Silver Dollar Destined to Reappear

Who knew that the newly opened Windfall Trading Post has a silver dollar embedded in the floor? Nearly 60 years ago, Douglas Anderson, co-owner and manager of Moore’s Grocery, expanded the store to include the storefront next door. When he had a new floor poured, he carefully sank a shiny silver dollar flush with the floor in front of the meat counter. Over the years, foot traffic wore the coin smooth. During the recent renovation, it was painted over, but it is near the swinging doors to the kitchen and will reappear soon as the paint wears off. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Jack & Joanie Jones were 2001Mardi Gras Ball Royalty

Who knew that before the Heritage Center Mardi Gras Ball was instituted in 2008, a much smaller Mardi Gras Ball was held in a local residence for several years, beginning in 1999? This became an annual event and was so much fun, it was later expanded into the area wide fundraiser just recently held at The Paris Convention Center. The King and Queen of the 2001 Mardi Gras Ball were Jack and Joanie Jones. As the picture below indicates, they made a regal royal couple. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Nancy Hall Jubilee Preceded Mule Day and Fish Fry

Who knew that the second Nancy Hall Jubilee in 1939 was a spectacular affair? Nancy Hall was the favorite sweet potato variety grown here and this festival celebrated that crop. The picture below shows the cover of the program for the event. Miss Ann Abernathy reigned as Queen Nancy II for the 3 day celebration. The climax was the Coronation Ball at the brand new City Auditorium. It was to begin at 10 p.m. with music by Don Bestor, Jack Benny’s radio orchestra, followed by a grand march and beauty review to select the Queen for 1940. Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper would crown the Queen. Dancing was to continue until 2:00 a.m. The Nancy Hall Jubilee was later replaced by Mule Day (which also began in 1938) and then by the World’s Biggest Fish Fry in 1953. Source – Nancy Hall Jubilee Program for 1939, and The PI Post Mortems column by Bryant Williams April 22, 1991. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Weather Forecaster Seldom Fumbled

Who knew that when weather forecasts were much less reliable than today, kids enjoyed predicting their own weather? A small plastic house with two doors featured a boy and girl in the left doorway and a witch in the right one. If the witch emerged from her door, rain was predicted. Appearance of the boy and girl meant that fair weather was on the way. It was surprisingly accurate! The picture below shows a 1949 vintage device predicting rain. This was on the wall in my room for years when I was a kid. Source - Ray Harding. 

Kids Club Challenge Provided Baseball Glove

Who knew that in the late 1940’s, the Paris Royal Crown Bottling Company manager Paul Perry partnered with the new WTPR radio station to host a Saturday morning kids club? The program was broadcast live from the bottling plant at 222 W. Wood St. and Fentress (now has a train mural). The MC was a WTPR announcer and may have been Ralph Emery. They held a contest for the most RC bottle caps collected. My dad was a wholesale grocery salesman and I emptied every bottle cap catcher in country stores in parts of Henry, Stewart, and Benton Counties. Sorting the caps was a sticky mess, but I won the grand prize; a baseball glove which I used in my Little League years. Source – Remembrances of Margery (Mrs. Paul) Perry and Ray Harding. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Retreads Helped Cars Look and Run Well

Who knew that before the advent of radial tires, tire treads would wear out with much lower mileage than today. When I drove a $100 car to high school, a new set of tires would have almost doubled my investment. If the sidewalls were good, Adams Tire and Recapping (located at 401 Wood St. across from the current Fire Station) could bond a set of new treads on my old tires very inexpensively. These usually held up well. Dressed up with a set of recaps, “Portawalls” (fake white sidewalls) and “Spinner” hubcaps, my 1947 Ford looked good to me. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Atkins Porter School Nourished Kids with Aid of Lee

