Picturing the Past 16: The low rent corner

Wow, I had never seen this picture before David. Notice where the Hoover tractor and trailer are sitting. This alley way ran all the way to Atkinson just below the bridge. That would probably be West Holland. In the left of the picture you can see the building that has been earlier described as being the home of Hoover Furniture among other tenants. It appears there is a "Y" painted on the front of the building. I would have to do some thinking to determine who had a business at that time. Also, note the parking meter just to the left of the light pole.

leeiii. I think the "y" in the picture is the last letter in the word "company" as in Hoover Furniture Company.

ilikeoldsongs, thanks for the link to the Fire Departmant. Some of those photos I had never seen before. There is a lot of history in those photographs with buildings, vehicles, and people as well.

If we come back across the square, to South Spring St., Chitwood Jewelers was on the left, in part of the basement of Knox Pitts at one time, as were some other businesses that I can't put a name on right now. Across the street was the "boys" pool room, as opposed to the men's pool room on the square. Next door down was Neese's Linoleum Service, best I can remember.

Wonder if anybody remembers Woodson's Cafe, just off the square on the left, on Depot St. It had a pretty short life span. This was probably in '57.

Also just off the square,on the left, on Holland St., was a clothing store named Hereford's. (Next door to Martin & Price.) I know it was there in '58 'cause that's where I met my future bride.

I may be a little bonkers on this next one, but I've got it in my head that Model Sportswear was farther down Holland, across N.Jefferson, on the left, before they built the large plant out near Watco. If I'm wrong, please rebuke gently, as I'm not a young man anymore.

Between there and Deery St., on the right side of Holland, Dr. Cooper built an office, don't recall the year on that.

Also on the right, near Dr. Coopers office, was a monument company, I can't recall the name right now.

leeiii, you should appreciate whoever told you that pool rooms are trouble. Hanging around those places can easily result in "Feudin' And Fussin' And A Fightin".

Woodson's was located close to the square, either in the rear of the corner building, or in the next building for sure,(it was torn down recently.)It was owned by a city policeman, but can't ever recall his first name when I want to. Anyway, it was in and out for sure.

And Hereford's wasn't there long either, and after it left Martin & Price expanded into the area it had occupied, as I recall.

Thanks for vindicating my memory of Model Sportsware, and Hummell, dont't know if that one would have ever come back to me.

You are right about the Crab Orchard stone and Dr. Cooper's office.

Speaking of Crab Orchard, I'll bet a lot of folks on here remember the Weather Lady from up that way.

Wonder who remembers Guffey's Highway Market just past White Castle, on the opposite side of the road? And the junk yard behind it on Green Lane?

"ilikeoldsongs, I hope that bloggers are not getting tired of you and I dominating the conversation on here, but I am really enjoying it and I always look forward to your input. Again, I want to thank David for providing us this forum.

Posted by leeiii on Wed, Jul 8, 2009, at 9:14 AM

leeiii, you bring up a point that honestly has become a matter of concern to me in recent days. I look at the various blogs on this site, and time after time I see my signature attached to a post. More often than not my posts seem to pertain to the 1950's, 1960's, an era that most folks, say 50 and under, might not identify with, and certainly are unlikely to have any direct memories of. By placing myself in thier shoes, I can easily see how they might feel "left out" of a blog that is focused on that time frame.

If anyone has felt, or does feel that way, please accept my personal apology, as I feel responsible. The information and memories that each generation acquires is just as valuable, and just as wanted as that of any other generation. And just as necessary to the whole picture. After all, time didn't start in 1950, and end in 1969.

I feel that I need to back away from these blogs for awhile, as an active poster, and just observe and enjoy the posts that I hope will be forthcoming from some of our younger members. Again, if I have been the cause of anyone not participating, please accept my apology.

David, again I join leeiii in saying thank you for both the opportunity afforded by these boards, as well as the time and effort you have invested.

And leeiii, that vein of 24 carat information you carry in your head is simply too deep and wide to walk away from, so I look forward to returning from time to time, and mining a nugget or two.

