Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---June 14-20
This June 14-20 edition of Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County blog celebrates fathers. We look back at early Anniston and Calhoun County where dads could grab a coke, ready the barbecue and take a relaxing trip to Oxford Lake. Remember to click on the links in the blog to view many of the photos seen in Images of America series books: Anniston Revisited, Anniston, or Calhoun County. If Dad is a history buff, Images of America books make a great Father’s Day gift. Stop by one of our local vendors to pick up a copy.
Upcoming Events: For the June Makers Market, the Anniston Revisited Book Signing will be at the Catalyst. The Catalyst, sponsored by the Anniston Council on Arts and Humanities, is located at 1224 Noble Street. Books will be available for purchase at the event (cash or check only) from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (CT) on June 23rd.
June 14, 1901: Oxford Lake Park, AL. The Anniston Electric and Gas Company operated the trolley car system for the Noble Street and Oxford Lake Lines. On this date, the company advertised the virtues of picnic season and coming to Oxford Lake Park. The park had a small zoo, boating, swimming, bowling, and other midway activities. It was a popular summer destination for residents.
June 15, 1928: Anniston, AL: Coca-Cola advertised that a six-bottle carton of the elixir was available at the local grocer. Anniston had been home to a Coca-Cola bottling plant since 1903. The original plant was located on West 13th Street. By 1931, Coca-Cola built a new modern plant at 420 Noble Street where it remained until 1976 when the plant moved to a larger facility in Oxford.
June 16, 1911: Anniston, AL: Kress' 5-10-25 Cent Store, at 1106 Noble Street, advertised a sanitary kitchen kit consisting of a meat saw, bread knife, meat knife, flesh fork, paring knife, and rack to hang each piece for 25 cents. This was a necessary essential for a home where meat was either slaughtered at home or purchased from a butcher.
June 17, 1932: Anniston, AL. Montgomery Ward Co. was selling women’s dresses for $3.95. Montgomery Ward arrived in Anniston in the 1920s. The business built a building on the corner of 12th and Noble Streets across from the Alabama Hotel. When the business burned around 1931, Montgomery Ward moved to another location. Alabama Power Company rebuilt and remodeled on this site.
June 18, 1944: Anniston, AL. The Alabama Drug Company, in the Alabama Hotel, encouraged Annistonians to buy war bonds to support the war. The war bonds were available at the drug store. The drug store was part of the original hotel construction in the early 1900s. Three months after this ad appeared to encourage the war effort, the Alabama Hotel and the drug store were destroyed by fire.
June 19, 1927: Anniston, AL: The Lyric Theater advertised show times for the silent film “Syncopating Sue”, a romantic comedy starring actress and producer Corinne Griffith. The theater was built in 1918 at 1302 Noble Street as a stage for the Vaudeville circuit. By 1928, the Lyric was converted to a motion picture theater and renamed The Ritz Theater.
June 20, 1924: Anniston, AL. The Polar Ice and Coal Company had a simple advertisement “Save it with Ice”. The ice and coal companies were essential in the early days because most homes did not heat and refrigeration. Polar Ice and Coal was one of many that delivered ice and coal to homes and businesses in the early days of Anniston.