Who knew that Atkins Porter school was opened for the first time in 1915? Grades 5,6,7, and 8 were taught at that time. Since there was no cooking equipment there, soup prepared at Robert E. Lee School was transported to Atkins Porter each day. Students were charged 5 cents per bowl. This arrangement continued for several years. Source – Article by Gini Burton Routon, pp. 146-147, A History of Henry County Tennessee, E Mcleod Johnson. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Punch Board Chance Preceded Lottery

Who knew that in the 1940’s and ‘50’s you could do some small time gambling at most country stores in this area? A “punch board” would be positioned near the cash register. You could pay 5 cents to punch a piece of paper from one of the hundreds of sealed holes in the board (actually thick cardboard). Colorful text promised a chance to win up to $5.00. The board in the picture below displayed some of the potential winnings. They were not exactly legal, but I think punch boards finally faded away more from lack of interest than from any law enforcement crack-down. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Grips held everything from toiletries to treats

Who knew that the old time railroad men carried their toiletries, clothes and time papers in real macho overnight cases? Made of galvanized sheet steel, the “grips” as they were called had iron hinges, hasps for locking, and wooden handles. The one pictured below was probably fabricated in the L&N Sheet Metal Shop. John (Pete) Davis, L&N engineer for 50 years, always carried one of these to work. Upon his return from his run to Clarksville, his grandchildren remember looking forward to getting chewing gum from his grip. Source – Johnnie Davis Bickerstaff (granddaughter of John Davis). Submitted by Ray Harding.

Outstanding Alabama Athlete Enjoying Retirement in Paris

Who knew that Paris resident Laurien “Goobie” Stapp was on Paul “Bear” Bryant’s first football team at Alabama? Alabama native Stapp had declined Bryant’s offer to play for him at Texas A&M, preferring to play at Alabama. By Stapp’s freshman year, Bryant had moved to Alabama. Stapp played outstanding varsity ball for Bryant in 1958, '59, and '60. Weighing in at 160 pounds, he played quarterback, kicker, and offensive and defensive positions usually played by larger men. After a short time with the Baltimore Colts in 1961, Bryant called Stapp back to Alabama to coach the freshman team. One of the players he coached (apparently successfully) was future football legend Joe Namath. Today, Laurien is an avid hunter, but he also enjoys quiet pursuits including the creation of pottery at Lee Academy for the Arts. Source – Laurien Stapp; submitted by Ray Harding.

Treasured Hand Bell Now Housed at Lee School

Who knew that Lee School Principal Miss Charlie McGehee used an old time school hand bell to signal the end of each recess period? Now mounted on a wooden base with a descriptive brass plaque, the bell is a treasured memento that has been handed down to Miss Charlie's nephew, Dr. Larry McGehee. After Dr. McGehee’s passing, his widow Betsy donated the bell to the Lee School Association. It is now on display in Room 2, which had been Miss Charlie’s office. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Old Fashioned Christmas Toy Lands

Who knew that before shopping centers and “big box” stores, the selection of toys in local stores was limited during most of the year? Every year, from after Thanksgiving until year end, several Paris stores would stock a wide variety of toys and display them in special areas called “toy lands”. In addition to the toys for sale, there would be decorated trees, lots of cotton batting, and Santa. The toy land on the second floor of J.C. Penney was smaller, but in my memory similar to the display in the department store in the movie “A Christmas Story” (You’ll shoot your eye out, kid), which was set in the 1940’s. Submitted by Ray Harding.

The Meaning of Christmas

Who knew that a long-standing Christmas tradition at Lee School was for students to bring gifts of non-perishable food? The gifts were wrapped in white tissue paper and placed under a large Christmas tree set up at the “T” in the hall. When school was out for the holidays, the food was distributed by a method not divulged to us. Principal Miss Charlie McGehee was always aware of the home situation of students and I always assumed she had the food delivered to school families in need. Source - Ray Harding.

