36 Grocery in Lacey's Spring

When I visit mom in Huntsville, I exit I-65 in Hartselle and head east on Alabama Highway 36. I've written before about some of the sights and history encountered on this route: Cotaco, Lacey's Spring, and Valhermoso Springs. 

In that previous post about Lacey's Spring, I noted:

"Lacey's Spring is an unincorporated community at the base of Brindley Mountain in Morgan County. American Revolutionary veteran John Lacy and his brothers settled there in 1818. A post office was established in 1831.


You'll find Lacey's Spring by going south on US 231 out of Huntsville. After you cross the Tennessee River you are essentially there. More of the community is also down Alabama Highway 36 as you head west toward Valhermoso Springs and Hartselle and I-65."

The abandoned business below is one of several seen along 36. A little research turns up the address as 9383 Highway 36 East and the name of the business expanded to 36 Grocery and Restaurant. Gary Morrow was listed as the "principal", presumably owner, of the establishment. Another web site gives the date it opened as 2008, although I would have guessed much earlier than that. Interestingly, that same address is listed as a small grocery store named Kate's Place that opened in 2005 with three employees. Perhaps more than one business has operated in the location.  

I've made a few comments below the photos. 

Glenn Wills has published two books documenting his extensive travels through "Forgotten Alabama"; more information is here. 

That's Highway 36 you see to the right. In the background are some of the pretty rolling hills to be seen along this route. I wonder when gas was just under three dollars at this location.

Lots of groceries and gas sold and meals eaten at this place once upon a time. 

As you face 36 Grocery, you see this little building to the left. I'm not sure what it was. In the background are what seem to be other old buildings.

Here's the view across 36. That's a bathtub at the end of the slab. 

Leon Lipscomb Grocery in Lacey's Spring

Lacey's Spring is an unincorporated community at the base of Brindley Mountain in Morgan County. American Revolutionary veteran John Lacy and his brothers settled there in 1818. A post office was established in 1831.

You'll find Lacey's Spring by going south on US 231 out of Huntsville. After you cross the Tennessee River you are essentially there. More of the community is also down Alabama Highway 36 as you head west toward Valhermoso Springs and Hartselle and I-65.

When you drive on US 231 toward Highway 36, you'll pass a number of gas stations; some are still operating. Several decades ago this stretch was known as "gasoline alley", and lower prices in Morgan County would attract drivers from Huntsville who crossed the river to fill their tanks. Leon Lipscomb and his grocery probably thrived in those days. 

You can learn more about the current town here.

You can see more photos of the building and its area here.

The text of historical markers approved by the Alabama Historical Association are available by county here at the state archives site. 

As you drive north on US 231 toward the Tennessee River, you'll find this hidden relic on the right in Lacy's Spring. 

The winter image below gives a full view of this sign, which I've been told marked the site of a catfish restaurant.  

Lacey's Spring Cemetery

On a recent trip to see mom in Huntsville my brother Richard pointed out this small cemetery to me; it's located on Bartee Road, a very short street that connects US 231 and Alabama 36 where those two intersect. See the maps below to understand what I mean.

I've written before about the Wavaho Company and its gas station at that intersection. I've also written a couple of posts about other landmarks in Lacey's Spring here and here. An extensive history of the town and it's historical marker is available here.

That history involves the three Lacy brothers, John, Hopkins and Theophilus, who were born in Virginia and ended up in north Alabama in the early 1820s after periods in North Carolina and Tennessee. The town was named after them; an "e" was added to its name later through a postal department error. All three and other family members are buried in this location. John Lacy is supposed to have served in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War. 

The cemetery is very close to the town's United Methodist Church which faces Alabama 36. As seen in one of the photos below, the location is named Lacey's Springs Cemetery, but it's also known as Bartee Cemetery. William T. Bartee was Postmaster at Lacey's Spring from 1887 until 1904; he was also a representative to the state legislature 1892-93. He is buried here, along with his second wife and daughter. They are not included in this inventory, but the Lacy brothers and many others appear. 

On another recent trip I quickly took the photographs below. Perhaps soon I can stop again and get out of the car to wander. Google Maps also reveals locations for several other cemeteries in the area. 

Even this small cemetery has its Woodman of the World monument.

John Lacy has both an old and new monument. 

The cemetery is still in active use, so there are very old and very new monuments.

Source for both maps: Google Maps

A Visit to Priceville Discount Books

When I travel to visit mom in Huntsville, I take I-65 north to the Hartselle exit at Alabama 36 and take that state road over to US 231 at Lacey's Spring, then north into southeast Huntsville where she lives. For several months now the first half of that trip on 36 has been closed to through traffic due to bridge work. The detour takes me another exit north on I-65 to Priceville. After a few trips through there I finally noticed Priceville Discount Books. I stopped to take a look early one Sunday afternoon, and I'm glad I did. 

Working that day was the original owner, whose name I failed to get. He told me he had opened the store in 1987 and just sold it this past June. He was continuing to work part time to help out the new owners, Aria and Dylan Troncoso. The store occupies much of the Twin Cedar Plaza retail strip on Alabama 67 South not far from the Interstate exit. The photographs below will give you a small idea of the vast inventory inside the store. I'll have to stop by a few more times to make my way through the many sections and shelves. The classics section alone is huge. The store has an active Facebook page, which has been up since January 2014. 

