Sunday, July 11, 2010

Liddon Lake




-click to enlarge-

Here are a couple of old photos of Liddon Lake swimming pool area in Corinth in the 1950s or early 60s. It was the place to go for a swim in the hot Summertime. There were games, food (5 cent slugburgers and 10 cent hot dogs) and lots of places to sit with your main squeeze after swimming. The lake out front (not shown) had rental boats- with oars- that you could get to take a little "cruise".

Bad thing about it was that your parents loved to come there, too, so they usually told you that they would be there. Then you had to be on your toes and watch your behavior.

The facility has been closed for years and sadly, the structures are still there but in decay. This was reportedly the largest concrete pool in Mississippi and the entire South for many years. When Booneville got a pool, it took some of the load off of Corinth and Tupelo pools.
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Thanks to "anonymous" for emailing these photos.

10 comments:

  1. My oldest sister, Bobbie Nell, has lived in Corinth since she married in 1950. She took my brother and me to the Liddon Lake pool when I was about eight. I remember being completely overwhelmed at the size of the pool and the number of people there. Driving by a few months ago, it was sad to see such a once beautiful place in such dilapidated condition. I suppose that public swimming pools will allsoon go the same way as the drive-in theater.

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  2. My Dad took a car load of us to either Corinth or Okolona nearly every Sunday to swim. We would pack that old 52 Ford to the brim with people and hit the road,,I remember coming back from Okolona we would always stop at Barber's milk and get ice cream. They had a retail store on what is now north Gloster which was then Highway 45 north. Aw the good old days..
    Wallis

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  3. Sometime around 1975 J. R. Green and I were metal detecting for Civil War relics in the Corinth area and decided to stop at Liddon Lake to do a little "coin shooting". Thanks to all those thousands of patrons over the years we were able to find enough coins in an hour to more than pay for our trip. The place was impressive even at that late stage.

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  4. What is on that tall tower in the background? Surely not a diving board!!!

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  5. I believe the tall tower had a windmill on it. It definitely was not a tall diving platfrom - it sat away from the pool area quite a distance.

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  6. I went on lots of those great trips with Wallis' family and thanks; also others to Catfish Cabin at Shiloh - all you could eat for $1.25.

    Joe C

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  7. Yes, Carl, This was a far cry from Blue Mars....Henry

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  8. Henry, it certainly was. However, Blue Mars is still more vivid in my memory than anywhere else we swam. The ambiance of that old "wash hole" bests all of the others. I learned to swim in Blue Mars and other parts of Twenty-Mile. If it was still there, I'd go back occasionally and go skinny dipping!

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  9. Me and Billy Greene learned to swim at Blue Mar and our first big trip across deep water was there and we did it together..A blue letter day for both of us..
    Wallis

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  10. Was the pool at Okeelona this big? Only heard abt it, never saw it.

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