BurmaShave Travel Games

Who knew the background of the old Burma Shave signs? Beginning in the mid-1920’s, a brushless shaving cream was advertised by jingles on a series of five or six small red road signs spaced about 200 feet apart, so they had to be read individually. The last sign was always the company name (see picture). The company did not use professional jingle writers; they got them through national contests, awarding $100 for each one used. Some years they would get 50,000 entries. By the time I was old enough to read them, the product was waning, but the signs were still entertaining on the way to Memphis. One I remember is: “WITHIN THIS VALE / OF TOIL / AND SIN / YOUR HEAD GROWS BALD / BUT NOT YOUR CHIN / Burma Shave. A group of signs with this jingle is preserved at the Smithsonian as a cultural icon. Source – The Verse by the Side of the Road, by Rowsome. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Age is a Matter of Perspective

Who knew that Mrs. Ethel Osteen Humphreys (subject of a recent Who Knew) was director of the Methodist Youth Fellowship program at First Methodist Church in the late 1950’s? Under her leadership, MYF was fun and the “place to be” on Sunday night for many of us teenagers. We thought she was fairly “cool” for an elderly person. A quick calculation now shows that she was around 47 at the time; it’s all a matter of perspective. Submitted by Ray Harding.

1930 Miss Tennessee/America's Sweetheart Contestant Hailed from Paris

Who knew that 19-year old Ethel McFadden (Osteen Humphreys) was chosen “Miss Tennessee” on the stage of the Capitol Theater on Feb. 14, 1930, from a field of 17 local beauties?. Little Miss Anne Blanton (Crosswy) served as a junior assistant in the event. Since other contests in Tennessee had not been held on time, officials decided that the winner of our local contest would represent the state in the “America’s Sweetheart” contest in Miami. Miss McFadden traveled to Miami by train and was treated to 4 days of parties, banquets, and balls leading up to the big pageant. Source- Bryant Williams’ Post Mortems Vol. 2. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Early Innovations

Who knew that In the late 1940’s, to me, the most interesting thing in the J.C. Penney Store was not the merchandise, but their "Rube Goldberg" method of handling money? When making a sale, the clerk would put the ticket and money in a small wheeled carrier which traveled on a wire. A sharp tug on a rope would propel the carrier to the cashier on the mezzanine. Change would be returned to the clerk by letting the carrier roll down the wire by gravity. There were multiple sales stations, each connected to the cashier by such a system. Watching the carriers speed back and forth was fascinating. Below is a 1917 ad for a similar system. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Lee School Beautified in 1930s

Who knew that Lee School was refurbished in the late 1930's with the help of "Public Works Project" funds? The picture below shows a freshly painted building, tin roof, and the beloved spiral slide fire escapes. The car in the foreground is a 1930's vintage Pontiac. Submitted by Ray Harding.

Entertainment was Cheap

Who knew that during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, local movie theaters used a promotion called “Pal Nights” (one pal was free) to increase attendance? Also there were “Bank Nights” featuring a whopping $25 jackpot, and on other nights there would be a drawing for a set of dishes. Also in the ‘30’s, before the City Auditorium was built, the stage at the Capitol Theater was used for vaudeville shows, beauty reviews, and Miss Ruby Krider’s speech contests. Source – Mrs. Norma Clayton; submitted by Ray Harding.

Good for what ails you

Who knew that in the late 1940’s, the demand for a modern elixir called Hadacol bordered on mania? Manufactured by Louisiana politician Dudley LeBlanc, the tonic contained vitamins, minerals, honey, and 12% alcohol (same as wine). Thanks to Mr. LeBlanc’s road shows, promotion, and maybe the alcohol, Hadacol gained the reputation of being “good for what ails you”. Locally, sales were brisk. Meals Drug store would order 12 cases (of 24 bottles) at a time and would sell out in less than 2 weeks. A crossroads store near Springville was named Hadacol City due to the hoopla. Pictured below is a vintage Hadacol bottle (full) from the period. Source – Beverly Meals Wood. Submitted by Ray Harding.