From the Mouth of Boyds Creek: A History of Seymour, TN and the Boyds Creek Valley
Photo courtesy of Brenda Manis
Country stores
Small family-run stores were the lifeblood of the tiny communities dotted around Seymour and the Boyds Creek Valley for first half of the 20th century. They sold a wide variety of goods from groceries and clothing to animal feed and farm implements. In those days, many families had a running account at their local store. During the Depression in the 20s and 30s, having credit at local stores kept some families afloat; at least one store had to close because it had been so generous to its customers.
On Sevierville Pike, now known as Boyds Creek Highway, the old Fox Store at McCleary Road became Cody’s Store. The Maples Store opposite Hodges Bend Road in downtown Boyds Creek closed, and in 1947 a new store, Boyds Creek Grocery owned by the Hodges family, replaced it across the road. Today that same building is occupied by LP Chase Mechanical. Edward Hodges ran the store, which was literally a shining example of modernity, with electricity supplied by the fledglingTennessee Valley Authority. The store sold all things electrical as well as the usual groceries, cigarettes, ice cream, men’s overalls and cattle feed, etc. Gas pumps out front supplied the increasing number of automobiles in the area. The store’s auto parts section, which included a spot for a checkerboard, was accessed through a men-only door. And if a customer needed something that wasn’t in stock, Ed Hodges would go to Knoxville and buy it, whether it was a window for a 1937 Ford or a baby blanket.
Learn more about Ed and Ameline Hodges and other local families and stores in From the Mouth of Boyds Creek – A History of Seymour, TN and the Boyds Creek Valley. The book is available at Williams Family Library in Seymour and King Family Library in Sevierville. Pre-orders are now being taken. All proceeds benefit Friends of Seymour Library, a non-profit organization that supports Seymour Library.
To pre-order, go to www.boydscreekbook.com or contact Colleen Shannon at bakhom@earthlink.net or Anna Garber at annadgarber@gmail.com.
Price is $25.00 plus $5.00 for shipping.
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