Back in the days of the Depression, the sewing machine was extremely important to my mother," recalled author Iris Gray Dowling of Cochranville. "She would take clothes from the ragman who would come around. He let my mother pick through the clothes for pennies. She would take the clothes, cut them up and make new clothes for us out of them - snowpants and jackets - and she unraveled the sweaters and made new ones. That's how she (earned money)."
A photo of the sewing machine, additional personal stories, local history and more are featured in Dowling's new book, "Days Gone By (Life in 1930s and 1940s)," which details the beginnings of Cochranville, including the history of local farms, school and churches and what life was like during the Great Depression and the World War II years.
"My ancestors came from Ireland and settled in the Cochranville area. My grandmother, who is pictured on the cover, was a descendant of the Cochrans and Watersons, who settled there," Dowling explained. "They followed the Muddy Run Creek toward Cream and lived in that area for a century."
Dowling noted that three generations of her family attended the Oak Grove one-room school and went to churches in the area for more than a century. "My mother also taught at Oak Grove, where she got her first eight years of education," said Dowling. "She also taught at the Hopewell Building (the former Oxford High School) after having been a high school student there."
The 157-page book includes many photos both in black and white and color. "In the back of the book I have a picture of my grandmother's quilt that she made 1890. I framed it and have it here in my house," noted Dowling. "In the beginning of book, the first page after the introduction, I have a picture of my grandmother's old platform rocking chair. I watched her sit in the chair and read the Bible. At the bottom of the page is the dining table where we spend Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. I wrote in the book, 'If these pieces of household furniture could talk, what an interesting story they may tell.'"
Dowling also shares stories about living on the family farm. "We had a real country life. I raised the chickens," she said. "We had two cows, and my brothers and I would milk them and then we walked to Cream to get the school bus and that was a mile away. We made butter with the churn by hand and sold the butter. Lots of people loved to get the homemade butter."
Dowling also recalled being a member of a 4-H sewing club. "My dress won first place and was displayed in West Chester. From where I lived in those days, West Chester was a long ways off," she shared. "It was a great thing to have your dress displayed in a store window, and it was a there for three months."
Dowling has written more than 15 books, including "History of Churches and Worship Groups in the Oxford Area" and "Mission Stories," which details true stories from people in the Upper Oxford and Cochranville areas who served as missionaries. She also is a children's book author. Her most recent picture book is titled "Open Your Eyes (Discover the Cecropia Moth)."
She recently shared information about that book with students at West Fallowfield Christian School (WFCS) in Atglen. In addition to reading from her book, she brought along her butterfly and moth collection with many specimens that are more than 60 years old. "My main aim in writing those kinds of books is to get kids interested in what is going on in their backyard and in insects and birds," she said, adding that she engaged the children in a creative writing contest with her books to be given as prizes.
For more information about "Days Gone By," including how to obtain a copy, email Dowling at dowlingiris013@gmail.com.
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