By Staff
Lydia Grimes
I am sorry that my column was left out last week. To tell the truth, I did not write one as I was a little bit under the weather. I do hope you are enjoying reading about the downtown businesses. I plan on continuing until I have listed them all, so bear with me.
90 Saint Joseph Avenue
The May Candy and Grocery Company was established in 1914, according to some records. A photograph dating from 1911 identified another building as being May Candy, so it is possible this may not have been the first to house the business. This building was built in 1922. It is a three-story, brick building with three segmental, arched double door opening on the first floor and four segmental, arched windows on the second. It has a tin canopy over the full width of the concrete platform in front. May Candy stayed in this building until 1978 when the May family sold the building to Earl Wilson of Brewton Iron Works. The building housed the pattern department of Brewton Iron Works. It is still known by many as the May Company building. The word &#8220grocery” was dropped from the name of the company in the 1950s. May Candy Company operated out of a building on Douglas Avenue for some years until early in 2005 when it was moved to a large blue metal building behind McDonald's.
100 Mildred Street
There is no building there today. It has been replaced with a parking lot for the Mildred Street Park. There was a store built there before 1893. It was given a face-lift in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Originally it was a general store and in 1910 it became Brewton's City Hall. City offices were located on the second floor while the Brewton Fire Department was on the first floor. It was used by the city until a new city hall was built in 1939 at 212 Saint Joseph Avenue. It was then used by Thomas Ligon for a Western Auto Store. It was the first place for many young boys to have their first job. It was later leased by Devon Wiggins for a Western Auto Store and continued for several years. Wiggins would later be elected to serve as Escambia County Judge of Probate. Today the building, along with several others, has been torn down and in their place the Tree and Beautification Board has built a lovely mini-park which features a large fountain in front of a large mural painted by Wesley Harden, a renowned mural painter from Dothan. The mural depicts the old county courthouse, the old Methodist Church, the Lovelace Hotel and Edmond Troupe Brewton who was the first train agent in Brewton. It is believed the city of Brewton was named for him.
102-104 Mildred Street
Built about 1920 by T.C. Herd of Atmore. It was a two-story, brick building with a central recessed entrance with flanking plate glass windows. Three story bays were sealed. Herd and R.J. Murphy built it as a furniture store. It was White Furniture for a while and Odom's Restaurant for many years. It was occupied by B &W Auto Parts in later years.
106 Mildred Street
This store and the one next door at 108 Mildred Street were built separately but have been used as one since about 1920. Built in 1898, it was a one-story, brick double building with brick cornices. Each side has a recessed entrance and glass display window and transom. Henry Hill had his jewelry store here for many years before moving to Saint Joseph Avenue.
108 Mildred Street
This building was used in conjunction with 106 Mildred Street and was part of the Henry Hill Jewelry Store.
110 Mildred Street
This building was built about 1922 and remodeled in 1960. It was a one-story, brick double building. The fa