Museum Matters

Years ago, students going to Tarleton didn’t have money to buy a car or other transportation. The solution was the Tarleton Bus which was a retired school bus that was called back into service to take students to college classes on a daily basis. It left a gas station at 7:15 and headed toward Tarleton, picking up students along the way. Jean Whitfield Pinner lived across the street from the High School. The bus would stop to pick her up and others. (Jean Whitfield Pinner interview) I have been told that the Tarleton bus began when C. E. Leatherwood bought the bus at a school auction. His son, Edward Leatherwood was assigned to drive it in the 1945-46 school year. We might consider it Dublin’s first interurban transportation. It cost three dollars a month to ride the bus that first year. (Pat Leatherwood, interview) Benny Paul Galaway was the second driver in 1946-47. He was driving down the road one day when one of the wheels passed him on the road. The wheel had come off and they were stranded until someone could come and put the wheel back on. (Nita Henson Benge interview) The first newspaper article I found that mentioned the bus was in the fall of 1947, when Skeet Sones was the driver and forty two students rode it to class. (The Dublin Progress, November 21, 1947) In 1955 the bus was provided by the Dublin School District. The 18 students that rode in 1955 called the bus “Buck and Rattle.” They met at a service station about 7 in the morning. The bus left at 7:15 am for the trip to Tarleton. In 1955, each student paid six dollars a month for the chance to ride. Boys who had commercial licenses took turns driving the bus each day.

The bus would arrive at Tarleton in time for 8 am classes. “The students usually packed their lunches and during the lunch hour the Rec Hall was full of Dublin commuters talking over the events of the morning” (The Dublin Progress, October 14, 1955) Some students had money and were able to go across the street from Tarleton and eat at Pop Spruill’s Restaurant. Students would do the usual pranks such as loosening the top of the salt shakers for the next person to use. Some students had afternoon labs, so other students had afternoon time to finish their homework until all the students were ready to hop on board for the return trip. Sometimes the afternoon group would go to a movie or just sit in the bus visiting. The bus would leave early enough to arrive in Dublin at 5 pm.

Sometimes after class students would sit on the rock fence on Washington Street to see if someone from Dublin would drive by. They hoped to get a ride back earlier rather than waiting for the bus. Students really appreciated the transportation because it was the only way many of them could attend college.