Chapel Baptist Church, 500 W. Decatur St., have brought a tangible link to the past 120 years and a way for generations to connect.

The brainchild of the pastor, the Rev. Fred Moore, Decades of Development displays some of the items, stories and people who made history in each of the 12 decades on display, beginning with 1900 and extending to 2019.

Members of the church had the challenge of collecting the items, said Sheila Curry, the Family Life Center director. In two-person teams, they were challenged to gather at least five items and create a display of at least two people of different ethnic backgrounds to represent each 10 years.

Gathering things was a lot of fun, but finding items from the earlier decades “was a struggle,” said Moore. Some of the teams used photographs when they couldn’t find what they were looking for.

The display is open throughout the month of May from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekend tours are available by calling 289-0347 to make an appointment.

Already more than 800 people have walked through the gym, including students from U.S. Jones Elementary School and the University Charter School in Livingston. They mainly expressed “a bunch of ‘wows’,” said Curry.

Many students were intrigued by the cross-cut saw and had to have a demonstration on how it worked. Others couldn’t figure out the cast iron stove and wondered how to turn it on and where it plugged in. They also couldn’t figure out how a person could take a bath in a No. 3 metal tub.

The only table with a hands-off requirement is the one from 1900-1909. All the items are original to the era, and the picture of Bessie Glover’s great-grandmother cannot be replaced.

In the center of the gym, tables hold baskets of candy that were developed in each of the decades, beginning with Hershey’s Kisses, or, what many remember as Silver Bells. The students especially liked that display since they were invited to take samples.

But students aren’t the only ones who have enjoyed the Decades of Development, said Moore.

“It was amazing how much the adults had let slip their minds,” he said, and some of the displays brought tears to their eyes. “The stories just went on and on and on.”

When Moore retired from the Demopolis school system, his hobby became flipping houses. “I started finding little, small things in almost every house I was buying.” He also had purchased his grandfather’s house, “and there were a lot of things he left me there, but I hadn’t paid much attention to them.”

He went back and started looking at all the things he had accumulated and thought, “This would be a good thing to share.” Many of the gems he uncovered are included in a special section of the Decades of Development, among them the cast iron stove and cross-cut saw.