Local History
George Carr and Radio Station WFEB – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
The first radio station in this county was WFEB. Owned by E.E. Forbes of Birmingham, he sold an interest in the station to George Carr in the mid-1950’s. Carr was the station manager and later became the sole owner. An article in the Daily Home in 1984 reports, “The...
Awesome October at B.B. Comer Library – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
Sylacauga is going all out in October, probably my favorite month of the year, and B.B. Comer Library is a big part of the fun of fall and fantasy that October brings. The bright, full moon and the leaves already swirling in that cool fall breeze remind us that summer...
Have Another Coke! – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
Last week I shared some of Ray McDiarmid’s memories of Coke’s business development in Sylacauga. Ray, the pharmacist at Dixie Drug in Sylacauga for many years, along with his Dad, Dr. Red McDiarmid, were in a position to know many of the people who worked at...
Coca Cola Comes a Callin – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
The original Coca Cola was developed on May 8, 1886, at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, by Pharmacist John Seth Pemberton. It was sold at the soda fountain as a temperance drink, a patent medicine, for $.05 a glass for such aliments as headache, nausea, and...
Keeping Cool and Staying Warm – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
The heat of summer is beginning to fade in the rear-view window, but it is a memory that we can take with us into the fall and winter seasons when staying warm becomes the focus. Keeping cool this summer inspired the storytellers who are past-sixty to tell many...
Back in the Fifties in Sylacauga – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
A report I wrote in the seventh or eighth grade about Sylacauga inspired me to research my own writing. I knew our town has changed, but….. In those days we had more small businesses, less going to Birmingham to shop, and no on-line shopping. For example. I reported...
Heroes Remembered – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
Woody Harris and his younger brother, Luel, grew up in the Gantts Quarry community. Their parents Eppie Saxon Harris and Houston Monroe Harris had eight children. Their sister, Mary Nell Harris Dale (Aubrey) is the mother of Sylacauga’s own Sandra Dale Sims (Rev....
Soft Drinks in Sylacauga – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
What goes around comes around, and soft drinks are no exception. It seems that the first soft drinks were flavored water. Water was flavored with lemon, mint, pomegranate juice, honey, and even celery. Now flavored water seems all the rage. The Schweppe Company...
Jim Nabors – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
James Thurston Nabors was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, June 12, 1930, to Fred and Mavis Nabors. Fred was a policeman and Mavis worked at a local restaurant, the Forks Café, on South Broadway near where Jim’s childhood home still stands. He had two sisters,...
The Merry Month of May – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
M-M-M Good May is here, and most people feel relieved that the gusts of March and the floods of April are in the rearview mirror. When I was a child, May meant that at last Mom would let me go...
Country Stores and Good People – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
I live in the country about 4 miles from the city of Sylacauga, and I have lived here a very long time. I love living where I can hear the train comin’ round the bend way yonder in the distance like Johnny Cash. I hear the mocking bird singing when I wake up in the...
Remembering and Anticipating the Magic of Marble Festival – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
The fifteenth annual Magic of Marble Festival begins this week, April 11-22. Sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and Sylacauga Arts Council, the Festival is an artistic and educational event where some 35 sculptors will gather at Central Park...
Fanfare for a Legend – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
George Lewis “Fess” Simpkins December 2, 1908-March 31, 1981 Special guest columnist this week is Mrs. Faye Simpkins who wrote this beautiful story back in 1981 after her beloved father-in-law’s death. It continues the theme of my last two columns about Avondale Mills...
Avondale’s Mill Village – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
The story of Avondale Mills is a fascinating story of Governor B.B. Comer investing $10,000 in Birmingham in 1897. The trainer family of Chester, Pennsylvania were interested in moving their existing textile industry into the South, and Birmingham businessmen knew...
The Cliftons on Pelham Avenue – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
With all of the excitement about the Earth project and the renewal going on in the Avondale Mill Village in Sylacauga my mind goes back to the late fifties when I first visited Arrie and J.S. Clifton's house on 30 Pelham Avenue, when I first sat on that screened porch...
Sears Chapel Church – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
One of the most beautiful and most photographed small church buildings in rural Alabama is the Sears Chapel Methodist Church on Highway 231 two miles North of Rockford in Coosa County. It is a pretty building, but people in the community, the church, still meet there...
My Last Visit to A&M Clothing – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
My last visit to A & M Clothing was not February 11 for the Retirement Reception and celebration as I had planned. Sorry I missed that (Covid finally caught up with me), but my last visit with Betty and Polly Blades is still a memorable one. I try staying...
A&M Clothing – Remembrances of Sylacauga by Ginger Clifton
Commitment to responsibility is a tough word to illustrate today, but Betty Blades and family are a great example of what the word means. A&M Clothing has been in business for 48 years and is now closing its doors. As soon as I heard the news, I went down to...