Gilbert Murder in Tenbroek 1924

March 1924 issues Dekalb County Herald

The Peddling Truck

                         Former Peddling Truck of Mitchell Bros. Store in Antioch


In rural Alabama during the Depression, WW2 and immediate years afterward many families did not own their own transportation and would get their much needed supplies from the local Peddling Truck or "Rolling Store" which was a service furnished by many local General Stores of the era.

The Rolling Store began in the 1800's as horse drawn wagons loaded with flour, pans, sugar and materials for sewing but by the mid 20th Century ton and a half trucks and old buses had been converted to serve the purpose.

These old trucks were packed to the ceiling with foodstuffs, hardware, textiles and even toys for the children.
Many people would stand out by the road waiting for the arrival of the peddler because it was as close as they were going to get to a Shopping Spree.

I was born in 1970 after the Rolling Store was long passed into history but I knew about practice because my Grandparents (with whom I lived) had an old derelict Peddling Truck on their property which they used for storage.   Owned by Mitchell Bros. store in Antioch it was originally an old early thirties Dodge truck which had been hand built with pieces of a bus and hand fabricated sheet metal.   This particular Rolling Store ran the Sand Mountain portion of Jackson County and the Antioch and Greens Chapel areas of DeKalb County during the forties.   When you stepped inside the shelving was still intact and reached all the way to the ceiling.  there was even notes written in pencil on the walls of which customers had bought something on credit and how much they owed.

I could just imagine this very truck barrelling down dirt roads in 1945 in a trail of dust while kids awaited it's arrival and housewives waited to go through it's shelves to pick out the prettiest material to sew a new dress and farmers waiting for it to get their weekly supply of Beechnut Chewing Tobacco.

The Peddling Truck is a product of an almost forgotten area but it is still an important part of our past.  Think of it as a Bookmobile....without the books...or a mobile ebay with it's own schedule.      Something our Grandparents would be as familiar with as we are with Dollar General today.   

January 1936 F3 Tornado Fyffe/Greens Chapel

Just an F3 in January 1936 with one line on the NWS page. It was plenty more though. It killed two people in Fyffe and in Green's Chapel my Grandparents put their 3 kids under the kitchen table for protection. Their home was moved off the foundation but next door Rudolf Rowell's home was destroyed and his small daughter and his father were killed. Mr. Rowell's back was broken and he never walked again. Grandpa and other neighbors had to get the living and dead from under the rubble in the rain. Grandpa Potter was still talking about it 50 years later and I'm sure everyone else hit by it did the same.   

Peek's Corner News 1908

Feb 8th Fort Payne Journal

Attorney Arrested For Murder

Local attorney arrested for murder. January 1st 1908 Fort Payne Journal

Dawson News 1908

March 11th 1908 Fort Payne Journal

WW1 P08 Luger

World War 1 po8 Luger brought back from World War II but destroyed in a house fire.  This pistol hung for many years in Guy Johnson's pawn shop in Rainsville

Sousa In Ft Payne

Sousa at Ft Payne Opera House 1908. one of the most famous band leaders in history paid a visit to DeKalb County

Beware Cigarettes!!

A very paranoid propaganda piece from the temperance column of a February 1908 Fort Payne Journal. The author was firmly convinced that cigarettes were laced with opium.

George Bush Visits Rainsville

January 1980 Rainsville received a visit from presidential candidate George Bush. a visit by a presidential candidate was and is very uncommon in DeKalb County.

Fyffe News 1908

From March 11th 1908 Fort Payne Journal

Hammonds Bros Furniture

We uncovered this sign when the old Fyffe City Hall was torn down. this sign had been covered up since 1957 when the city hall building was built.  Hammond Brothers Furniture was a key business in town for many many years and was not only a furniture store but at one time in the 1950s also served as a restaurant with a very busy soda fountain. Sadly this sign was painted over by the owner of the building shortly after we discovered it. the Old Hammond Brothers building is now a church and the church sign has been painted over this piece of History. You will notice the person who painted the sign signed his name in the bottom corner.
Another piece of history now lost to the ages.

Fort Payne Journal

This is the front page from a 1909 issue of the Journal.
Much more news with less pictures than today. 
Community news took center stage.

Springfield Model 1842

This is the lock plate and Hammer from a model 1842 Springfield rifled musket which I acquired from a civil war relic collector in Virginia.
The model 1842 was a 69 caliber musket adopted by the United States Army in the mid 19th century and was the last smoothbore musket issued by the United States Army as well as the first weapon to use percussion caps rather than a Flintlock firing system.
The 1842 was standard issue during the Mexican War and was still in secondary usage by state militia units on both sides during the Civil War.