Crawford Mayor Fred Tolon is optimistic about his little town and wants to see it flourish. On Jan. 25 he hosted a breakfast with ministers and other key people in the community to discuss his vision. I was happy to be among those invited.
The mayor’s wife Janet, Beverly Hairston and some of the alderman prepared a delicious country breakfast. About 20 people came ready to listen and to discuss.
Judge Peggy Phillips suggested the town pavilion be this year’s project. An architectural drawing of the proposed pavilion proudly sits on an easel in the city hall; some work has been done on the project.
The pavilion will be behind the city hall and will seat 75 people with a small kitchen and bathrooms. It will allow families or groups to have a place to meet. The fee charged will go into the town’s coffers. June 28 has been set as “A Day in the Park” to bring people together to enjoy a softball game. Plans are underway for a community-wide yard sale the same day to help fund the pavilion. A Facebook page for Crawford will be established.
The important thing emerging from the meeting was a spirit of community enthusiasm and camaraderie among those attending. It was the coming together of all us working for the good of the community we are all a part of.
Crawford, a small town in the very southwest corner of Lowndes County, appears to be languishing in almost every way. This poor economy adds to the challenge Mayor Tolon faces, but he knows the people, and he wants to see more for them.
The town has one business and thus no tax base. What’s left of downtown is falling down and vacated, but when you drive farther down Main Street you see neatly tended houses and lawns.
Crawford’s rich history began in the 1840s when the railroad came through. In the 1880s all the wooden stores burned to the ground, and the town built back with brick stores closer to the railroad. The town flourished with many retail stores, a cotton gin, a doctor, a bank, a school and churches. This was all well and good, but the town had a problem, one that no town can endure and still flourish: Many of its young people chose to move away.
The people who owned the businesses died, and the stores, one-by-one, closed, leaving a desolate downtown. The school, often the nucleus of many small communities, closed. Charlie Jones, the proprietor of a one-of-a-kind convenience store, remains as the only merchant in town. The cotton gin has been replaced with a grain elevator.
In spite of all these setbacks, there are good things happening.
The town has built a beautiful community center. The old school is being torn down to make way for a new volunteer fire station. A newly paved road flows through the town. Crawford has a library open on Mondays and Wednesdays where Bernice, the librarian, calls me to say the book I have ordered is in. If I need to renew, I can just call her. Recie Coleman is a professional postmaster who always greets me with a big smile and a hello. Driving just west of Crawford is Mac McCarter’s Mac’s One Stop where I buy gas for my lawn mower. Mac and his wife are always friendly and gracious to me. Churches like Charity, Oakland MB, Faith Mennonite, and Crawford Methodist are thriving. Faith and religion are very important to the community.
Mayor Tolon believes the future of Crawford lies in the spirit of the people. By volunteering to help build the pavilion, the community will see the power of people united for a single purpose. The mayor believes the sense of pride coming from such an achievement bodes well for the town’s children and its future.
I have lived in the area for 52 years, but my husband’s family has been here since the 1830s. My roots are deep. I do care about Crawford and I am optimistic about its future and the vision of its mayor.
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