Wofford students began interviewing former residents in 2017 to hear their stories of growing up in the neighborhood and what life was life Back of the College. While residents describe a wide range of experiences, one consistent point that nearly everyone makes is that the neighborhood was a genuine and tightly connected community. Children felt safe to wander and run – to race down Cumming Street on their roller skates and bicycles, to pick peaches and blackberries wherever they grew, to walk to friends’ houses and explore wooded areas, to find their favorite snacks from the many good cooks who lived there – and adults looked out for each other and their children. Many remember the teachers who lived in the neighborhood and how their instruction was not limited to the classroom: young people were taught life lessons as they ate cookies or drank lemonade on Ms. Barksdale’s or Ms. Penland’s porch. A general commitment to residents helping one another and an emphasis on collective responsibility toward raising children is found in these interviews. 

 

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