Local History

We know that sound in Sylacauga, and even at Lake Joy I can hear the train coming up Trammell Hill across 511 in the edge of the Talladega National Forest. We had overnight guests from Fairhope who got quite alarmed in the early morning hours when they heard that...

Railroad tracks run right through the center of  Sylacauga, and most of us have grown up waving at the man in the caboose and hearing our parents complain about having to wait for the train to clear the crossing. If you were a student at Sylacauga High School in the...

Go back with me in time to the years during and after World War II when every family did not own a car, and compare that to today when two or three cars are parked in every carport or at every house. Cars were scarce during and after the War, and gasoline and tires...

The City Bus Line in Sylacauga served a real need in this area in days gone by. Last week we looked at a schedule printed in the Sylacauga Advance in 1946. I was glad to hear from Becky Blair whose grandfather, Lon Rudd, was one of those early drivers. Mr. Rudd also...

Sylacauga Post Office Sylacauga Post office to me suggests remembrances of people and place and a time that is long gone, but still very special. I am certainly not the first person to try to look back at those earlier days, way before any of us lived, and try to...

Early Schools and Churches in Sylacauga             Once people began moving to Sylacauga, a place to worship together became important. Col. George Hill organized a church on his property on the Old...

Christmas Trivia Little girls with $1.00 a week allowances had three good Five and Dimes in which to shop in the 1950’s. Can you name them?In what Yankee newspaper was the “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” letter published and guess what year? A bonus if you...

Fifty Years of Christmas             Fifty years, fifty Christmas trees, fifty Christmas mornings on Dogwood Road, fittingly located at Lake Joy; and I wonder how the time flew by so quickly,...

An Attitude of Gratitude For Sylacauga Then and Now November is the month for thanking God for health, family, friends, and all the other blessings that He gives us that we may take for granted.  One of these blessings is the privilege of living in Sylacauga. It...

Paul Michael Bourboulas Little Paul’s Café The first hint of what sort of person a man is, may be how he treats his mother. Paul Bourboulas wrote a touching card to his Mother and sister, Maria, when he arrived in the United States in October, 1918. He would have...

Little Paul Bourboulas  Paul Michael Bourboulas was born in Myteline, Greece, on July 10, 1902.  He opened a café on 395 W. 8th Street in the area known as Busy Corner around 1933 according to The Sylacauga Advance, June 27, 1968.  He became known to...

It’s Not Just Ice Cream Blue Bell  How appropriate that Blue Bell in Sylacauga began with a COLD call from Pete Moore who was then Operations Manager of Flav-O-Rich in Sylacauga to the corporate office at Blue Bell in Brenham, Texas, in 1996. “You wanna  buy...

Farmbest to Flav-O- Rich to Blue Bell The Treat Goes On  Is your head churning yet about all this ice cream news?  I hope you are enjoying remembering where ice cream in Sylacauga started so that you can be thankful for now!  Blue Bell, that’s you!...

Have Another Scoop of Ice Cream For many years ice cream has been one of the things that has made Sylacauga my home sweet home. Frostkist was the first brand mentioned in my research. The construction of the new plant was a big operation since machines and cooling...

Creamy White Marble and Creamy Ice Cream             The logo has changed, but the ice cream remains delicious, and Blue Bell continues to put Sylacauga on the map, or the GPS, if you prefer. I hear so many people...

The Legacy of Len Holmes Holmestead Farm A window of opportunity is part of the American dream. Some say, “Strike while the iron is hot!”  You can be rich, poor, Black, White, male, or female. If you are visionary and can see how your talents and abilities can...

Harmon Mims-Funambulist, Musician, and Photographer Harmon Mims was born in 1905 and lived a life far from the “proverbial rut,” more like an adventure novel. He enthusiastically embraced learning and changed directions when opportunities presented themselves, and...

Harmon and Sallie Mims Harmon Mims, that name, is one that brings lots of pictures to my mind. Harmon Mims was the “picture man” when I was growing up in Sylacauga in the 40’s and 50’s. I also remember Harmon Mims as being a band person, a good friend of my band...