"Watermelons by the Carload"

Happy November to readers of Family Trails. 

We are still digging deeper into the time capsule article that my great-aunt, Lora Antoinette Weaver Ragsdale wrote for the Talladega Historical Society.
This week let's read how Lora, "Tee," described her father's store .

photo from the book, "Images of America: Talladega, Pathways to the Past"

Working hours were different from today. You could open and close your store any time you chose. No one opened on Sunday. Our father opened his store at 6 o'clock in the morning in order to sell to people who had come from a long distance, like Lineville or Ashland, and who needed to get back home before dark. 

Father's store was a general store, selling dry goods, groceries, hardware, shoes and many other items. When farmers would come in from any distance (like 25-30 miles) and sell their goods, usually bales of cotton, and buy what they needed, it would often be too late for them to go home that night. So, they would spend the night in "Wagon Yards" enclosed by fences. They could feed their horses and mules there, put down a quilt in a large room and spend the night for 25 cents. There were two watering places in town for the animals. One was on the east side of the courthouse and the other at the Big Springs. 

Up to 1912, our father's store was located on the south side of the square. After that, he moved to the north side of the square. He had been renting from Leon G. Jones who needed his site to organize The Bank and Trust Company. This Bank remained there until 1928 when it merged with the Talladega National Bank. The Talladega National Bank (now First Alabama Bank) was organized by John H. Hicks in 1905 and was located on the east side of the square. The Isbell Bank (now First National) was organized in 1848 by James Isbell, and was located on the northeast corner of the square. 

In the store, eggs sold for 10 cents a dozen, and 3 dozen for 25 cents. Lard came in 50 pound tin cans and sold for 10 cents a pound. Compound lard, made of cotton seed oil, was 7 cents a pound. Flour, bought by train carload,
 came from Louisville, Kentucky, in white cotton bags with the name printed on the bags. Syrup was bought in barrels from New Orleans and sold for 50 cents a gallon. Red Salmon was 20 cents a can but Pink Salmon was less.

 Live chickens were kept in wire coops on the sidewalk and bunches of bananas hung on the outside of the store.

There were dozens of woven baskets used for picking cotton. These were made by farmers after they had their farms planted and had some extra time. These sold for $1.00 each. 

Several hundred bushels of whippoorwill peas would be sold in June and July. Farmers would harvest their oats in June and then broadcast the peas to enrich the soil. Some of these peas would be eaten also. 

Watermelons would be bought by the carload (rail car) in June from South Carolina.

In the early part of the 1900's, apples, cabbages and rutabaga turnips were shipped in January and February from Louisville, Ky. Later on, there was a produce house in Talladega. Carloads of hay came from Marion, Alabama. Father bought huckleberries from the surrounding area and shipped them to Chicago where they became blueberries. 

This was started in 1915 and lasted until the 1930's depression. 

Every Thanksgiving a turkey was brought home in a basket filled with hay. 

At Christmas time, our father sold tons of candy from New York and a carload of oranges from Florida. The candy sold for 10 and 15 cents a pound, and fifteen sticks of candy sold for 5 cents. Bread came from Anniston, Alabama, unwrapped and not sliced. Brown and white sugar came in barrels and sold for 6 cents a pound. Green coffee beans and regular coffee came in barrels too; later there was a coffee grinder in the store. The only cheese was hoop, which sold for 10 cents a pound. No cigarettes were sold. There was something like a cigarette called "Cheroots" and some cigars. Tobacco sold by plugs or cut pieces. Piece goods, millinery and umbrellas were displayed in glass showcases.

Tobacco license from 1940 found in C. S. Weaver's scrapbook

Note: All pictures in this post were found on the internet unless noted differently.

Much love to all of you, especially as we all prepare for the special holidays ahead.

Love,
Mariellan