Thanks David for the encouragement, and to you, ilikeoldsongs, no, no, no, please do not back away. I feel the same way about your comments as you seem to feel about mine. I am already looking forward to what you have to say next.

Sharon22, I have been gone for 33 years but we still have family and friends there so I am able to keep up somewhat with what is going on and the T-G also is a great help.

Even though we have been gone for a long time I will always announce to anyone who will listen that I am from "Shubvul" with a great deal of pride.

I'm only 50, so I don't remember Fred's furniture store, but I do have memories of my grandmother taking me shopping for new (very stiff) jeans at the Fair Store and Parks Belks on the square. I do remember Martin & Price Hardware and H. Clay Martin's market out on North Main. The very first movie I recall seeing at the then Princess Theater was "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken", starring Don Knotts. This was shortly before they installed "rocking chair" seating. The old D & D Market was where I had my very first job earning a grand total of 75 cents per hour. As far as pool rooms go, if I'd spent as much time in school as I did hanging out at the old Brown's pool hall, I might be a little smarter today!

Welcome back ilikeoldsongs. This World Wide Web is a wonderful thing. If Al Gore had invented it many, many years earlier than he did, maybe I could have made it through high school in four years instead of the five it took me.

"I'm only 50, so I don't remember Fred's furniture store, but I do have memories of my grandmother taking me shopping for new (very stiff) jeans at the Fair Store and Parks Belks on the square."

Posted by Tattoos & Scars on Wed, Jul 8, 2009, at 11:13 PM

Yes, I remember wearing those "concrete britches", would about as soon break in a new pair of shoes. Sure was glad when they started making those "already half worn out ones", a lot more comfortable.

Where was Brown's pool room? I essentially laid the game down in 1958 when I married, and didn't play anymore till about the early '80's, when my daughter and a couple of her friends wanted me to give them a few pointers at Funland on Madison St.

Well on the south side of Chicago...

No, lets make that the south side of the Shelbyville square, about the middle of the block, where quite a few folks have gathered to see a demonstration of the new, 1957 Ford Retractable Hardtop.

Were you "A Face In The Crowd"?. I was.

"Are you quoting that from memory or do you have a picture made that day?

-- Posted by leeiii on Thu, Jul 9, 2009, at 2:49 PM "

Strictly memory, but boy, would a picture be great! Best I remember the car was red and white. Not a lot of those cars were sold in Shelbyville, but you might be right about Ledbetter owning one, and it seems that I am wanting to think he had a red and white one,too. But I've slept too many times since then to be sure.

The Face In The Crowd reference was just a play on the old Andy Griffith movie from 1957.

"ilikeoldsongs, the building that is pictured this week is one that I have a question about. Can you ever remember John C. Huffman Appliances being in that building? This would have been about 1936, or'37, or '38."

-- Posted by leeiii on Thu, Jul 9, 2009, at 5:07 PM

Nah,that would have been a little before my time, but still the name sounds familiar.

Hey David just wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed these blasts from the past over the past few weeks and especially all the comments that come up afterwards from everyone reminiscing. I think it has been funny to hear how people's memory wheels start turning when you show them one picture or mention a business name and then the fountain of knowledge just starts pouring out...

Along the same line of Tattoos and Scars comment from earlier...does anyone remember Southland Department Store...that was once in the building there close to the Capri Theatre, that they just tore down recently. I remember that well, my mother worked there before I ever started school...And another one I could throw out there for you Shelbyville History Buffs...how about Gene Parks Furniture Store, since we are talking about furniture stores this week...

David, just keep them coming every week and you people that like to comment, don't be afraid to throw out some new places in your chatting...it really has been fun...and you two that have been talking the most, don't ever think you need to stop and give the young ones a little room...they will jump in there when they have something to say...trust me...that does not stop them...

Pink Panther 1953, Gene Parks Furniture was on Holland in, I think, the building now housing Statum Cab. As I recall, it was still operating as late as the 1970s and possibly the 1980s.

