Hello, Pell City!

Those of you who are familiar with the social network Facebook on the Internet may have already heard of a new page that is generating a lot of buzz around Pell City, but for those of you have haven’t heard or don’t have access to Facebook, I’ve decided to write about some of the great stories and memories that have everyone talking.

The page on Facebook is called You Know You’re From Pell City, AL, If…

You know you’re from Pell City if you remember when TG&Y, Jill’s Restaurant, and the Dairy Queen were the hot spots for teenagers in town.  A lot of the older generation remembers places called Skadd’s Restaurant and Bud’s Grill.  

The main grocery stores in Pell City used to be Food Center owned by J.D. Abbott, A&P which is where Food Outlet is now, and on Main Street there was Pell City Grocery owned by the Turners, where I remember they had an old-fashioned meat counter with a butcher who cut your meat for you, and they would also deliver groceries to your home!

Later, Pell City had Bruno’s, which eventually became Food World.  Jefferson Home Furniture was where most people bought their furniture years ago, and Mays & Jones; Driver, Starnes & Hamilton; and Red’s Menswear were the places that just about everyone went when they needed a new outfit.

If you got a toy as a kid, chances are it came from Bargain Town or Elmore’s, and my first “real” stereo came from Western Auto.  

For a long time, just about everyone what was born in Pell City was born at the Martin Hospital by Dr. Martin.  The hospital was located where the old Rexall Drugs and Holladay Law Office now sit.  After Dr. Martin, it seemed that Pell City had only three doctors that everyone used for years – Dr. Haynes, Dr. Clayton, and Dr. Norrell.  

BB&T Bank was Colonial Bank, but before that it was People’s Bank.  A lot of folks remember when the Alexanders started Union State Bank and the clock they had on Main Street that stopped at 4:10 p.m. when a tornado hit downtown Pell City in 1975.  

Youngsters in Pell City today will find this hard to believe, but at one time Pell City had a movie theater, public swimming pools, a skating rink, and a bowling alley!  The first theater in Pell City was located in downtown Pell City and was called the Lyric.  Later, during the 1980s, Mr. and Mrs. Quarles opened the Twin Cinema next to Bowman’s Building Mart, and that movie theater lasted quite a few years.  A popular place to eat after the movies was Pasquales, which was about a block up the road.

You know you’re form Pell City if someone mentions the names Tootie, Spec, or Sparkie, and you think of tires or brake work.  

The names Nathan Ball and John Wayne Peoples make you think of two of the most horrific murder cases in Pell City.  

The names Jessie Armstrong, Hank Fisher, and Iola Roberts make you think of great teachers.  

And the names Frog and BoJack make you think of Pell City police.  

This Facebook page has brought back many great memories of Pell City (someone mentioned how Vada’s had a going-out-of-business sale for about 25 years), and a few not so great (like when the Ku Klux Klan came to Pell City in the mid-70s and held marches and burned a cross on Water Tank Hill after a racial dispute broke out at Pell City High School), but it will definitely get you reminiscing about times and places you may have forgotten.

My personal favorite:  Someone had actually remembered the phone number for Time & Temp!  If you’re from Pell City, you know what I’m talking about.

If you have any news or announcements, please call or email me at shonda_news@hotmail.com.  Have a great week!