Via email, Dylan Troncoso provided me this information about the store: 

"The original owner of the store is James Owen. His mother opened a tanning salon in 1987 and James began selling some of his personal books in her store in 1988. His dad helped him by building shelves in an unused part of the tanning salon. The tanning salon/bookstore moved into the current building mid 1990. Eventually the books took over, and James' mom transitioned out of the tanning business and helped him run the bookstore. There are still two tanning beds buried under a surplus of books. 

"My wife Aria and I purchased the store from James and took over mid June of 2021. James has remained active in the transition. He is always helpful and works for us around 3 days per week. He just can't step away, and we wouldn't have it any other way! Our current plan is to keep up the legacy of Priceville Discount Books. We hear just about weekly from customers that can remember shopping there from the beginning. Many adult customers have been buying their books there for the entirety of their lives. We hope to clean up and organize as time allows. We plan to clear up some space in the smaller half of the store to accommodate some tables and chairs for our customers as well as our own kids to use for their homeschooling." 

I've written a number of pieces about Alabama bookstores, including Booklegger in Huntsville, Gibson's in Owens Crossroads, and Deb's [now Camelot] in Cullman. I've also covered a few now closed, such as Books, Etc in Pelham, the Paris Bookstall in Birmingham, and two much older ones in Auburn. Finally, I've done two posts on bookstore bookmarks here and here. I have a good bit of material on past bookstores in the state and hope to further tap it in the near future. 

Priceville Discount Books is well worth a stop if you're in the area, or even if it takes a special trip!

Some of these photos were taken in the single large room; the store actually has another large area that you enter, with a couple of small rooms as well. On my second visit Aria Troncoso told me they also have a couple of storage units out back full of books.

Looking from the single large room back into the main store area that you enter at the front door.

Alabama Cemeteries: A List

Posts have become so numerous on this blog over the years that I've created some items that are lists of related articles. These include "Medical History In Birmingham", "Film Actresses from Alabama Before 1960", "Alabama Library History" and "Holidays Past in Alabama." Here's a list that pulls together my posts about Alabama cemeteries or posts that have significant cemetery content.  

A Walk Among the Pelham Stones

Harmony Cemetery in Helena 

Lacey's Spring Cemetery

Peter Petroff: From Bulgaria to Alabama

Allan Cemetery in Northern Shelby County

A Visit to Brundidge, Alabama

A Visit to Hobbs Historic Cemetery in Huntsville

A Story in Stone: John Payne, MD [1860-1901]

An Alabama Author Buried in Marianna, Florida

 

Walker Evans Photographs an Alabama Cemetery in 1936

Visit to Confederate Memorial Park & Horseshoe Bend

Quick Visit to a North Alabama Town: Florette

On one of my trips last year to Huntsville, I took a side journey along Alabama Highway 67 and passed through the town of Florette in Morgan County. I thought I would do one of the "quick visit" posts I've done on the blog about various places, and here's what I discovered about Florette.

According to Virginia Foscue's Place Names in Alabama, the settlement was originally named Nunn's Mill after a business in the area. S.W. Nunn rose to the rank of major in the Confederate cavalry. After the war he became tax commissioner of Morgan County in September 1865. Born in 1838, Nunn died in 1884 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Birmingham.

In 1878 a post office opened in the town and the name was changed to Florette. Foscue doesn't give a source for this name, although "floret" is a small flower, so perhaps there's some connection. This Florette is the only such name listed in the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System. The post office closed in 1907.

In the early twentieth century the Alabama Official & Statistical Register for 1943 gave the 1940 population as 541; 1930 as 534; and 416 for 1920. Florette's population is not listed in either the 2000 or 2010 census. The area is served by Albert P. Brewer High School, which opened in 1972 when five other schools were combined.

Florette is located in eastern Morgan County on Alabama Highway 67. Other towns on this map that I've visited and written about include Cotaco, Lacey's Spring and Valhermoso Springs. 

Source: Alabama Maps Digital Collection at UA

If you are driving too fast on Alabama 67, you may miss the Florette sign. 

This lovely house was the first thing I spotted in Florette.

Santa Gertrudis is a breed of cattle developed on the King's Ranch in Texas. This sign notes the location of the state's affiliate of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International organization. The entry there gives this information:

ALABAMA SANTA GERTRUDIS ASSOCIATION

Officers: Charles Sandlin - President

                  Lamar Kelly - 1st Vice President

                  Scotty Hopper - 2nd Vice President

                  Betty Kelso-Clough - Secretary/Treasurer

Alabama Santa Gertrudis History:

The Alabama Santa Gertrudis Association (ASGA) was organized by a group of Alabama breeders in 1974 and became an SGBI affiliate in 1975.  Under the leadership of Mrs. Ann Upchurch a Federally designated 501(c)(3) Youth Fund was established.  Activities, which have historically been sponsored by ASGA include annual sale, field days, seminars, cattle demonstrations, open shows, junior shows, social gatherings, etc.

A Santa Gertrudis bull and cows with calves

Source: Wikipedia 

The stretch of Alabama Highway 67 through Morgan County has signs such as this one I spotted in Florette. I wondered about William Biles. 

A stone memorial stands on the grounds of the Morgan County Courthouse in Decatur that honors county law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Charles William "Bill" Biles is the final name listed; he worked for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office and died in 1985. You can see a photo of Deputy Biles and some remembrances here. 

Source: Waymarking