"The refrigerator was a "Frigidaire" and all of my young life I thought all contraptions like that were "Frigidaires".

Posted by leeiii on Fri, Jul 10, 2009, at 7:52 AM

What! You telling me they are NOT all "Frigidaires?" My goodness, are you gonna tell me next that not all record players are "Victrolas?"

The first movie that I clearly remember would be "Lassie Come Home", and those Kettle movies were hilarious at the time.

I was really into war movies back in the 1940's, possibly influenced to some degree by patriotism, but more likely having to do with my own experience of having repulsed numerous attacks by both German and Japanese forces in my back yard, and other strategic locations around the neighborhood. Those were some sneaky enemies, but...

Yes, Gene Parks Furniture was where you're thinking on Holland St. It seems to me that he might have relocated later to the old John F's building on 231, but I wouldn't bet 2 cents, three eggs and a postcard on it. This may be one of those situations that calls for a younger,more recently oriented persons input. The closer you get to today, the weaker my memory becomes.

Kind of reminds me of Brother Dave Gardener's assessment of our military capabilities during the Cuban Crisis in the '60's."we got rockets that will go ten thousand miles, and blap, right on target. We got rockets that will go five thousand miles, and blap, right on target.We got rockets that will go a thousand miles, and blap, right on target.(A short pause) We ain't got nothin' that will hit that close!!

"You may, or may not remember me...

Posted by marnold1118 on Fri, Jul 10, 2009, at 9:21 AM

Long time, no hear! How is everything with you these days? How long has it been since you checked out the Fairfield Pike? Lot of changes out that way, as might be expected.

Let me say a sincere "welcome home", and I know your presence will add much to these blogs.

"Thanks David and ilikeoldsongs. Now, I am at a disadvantage...your moniker "ilikeoldsongs" doesn't give me any clue to your ID, but I'm sure I know you."

Posted by marnold1118 on Fri, Jul 10, 2009, at 10:02 AM

I ain't hard to figure out. Just think of "uncle" Moody's little rock house across the road from George, Ruth, Peggy and marcus.

marnold1118, as far as knowing my identity, both David and Bo know who I am. If you will just contact them, then they have my permission to let you know my identity.

I may get kicked out the first day I'm on the blog!

But leeiii is correct about Williams Bros. Furniture. It was at 204 W. Franklin St., near Pontsler's Groc. (which was mentioned in an earlier blog) and the Toddle Inn.

Wow, marnold1118 you are going to be a tremendous asset to the blog. I had completely forgotten about Grady's Market.

David this is getting to be funner and funner. I guess that iron really does sharpen iron.

I had also forgotten about the Toddle Inn where you could toddle in and wobble out.

ilikeoldsongs, let me ask you a question. Where would the 400 block of West Lane be located on today's lay of the land? Would it be about where the old Chevrolet dealership was located?

ilikeoldsongs, let me ask you a question. Where would the 400 block of West Lane be located on today's lay of the land? Would it be about where the old Chevrolet dealership was located?

-- Posted by leeiii on Sat, Jul 11, 2009, at 8:43 AM

I think the dealership would be included in the 400 block, as I think the first street cutting through between W. Jackson and W. Lane was about where Richards Cafeteria is located, which would start the 500 block.

If you wanted to "pinpoint" the location of Simon Warners home, you could go to the D.G. Beers 1878 map, locate the colored church on the right side of "Lane" St., and follow the little drainage branch as it passes near the rear of the church, then crosses Lane street. Of course there are no houses there on the map at that time, but on the opposite side of the road from the church, my house in '43 was next to the branch on the town side, and Simon's house was across the branch toward the Chevrolet lot.

West Lane Memories

For whatever reason, West Lane St. and Simon Warner have drifted in and out of my mind for the past several weeks.I had hardly thought of either one since Urban Renewal changed the landscape, and have no idea why it seems to have assumed some degree of importance to me all of a sudden. However, I have experienced enough "unexplainable" events in my life that I no longer discount feelings of forboding, etc, and that is not said to start an argument, but simply to state a fact that pertains to my life, no one else's.

