Getting to Know Your Neighbor: Carol Barber

If you haven’t lived in Princeton your entire life, you might not feel as connected to the community as someone who’s family has been in Princeton for generations. It might not feel like home.. yet. To be content in the small town you have chosen to call home, it helps to get to know it’s history. Connecting to the history of your chosen hometown gives foundation, understanding, and grows appreciation for that place, your place, in this world.

Your librarians want to know the history of Princeton, and we want to share that information with the community so we all can really get to know our town. What better way to learn about the history of a place than to ask those who have a long personal history with the town? We plan to interview multiple residents who can share bits and pieces of Princeton history, who remember what it was like to live, learn, work, and worship in Princeton ‘back in the day’.

The first resident we interviewed was Carol Barber, a current downtown resident, who remembers Princeton from as far back as the 1940’s. She was born and raised in Brogden, but went to Princeton School. As a young adult she moved away for 50 years, and came home to Princeton several years ago. She remembers penny candy, a favorite teacher, segregation, and working in the cotton field with her mother.

Featured Image: a butterfly on Carol’s Lantana