Thursday, July 7, 2022

Iconic Blockton House Torn Down

An iconic house on North Street in Blockton has been torn down. Lindsey Bills, who lived there as a child, drove to Blockton this year and found that it was gone. It had been lived in as recently as 2017. There was extensive discussion about the house on the Facebook group “Growing Up in Blockton.”

At one time, there was a Mrs. Ball who lived there. Alice (King) Miller recounted going under the branches of the iconic weeping willow tree.

For a long time, the Simmons family owned the house. Jackie (Simmons) Laire, who grew up there, recounted that 55-60 years ago, there was a large garden, a barn to the north of the house, and the weeping willow. At the time, Blockton still had a grocery store, a cafe, a theater, a school, and churches. The Simmons family had 7 kids, and it was built for hide and seek games. 

Later, the house belonged to Doyle and Gloria Cortner.

Rebecca (Simmons) Harkleroad recounted that the place had lilac bushes out front; she remembers mowing the yard with a push mower, catching fireflies at night, and breaking her arm once when her tricycle brakes gave out. She said many times they would climb out the upstairs windows and sit on the roof of the porches.


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