Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---April 19-25
Ever wonder what happened to the Samuel Noble estate? What type events came to Calhoun County in the first half of the 20th Century? What were some of the earliest shopping venues on Noble Street? This week’s edition of Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County blog for April 19-25 answers some of those questions. Remember to click on the links in the blog to see many of the photos seen in Images of America series books: Anniston Revisited, Anniston, or Calhoun County.
Upcoming Event: We will be participating in the Makers Market in Downtown Anniston on the fourth Friday of each month. Check our website events page and on Facebook for more information on the locations for the monthly Makers Market book signing. We will be at different venues each month during the event.
April 19, 1923: Anniston, AL. The J. P. King Auction Company auctioned off the entire Noble Estate. The auction was an absolute auction which advertised a $100 gold giveaway and band concert. Samuel Noble had died in 1888 and his wife followed him in 1902. The family chose to dispense with his estate through the auction.
April 20, 1947: Oxford, AL. Oxford Lake hosted a series of speed boat races on the lake. Spectators were admitted for free and encouraged to ride the bus to the venue. The boat races, which were a popular past time at the lake, started at 2:30 PM.
April 21, 1915: Anniston, AL. Ory’s Department Store advertised tennis oxfords for 49 cents. Nathaniel Ory had come to Anniston around the time the town opened to the public and established his dry goods store on Noble Street. Ory, a Russian Jew, eventually left Anniston in the 1930s and settled in Atlanta where he passed away in 1939.
April 22, 1901: Anniston, AL. The city of Anniston played host to the Alabama encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. The proceedings were held in the Odd Fellows Hall lodge room opposite the Wilmer Hotel. Approximately 100 veterans attended this event. It was unusual for Southern cities to host former Union troops but Gen. Daniel Tyler, a co-founder of Anniston, had served in the Union army during the Civil War.
April 23, 1942: Anniston, AL. The Anniston Rams, a semi-professional baseball team in the 1940s, met the Montgomery Rebels in a season opener at 4:00 PM. It was noted that part of the proceeds for the Victory Campaign season would support the armed forces.
April 24, 1919: Anniston, AL. The Anniston Inn advertised it was under new management as a residential hotel offering a European plan and free sample room. The residence inn’s summer rates were $20 per month. The rooms had hot and cold running water, electric lights, and telephones. The hotel targeted guests from traveling salesmen to tourists. The hotel also offered daily rates of a $1 and up. A few years after it became a residence inn, the hotel burned.
April 25, 1926: Anniston, AL. Louis Pizitz’s store offered Parisian Style dresses as well as silk dresses at reduced costs. Pizitz located his store in the 1100 block of Noble Street. He had emigrated from Russia, near the Polish border, and settled in Birmingham Alabama around the start of the 20th Century. He built his dry goods store into a 74-store chain in several southern states. He was active in the Birmingham community including his synagogue Temple Beth-El.