I have mentioned to several people through the years that I had lived next door to Simon Warner when I was a young child, but have never felt any need to go into any detail until now. I have no idea where this may go, as I have not written down any notes to refer to. I hope that it doesn't bore you to death.

One of the first things that I remember about meeting Simon was getting the "grand tour", I guess you would call it. He and his wife Ruby showed us what I have since decided must have been an in home office. One wall in this back room was almost entirely covered with newspaper articles, many of which had pictures of Simon. Of course I couldn't read at that time but I recognized him in the pictures. Then there was a whole bunch of photographs, many of Simon, and some of him and other people. If he wasn't an important person he certainly was trying to create that impression with that wall display.

The Great Snake Hunt

I don't recall who first spotted the snake in the branch that ran between our house and Simon, just remember wading around in water no more than three or four inches deep, i'm sure, poking a stick under rocks. Simon was up near the road looking, and my mother was admonishing me "don't you pick up no snake, you call simon if you see it."

Well, as luck would have it, I was the one that found it.I raked it out from under a rock with my little stick, and back under the rock it went.I raked that snake out three times and didn't know it was a snake, thought it was just a weed that I was pulling out. But finally, after that third time, my little child's mind realized that that "weed" was going upstream to get back under that rock, and weeds can't go upstream. I told Simon and he took care of the snake.Turned out it was a cottonmouth, a real small one, about 10" long.

I remember soldiers going by the house on several ocassions, sometimes marching in formation, but usually just walking along.I can't help but wonder now and then if any of them were lost in the war.

Then there was the time that I ventured into the business world, and engineered a tricycle for rabbits deal with Simon. He had three big white rabbits that I wanted, but I didn't have any money. His boy, who was younger than I, wanted a tricycle that I didn't ride anymore.So, after talking it over with my Dad, the deal was made. Don't know till this day what became of the rabbits.

Before I get away from Simon's boy, I should mention an incident that happened once which I'm not especially proud of. He was over at my house playing one day, and my mother came out with a soft drink and a glass, and proceeded to divide the drink between us. I explained to her that I didn't want to share my drink, but would rather have it all myself.This made no impression on her at all, so I showed her who was boss by pouring my half out on the ground. I didn't get a whipping for it, but I didn't any soft drink the rest of the day, either.

The lot that our house sat on was a fairly steep sloping lot, and as a result the lower side nearest the branch was high enough off the ground that I could bend over and walk under the house.I spent a lot of time playing under there. But one time I remember taking a nap, and when I woke up I was hurting so bad in both sides that I couldn't take a deep breath. I remember a Dr. coming out and examining me, and saying I had double pneumonia.I don't know how long I was in and out of my head from the fever, or how long the pain lasted, but it seemed like forever. But every time I would wake up enough to know what was going on, my Mother would be sitting beside the bed in a straight chair.

I have never spoken of this time in my life to anyone before, not even family, in this much detail, and as mentioned above, don't know why I was motivated to do so now.More often than not we do things because we know its the thing to do, but sometimes we have to do things because we feel its the thing to do.

What an absolute joy to be reading all this local history and the stories accompanying them. This has brought back so many memories of growing up in Shelbyville. I too remember Gene Parks furniture store. I was having a conversation with a friend today and he mentioned the old Cooper Foods store located in the Big Springs Shopping center. If I'm remembering correctly, they gave out a horse racing card with your grocery purchase. My dad and I would watch those races to see if he had a "winning" card. I can also remember going to the old Day Brothers market, located where Vance Clay realty is today. Then there was the bowling alley where Shelbyville Supermarket is now. Like I said, this blog has been a lot of fun to read!

ilikeoldsongs and leeiii, please keep sending your comments, I have enjoyed them so much. You've brought back many memories, some I remembered and some that I had forgotten. leeiii, your memory is remarkable to not have lived here for 33 years.

