Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---March 1-7
We are starting off March with sweets, politics, and entertainment. This week’s edition of Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County focuses on the bakeries, dairies, and shops in the area. The March 1-7 blog also includes a major political event. Be sure to click on the links to see great old photos from the Public Library of Calhoun County-Anniston’s collection some of which can also be viewed in Images of America: Anniston Revisited.
March 1, 1919: Anniston, AL. E.C. Lloyd opened Lloyd’s Bakery at 1316 Noble Street. In 1919, the bakery made a 1000 loaves of bread daily but by 1942 the company was producing 60,000 loaves a day. The bakery was the largest independently owned bakery. Lloyd’s had the distinction of being the only bakery in the American South with an airplane delivery system.
March 2, 1901: Calhoun County, AL. On this date, the executive committee of the Democratic and Conservative party of Calhoun County met in an adjourned session at the Calhoun County Courthouse. The purpose of the session was to make provisions for holding Democratic convention and beat listings to select delegates to State Constitutional Convention.
March 3, 1955: Anniston, AL. Electrik Maid Bakery advertisement offered a selection of Danish pastries, doughnuts, and coffee cakes. The bakery opened in 1942 at 1023 Noble Street and remained at that location until it closed in 1988. In modern times, the building has been torn down and the location is now a green space.
March 4, 1942: Anniston, AL. Due to World War II, the local dairies faced tire rationing just like civilians. As a result of the rationing of rubber, the dairies announced there would be delays in milk delivery and citizens were advised to prepare to order milk two days in advance for home delivery. The milk dairies hoped customers would accept this change cheerfully under the guise of patriotic consideration.
March 5, 1951: Anniston, AL. Sears Roebuck and Company celebrated the first birthday of the 1702 Noble Street location with a huge sale and demonstration night. Sears had announced in 1949 the plan to move from the two-story structure on the corner of 10th and Noble Streets. The new location was a modern, one-story structure. In 1986, Sears moved to the Quintard Mall and after two years of renovations, the location reopened as the Calhoun County Administrative Building.
March 6, 1919: Anniston, AL. The silent film “The Poor Rich Man” (1918) starring Francis H. Bushman and Beverly Bayne was playing at the Theato. The theater was originally called the Anniston Theatorium and located in the Levi Building from 1913 to 1924. The building, located at 1024 Noble Street next to Woolworth’s, was built in the late 1880s as the Clarke Building.
March 7, 1954: Anniston, AL. The local Jitney Jungle was selling grapefruits for 4¢ each and a head of lettuce for 9¢. The grocery chain was founded in the early 20th Century and was popular in Anniston. Jitney Jungle had three locations in Anniston but by the 1950s the stores began to fade away. The company was acquired by Winn-Dixie in 2000.
