Read Discover Cover to Cover
From the Editor
In with the new, treasure the old
In the infancy of a new year, the mind tends to gravitate toward new starts. And while we have plenty of examples of new beginnings in this edition, we look back as well.
Historian Joe Whitten takes us on a memory-laden journey of gristmills and cornbread in a tale of what once dominated the landscape of Beaver Creek Valley, transforming shucked corn into a Southern delight making its way into just about every kitchen – cornbread.
You can almost catch a whiff of the aroma of freshly baked cornbread in a cast iron skillet with fresh-churned butter melting on top.
It’s a stroll down memory lane that captures what life was like in early St. Clair County.
The same holds true for archivist Robert Debter’s piece on “Healing Hands,” the pioneer doctors for the county’s early settlers.
They tended to the sick and offered an ounce or two of prevention advice along the way.
In this issue, we not only look back, we look forward as Ashville’s downtown resurgence could only be described as a renaissance for this historic district. What is old is new again. A rock-front storage building for a nearby mercantile store is now a restaurant, bookstore, reading room and gathering place all rolled into one.
Called LaLa’s Beverages Bites Books, it is the latest example of downtown revitalization, and its early successes are an encouraging sign that a new day has dawned in Ashville. So is nearby Farm Wife and Company, a boutique gift store offering a little something for the entire family inspired by the farm couple who created it.
The GNX Gun Exchange, growing in popularity, only adds to the excitement generated by these new businesses luring people back to the heart of the city once more.
In the same vein of what’s old is new again, check out a “Barndominium” in Ashville, where an old barn is now becoming a trendsetting home for the future.
While Sewing Machine Mart has a 50-year history, it has a relatively new home in Springville, luring customers from around the state to what it has to offer in sewing machines, fabric, repair and a wide array of classes, including quilting.
Town & Country Ford in Pell City is preparing for a new chapter, too. Following its multimillion-dollar investment in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility for its dealership a few years back, Town & Country is now readying for a multimillion-dollar expansion in its quickly growing TC Customs. It will mean another impressive development to showcase its cutting-edge vehicle customization operation.
And at Lakeside Park, a new veterans group took their first ‘plunge’ as part of Project Absolution, a support organization for veterans to help with the transition after war by providing offroad adventures.
Old and new are truly mingling in this issue of Discover. Turn the page and discover it all with us!
Carol Pappas
Editor and Publisher