Hummell Monument Co.on Holland was started by my Grandfather. He put up the orignal statue of Jack Daniel in Lynchburg. It was ordered to the exact measurements of Jack except they had to enlarge his

shoe size for fear of the statue toppling over from the weight because his feet being so small. They use to send my Grandmother a case of sample bottles of whiskey every Christmas that she flavored her boiled custard with,...that was some

good boiled custard!

You also brought back memories with the old party

albums, was it Bro. Dave that had the story of Mr.Charlie and Ms.Baby and the Motorcycle Wreck?

Thanks too,David, for bringing all these memories back to light.

leeiii, decided to confirm my thinking on the old Cannon car dealership being in the 400 block of W.Lane St., and am now sure it is, although not by a whole bunch, maybe like 50-75 ft. inside the western end.

While out decided to follow up on our earlier discussion involving the old city golf course. You had mentioned Sam Moore's store also, during that discussion, and I wanted to see how the land lays in that area now.It's been a long time since I made the loop through W.Lane, Shelbyville Mills Rd., and W. Jackson St., longer than I realized.

I was not shocked, but was a little disappointed to find that the store itself was gone, as were, it appears, probably two dwellings immediately on the town side of the store site. In thier place is a 7-11 type store, which has been placed a little farther back from the road for better parking, I suppose.

Finding a farm shed type corrugated building representing the face of a neighborhood that one has known since the days of one's youth certainly gives you a glowing, fuzzy feeling, doesn't it? Really warms the cockels of your heart.

Referring to...

"marnold1118 in your collecting have you collected any old Shelbyville street maps such as before Urban Renewal. I went out to Garland King's museum and made some pictures of his maps before Urban Renewal, but with the yellowing paper and the glare from the plexiglass covering them my results were not very satisfying...."

leeiii...I do have some old street maps, but never as many as I would like. Here is what I've got:

--1878 D.G. Beer & Co. map. This is a great map of the whole county and identifies most of the homeowners, buildings, etc. When you consider the entire downtown area of Shelbyville, I think it is great. It lacks detail of the square and the major streets that comprise the core of our downtown. This is the map that filled 4 newspaper pages and was part of the T-G on the day we distributed the huge Sesquicentennial edition in 1969. A lot of the books have survived, but that regular newspaper issue with the map is harder to find. This is good for locating specific locales out in the county.

--U.S. Geological Survey maps. These are topo maps each showing a different quadrangle. I have all of Bedford and surrounding counties and I guess there are 20-30 of these. Some are old and date back to the 1940s and some are more current. I have used them to identify and mark where I've lived, gone to school, where cemeteries, churches, and things like that important to my genealogical files.

--My largest, and probably and helpful, group of maps were published by Sanborn and Perris Co. It takes several 2-ft. x 3-ft. maps to show all of Shelbyville. So, they are quite detailed. They identify alot--schools, churches, some businesses, etc., but they have houses and buildings drawn in street by street, but without identification. You'll see a building identified, for instance, as "furniture", but won't list the name of the furniture store. I have sets for 1887, 1894, 1899, 1905, 1910, 1921, and 1929. The Argie Cooper Library has these same maps in their history room, so anyone can go check them out. Just ask for the Sanborn maps of Shelbyville. They are loose in a large drawer.

--The oldest Shelbyville map I have is a hand-drawn map of 1826 Shelbyville. All it lists are a couple of mill dams and several street names. There may be a few others that I don't recall that are hiding in my files somewhere.

Again, I rambled on far too long.

ilikeoldsongs, thanks for your effort in helping me to locate the general area of Simon Warner's house. I pulled out the D.G. Beers map and your directions helped me to nail it. I was thinking that it would be in the general area of Cannon's dealership and the Royal Crown Bottling plant. As for the glowing, fuzzy feeling about the West Lane/Sam Moore location, it is more like an itchy, scratchy feeling.

