Teen Canteen
Teen Canteen
The Canteen was a great place for teenagers to gather after school, following ballgames, and on weekends. The building is located at Southeast First Street on the public parking lot owned by the city of Linton. The Canteen was built at this location as the city owned the property. Originally the grade, junior, and senior high school buildings were located on this property. Eventually the schools were torn down, but the Canteen remained. The Head Start Program is now located in the building.
The Canteen was a popular place from the 1940s until the 1970s. The building was constructed in 1945. It was built for teens to gather, under adult supervision, to have fun. When the Canteen first opened, Margaret Riley and Pops Fitzpatrick ran it. After that Ethel Harmon supervised the facility until it closed. Jenissa Reed, a frequent visitor to the Canteen, said that everyone loved Mrs. Harmon; they would call her Mother Harmon. She volunteered her time to help with the Canteen.
Harmon did not operate the Canteen by herself. The Canteen had council members: three students from each high school class along with parents and students. They were elected every year to serve on the Teen Council.
Teenagers between the ages of thirteen to nineteen were allowed to go to the Canteen. The young people in Linton and the surrounding areas would "live to go to the Canteen" as reported by Mrs. Reed. She said that she could not wait until she turned thirteen. The first time she went to the Canteen, her mother had to go with her to tell the director, Mrs. Harmon, that she had turned thirteen and qualified to attend the Canteen. Mrs. Harmon placed her name in a book where she kept all the other names. Mrs. Harmon tried to memorize all the names of the teenagers who attended.
As teenagers went through the door, they saw the shiny floors and walls. The walls were paneled in knotty pine. The outside of the building is white and has a rectangular shape. It also has several windows.
Upon entering, a teen’s hand was stamped with a Linton Miner stamp to show admission had been paid. Admission price to the Canteen was a dime in the 1940s and 1950s, but the price in the late 1960s and 1970s was $1.00 when live bands were performing. Mrs. Reed said that when she first started going there, they had a juke box for music, but soon they started having live bands on Friday and Saturday night. She said that the girls wore skirts, sweaters, and pennyloafers. The boys would wear dress pants and nice shirts.
Teenagers did not only dance at the Canteen, but they also played cards, ping-pong, and pool. When they got hungry, they would have some refreshments such as sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks.
Mrs. Harmon had Christmas and New Year’s Eve dances every year. At these dances the teenagers dressed in nice clothing. They would also have party hats and confetti on New Year’s Eve.
Interest in the Canteen was declining in the 1970s. However, the main reason the Canteen closed was that Mrs. Harmon became ill and no one took over the responsibility of operating the facility. Also financial support by the teens was decreasing as disco music became popular and the Canteen was viewed as being "old-fashioned."
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
Pictures can be found in our photogallery.
