Memories of a bygone era

The Leaksville YMCA was a neighborhood place when it was built in 1917. It housed basketball courts, activity rooms and showers. Outside, children and adults enjoyed baseball and other games that children created.

Bud Roberts, an Eden resident, has possibly been a member of an Eden area YMCA longer than anybody. He started going to the Leaksville YMCA in 1938, and with the exception of three to four years while he was away at war, he has been an active member the entire time.

A fire destroyed the original building in 1936, but they found another building to house the YMCA across the street. Roberts said he remembers seeing the fire from where he lived, but he was not a member at that time.

Roberts said the YMCA was a very important part of the community, because children needed something to do. On any given day, there would be dozens of children in the YMCA from all over the neighborhood.

“It was a community thing where all the children would go in the neighborhood,” Roberts said. “We used to do all kinds of activities and some where our families would participate. They would call those family nights.”

Tournaments were also played against different area YMCAs, including the Central YMCA, North Spray and Draper YMCA. Groups from Danville, Va., would also come and participate in tournaments.

There were clubs and other activities offered at the Leaksville YMCA. Home economic classes were taught to children and adults in their classrooms, and the building was a place for other clubs to meet.

Roberts said playing games with the other children is what he remembers most about the Leaksville YMCA. In particular, he remembers one game where a tripod would be set up in the gym and the children would have pillow fights. He said the children wouldn’t get hurt, but that’s probably not an activity which would be offered at a YMCA today.

The YMCA is used mainly by Roberts now for weight training and shooting basketball. He has been a YMCA member for more than 65 years, and continues to go to the Eden YMCA almost every day.