As for the 500 block of Morton Street being across the highway from BCTS. My Step Father-in-Law assures me that Sonny Grooms' Father had a joint (beer or groceries) down in that area shortly after WWII, and that later Sonny operated it. Now I am wondering if it could have been Sonny's Father-in-Law instead of his Father. I do not know what his name would have been. I know that later (after Urban Renewal) Sonny had a quick stop market on Lane Parkway and his son Jimmy had a clothing store (James G) attached to it. I agree with both of you that I also think Norton Street to be in error.

marnold, yes I have the 1878 D.G. Beers map. I will have to scour the internet to see if I can find a Sanborn and Perris Co. street map of Shelbyville in the '40's or '50's.

Holland and North Main are the only two streets that I can remember Day Brothers being on as well.

Yes, I have heard of a Grooms Food Store on the square but I never knew of it.

I am glad that you brought up the name Earnhart. I had forgotten that the store across from the high school was Earnhart's before it was Baker's.

I agree about misspelling being a problem. Even more so on the old Census reports not only is misspelling a problem, but misinformation as well. Sometimes I think people gave bad information, and sometimes I think the Census taker heard or recorded it wrong. Either way, I have discovered a lot of mistakes.

David or marnold1118, would either of you have access to a photo of the concrete pylon and traffic light that sat right in the middle of the intersection of North Main and Madison/Elm? I am not sure what year it was torn down, but I am guessing that it was late '50s or early '60s.

And on the subject of traffic lights, anyone remember the one the city hung illegally at the upper entrance of the hospital? The state made them remove it, but not before they collected a fine off me for making an illegal left turn into the parking lot at ten 'oclock one night.

To leeiii: I don't think I have a photo specifically of the pylon you are referring to, it may show up in something else. Let me browse around and see if I can find it. I just vaguely remember it being there.

Yes grannybee I remember it well. My wife was born there in 1944. The first time I was ever in the hospital was 1959 and that was on Union Street so it was sometime between '44 and '59 that it moved. I have a picture of it in one of my books here. I will do some looking and try to come up with some answers for you. You are right about the location. The First Christian Church sits on the property that was once occupied by the old hospital.

Thanks ilikeoldsongs for saving me a lot of thumbing through the book. My old copy is beginning to show signs of giving up the ghost. An interesting sidenote is that W.O. Jenkins (a wealthy industrialist from Mexico and native of Bedford County) gave the first $100,000 to start the new hospital.

"A little later Mr. Renyolds opened the store on Morton St."

Posted by Wilderness 68 on Mon, Jul 13, 2009, at 8:13 PM

My goodness, you've called up some memories Wilderness 68, everything from Tutu's to Pony League Softball. With the exception of Miss Sara, every name you mentioned is very familiar to me, and most have a particular memory associated with it. Thanks for the post.

Let me ask you about the Reynolds store and Morton St. Did Morton St. end at Elm St. beside Bedford County Training School, or did it cross Elm St. and continue into the Thomas School area? And if it crossed Elm St. which side of Elm was the store located on, the Training School side or the Thomas School side?

Again, thanks for all the memories this post has brought back.

Wilderness 68,

Thanks so much for the information. All the information I have gathered so far indicates that Morton St. did in fact cross Elm St., and that the store was on the South side of Elm St. I can't thank you, marnold and leeiii enough for the input each of you had in helping me resolve this question. It's not the "Cinderella" ending I had hoped for at the beginning of this quest, but I am fully satisfied that it is the correct ending. And as Sgt. Friday might say "we're just here to get the facts,ma'am, just the facts.

Thanks to all.

Thanks for the information, everyone. I would really love to see a picture of the old hospital. Maybe I can find one at the library. Thanks again!!

I wonder how many posters have ever watched a game of baseball, or perhaps played, at the Royal Ball Park?

'Yes brother, I see that hand, and that one, and that one too. Hallelujah."

Posted by leeiii on Tue, Jul 14, 2009, at 4:10 PM

I ain't knockin' the country by any means, but when you're too young to drive, and it's five or six miles to the ballpark, that can be a hindrance to one's viewing pleasure. Despite that handicap, a friend and I managed to get to the park a few times one summer, to watch a friend of his, Freddy Wheeler, play ball. Really pleasant times to think back on. You probably knew Freddy, if not from baseball, then likely from bowling.

