Sikeston Shoe Factory and Helen 01/11/2012
We are going to back up a ways today to a time when Helen worked at the Sikeston Shoe Factory. It is a time that was worth mentioning due to what happened after leaving her kids with a babysitter.  This is an aerial picture of the Sikeston International Shoe Factory that was taken around the time that Helen worked there. Factory work is not for the faint at heart, because the hours can be long and tedious. The most important thing for Helen to remember when working her shift was to stay focused on what she's doing. When you have an assigned job that you do over and over again, if you lose your focus, you could stitch your finger or worse. I did a little research about the factory, and learned that shoes of various sizes were made there. In 1933, a young 15 year old giant (7ft 10in...365 lbs) from Alton, Illinois would special order his size 32 shoes from the Sikeston International Shoe Factory. Imagine sewing on those huge shoes. Of course, Helen worked there several years later, I just thought the 15 year old's shoes were an interesting fact. When Helen got her job at the shoe plant, she realized that she was going to need a reliable babysitter to watch her 3 young children, Linda, Jimmy and Paula. Willie and the two older kids couldn't help out...they would be in school. She found a lady, Mrs Priestly (not real name), that assured Helen that she could easily watch her three children. The first few days went well, without any issues as far as she knew. The kids seemed happy enough when she picked them up, but something just didn't seem right...she couldn't put her finger on it. One afternoon, Helen got off early, and anxiously went to pick up her babies. Mrs. Priestly wasn't expecting Helen to arrive this early, and didn't hear her drive up. When Helen walked into the yard, there was Jimmy, dirty from head to toe and crying really hard. He had snot running down to his lip, with dirt smeared in it. When he saw his mommy....he ran and jumped in her arms. He told her that he couldn't get in the house and needed to pee pee really bad. She could tell that he had been crying for quite a while and she was furious. She walked up to the door and tried to open it...sure enough...it was locked. She could see through the small window that Mrs. Priestly was busy talking on the phone, ignoring the girls and totally ignoring little Jimmy outside. Helen banged on the front door as hard as she could. Mrs. Priestly was startled when she answered the door and saw Helen standing there. Jimmy ran to the bathroom and Helen gathered up the girls stuff and put in a bag. When Jimmy was finished, his mommy gave him a big ole hug, not caring that he was probably getting her dirty with his little hands. Helen then turned to Mrs. Priestly to give her an ear full about how disappointed she was in her activities...especially talking on the phone instead of taking care of the children that were put in her charge. She decided at that very moment she would no longer be employed at the shoe factory...these kids were too important to leave with someone like Mrs. Priestly. There were good babysitters out there...this was just not one of them. Helen knew that she couldn't work at the factory safely if she was worried about the care that her babies were getting. She would have to stop working for now...or until she was able to find one of those caring babysitters. Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply |  Author
Paula Tollison Andrews Maupin I am married to Bobby and live in the Nashville, TN area, working as Executive Assistant to both the Director of Sales and General Manager of FOX17, MyTV30 & CW58 television I have 3 wonderful sons and daughters in
love (Brad & Holly Andrews, Bryan & Stacy Andrews and Brandon
& Ashley Andrews) from Tulsa, St. Louis & Springfield
respectively. They have given me 9 precious grandbabies. (Joseph,
Cooper, Margo, Sloan, Jonas, Nora, Everett, Lawson and Blythe & Gma
loves them so much) I also have 2 great stepsons and daughter in love
(Jonathan & Kathryn Maupin and William Maupin) from Lexington,
Kentucky.
As a lady who's lived through both good & bad circumstances in my life, I've learned and continue to learn a lot of "life lessons". Along the way I have been inspired to be a better me. God is faithful in ALL circumstances and His love covers all. My hope is that you will be inspired to be who you were meant to be. I have been writing this blog about my mom and dad since September of 2011. You can find their story from the beginning by going to the Stories link. Happy Reading!!!   ArchivesMarch 2012 |
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