Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County---July 5-11
Calhoun County in the good ole’ summertime. Let’s shop for groceries, see a movie, and after music lessons pick up some ice cream. Where are we going this week’s edition of Way Back Wednesday in Calhoun County Blog: Oxford, Anniston and Fort McClellan. 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.
Upcoming Events: Check back next week to see where the Anniston Revisited Book Signing for the July 28th Makers Market will be located.
July 5, 1907: Oxford, AL. The Spot Cash Grocery Company announced it was opening on Choccolocco Street near the intersection with College Street. The business touted itself as the friend of farmers. The store stocked feeds and both staple and fancy groceries.
July 6, 1947: Anniston, AL. The Calhoun Theater, at 1220 Noble Street, was showing “The Yearling”. The theater opened in the early 1940s, in part to accommodate the large influx of soldiers training at Fort McClellan. When multiplex movie theaters were built in the suburban areas of the county, the theater closed in 1983.
July 7, 1949: Anniston, AL. The Anniston City Board of Education announced a summer music program for boys and girls who lived in the city. The free music classes met three times a week for 45 minutes each session between July 11 and August 12. The music required for the course could be purchased at Forbes Piano Company. The instruments the children needed could also be rented from Forbes.
July 8, 1942: Anniston, AL. Rainwater Furniture Company, located at 1230 Noble Street, advertised they cashed workers payroll checks for free between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM. The company said this was for the benefit of workers who could not shop during regular business hours. It was also a way to reach out to defense workers who were working around the clock for the war effort.
July 9, 1916: Anniston, AL. The Anniston Cream Products Company invited the public to inspect the building at 21 East 10th Street. The modern creamery was proud to use local Calhoun County products in making milk and ice cream. The business served families as well as commercial customers and took orders for delivery.
July 10, 1968: Fort McClellan, AL. LTC Kenneth Stahl (1925-2009), a native of Wisconsin, returned for his second tour at Fort McClellan. He was a career soldier who had earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in Bacteriology. His first time at Fort McClellan was 1957 to 1960 when he served as an instructor for the Chemical and Biological Warfare School. He returned in 1968 to serve as the Commander of the 100th Chemical Group. He would have one final duty at Fort McClellan from 1970 to 1973 when he served as Commander of the CBR Agency for the U. S. Chemical Corps. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1977. After retirement, LTC Stahl served on the Economic Development Council in Anniston.
July 11, 1951: Anniston, AL. The Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce’s Retail Division announced, after careful study of shopping habits, the Anniston Merchants had decided to change the downtown shopping hours. The new hours for closure were as follows Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 5:30 PM; Wednesday at 12:30 PM instead of the normal 1:00 PM; and Friday and Saturday at 6:00 PM. The merchants thanked the public for their cooperation. The new hours were intended to give the shop employees a longer leisure time.