Henning Jewelers and Rone Jewelers. The only two names you needed to know in the jewelry business. We never did a lot of business with Henning. Seems to me they had a store in Columbia when we lived there. But now all roads led to Rones, and we got on it and travelled for years.

I guess we could give honorable mention status to Harold L. Shyer, if for no other reason than his catchy saying,"If you don't know diamonds, know your jeweler, and if Harold says it's so, it's so."

You know, I can't really place Where Henning was located. Now Rone was on the East side of the square,not far from the middle, best I can recall from this chair. I'm wanting to think they were next door or maybe two doors up from the drugstore, toward Depot St. By the way, I went uptown yesterday and parked where I could see the whole East side of the square.I stared at those buildings so hard that a couple of times I thought I saw a few bricks coming loose, and had to ease up on 'em. But I still could not get it into my head which one is the Scudder building. I'm 99.9 percent sure that it's on the East side, but it looks like I'm gonna have to swallow my pride and go in some of those stores, and say "looky here,now, what's this building called."

Wonder if I should alert the City Cowboys ahead of time?

Yes, I knew Freddie passed away, it was a shock at the time, couldn't hardly believe it. I don't know of anybody who didn't like Freddie, he was just a heck of a nice guy. There's a picture of Freddie in the '69 T-G book, page 138, I believe, a Josten's ad. After all these years of having that book around, I only noticed that picture about a month ago. Doesn't speak very highly of my attention to detail, does it?

-- Posted by ilikeoldsongs on Tue, Jul 14, 2009, at 8:18 PM

Regarding the jewelry stores:

Rone's was definitely on the East Side of the Square...about mid-ways or so. Again, I'm at work, so don't have the photos in front of me, but when I look at those I can pinpoint exactly where it was.

Hennings was on the South Side of the Square, next to, or very near, Knox Pitts Hdwe. on the west end of the south side. Hennings met its demise on the final Friday night of the Celebration in 1974. I remember it well, because following the horse show every last Friday night the old Holiday Inn would host a big buffet (I don't know what you call a meal that's after midnight). I had asked my future wife to go with me after the show on our first date. However, after the show was over and before the buffet, Henning Jewelers caught fire and burned. Rather that getting to go to the buffet, I had to go to the fire and was high up in the power company's "cherry picker" bucket taking photos of the fire. When all that was over and I took my date home, we both reeked of smoke and her parents were none too pleased. But I persevered--in January of 2010 we celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary.

Thanks for the tip, marnold, I did find a picture of the old hospital on the web. Here is the link to it if anyone else would like to see it: http://www.tennkin.com/pastpix/bcgh.htm

Thanks, leeiii, and congratulations to you and your wife. My wife and I also had to get a parents signature, since she was 19 and I was three weeks shy of 21.

We also had our doubters, a couple of her family members said we wouldn't make it two years, but we did and they didn't.

Back to the jewelry stores...I traded at Rones Jewelry Store as long as I can remember, at least on all of the important holidays when I wanted to buy a watch or ring for my mother...If I am not mistaken it is in the exact place that Heritage Jewelry Store is now. I think Wayne Hix worked for the owners of Rones Jewelry when he was in high school and then later he purchased it from them...

These comments are outstanding! I am the maternal grandson of Albert Bailey, "The Iceman." His daughter,(my mother) is 84-years old and I would love to find a copy of the Times-gazette sesqui-centennial historical edition, October 7,1969 to show her. Anyone know if more copies are available, and where?

"I grew up thinking all refrigerators were Frigidaires, but earlier than that we had an icebox and "went to town" to buy ice from Albert Bailey--the master of the ice pick."

Thank you leeiii.

I can still smell his cigar, and remember riding in the 1953 green Chevy with him from his home on Cedar Street to the ice plant on Deery. These childhood memories will never leave me. I spoke with my mother tonight about this blog and she is so excited that people still remember her dad.

This article has made my day!