Sometimes a roadside find comes with wheels of its own. This vintage Airstream catches the light along an Arkansas road, its rounded aluminum body looking almost like a small aircraft parked for the evening. There's no towering marquee here, but that familiar silver shape does a pretty good job of attracting attention.
Wally Byam founded Airstream in 1931 and introduced the riveted aluminum Clipper in 1936. Its streamlined design helped establish the look that made the company's trailers instantly recognizable. Generations of travelers have since taken these rolling homes across the country, adding their own chapter to America's highway history.
UPDATE: The location and present whereabouts of this particular trailer are unknown. Its polished curves preserve the familiar look of an American road trip, ready for the next campground or stretch of open highway. 11-26
Grand Old Hatchery
Dickson, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Baby chicks and country music don't usually share a billing, but the Grand Old Hatchery found a way to bring them together. This former hatchery and farm-supply business in downtown Dickson traded its agricultural duties for live entertainment, keeping a name that gives Nashville's Grand Ole Opry a friendly wink. It's quite a change of business without completely forgetting what came before. 06-06
By the late 1980s, the building had become a gathering place for country and bluegrass fans. Fiddles, guitars, and dancing replaced the bustle of a working hatchery, giving the old Main Street building another reason to draw a crowd.
UPDATE: The Grand Old Hatchery continues presenting live music and dancing. The older exterior sign was removed by 2017, but the unusual name and musical tradition have carried on. 11-26
Hampton's General Store (Closed)
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
A town called Skullbone deserves a store with personality, and Hampton's General Store certainly delivered. Weathered wood, a welcoming porch, and humorous signs made this little crossroads business worth a stop. One sign announced “Skullbone City Hall,” while another directed visitors toward the “Mayor's Office Upstairs.” The joke fit a community that never had a mayor. 06-06
Landon and Ruby Hampton operated the store for 55 years, serving thick bologna sandwiches and plenty of conversation. Local tradition traces Skullbone's unusual name to bare-knuckle fighting, with blows restricted to the upper body. That colorful story became part of the store's appeal, giving visitors something to discuss while looking around.
UPDATE: Here are a couple of additional photos of Ruby and Landon Hampton's Skullbone Store, including a painting of two Skullbonians fighting "Skullbone" style...bare knuckled, only blows above the chest were allowed. Real HE-MAN fighting. Many thanks to Tony Craig for info. 03-07
UPDATE: The Hamptons retired in March 2019, ending their long run behind the counter. The store is remembered as a community gathering place and one of western Tennessee's more unusual back-road stops. 11-26
Hampton's Skullbone Another View
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Hampton's Skullbone Painting
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Closed)
Elberton, GA Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
Here is an old Coca-Cola bottling plant located in Elberton Georgia. The plant closed sometime in the 70's and is now being used as a church. Elberton is known for it's Granite, so it was only fitting for the plants sign to be carved in granite. Many thanks to Doug Harvey for info. 03-06
Like so many small-town bottling plants, the brick building was designed to advertise Coca-Cola almost as much as it was built to bottle it. Even after all these years, it's easy to recognize what it once was. The simple lines, brickwork, and familiar Coca-Cola styling make it a classic roadside find.
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Elberton, GA Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
Built in 1939, the plant bottled soft drinks for Elberton and surrounding communities as part of the regional Coca-Cola network. At one time nearly every town had a local bottling plant, each serving its own corner of the map before production gradually shifted to much larger regional facilities.
Today the building stands as a reminder of those days when local bottlers were part of everyday life. It's one of those places that can easily slip by unnoticed unless you're keeping an eye out for old industrial buildings and faded pieces of roadside America.
UPDATE: The bottling plant is no longer in operation, but the historic brick building still stands in downtown Elberton. 07-26
Coffey's General Store
Edgemont, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The Coffey Store is in Edgemont, NC on a dirt road way up in the mountains. It took about 45 minutes on the dirt road to get there. Many thanks to Tony Craig for info. 06-06
The store's documented history reaches back to 1895. Gus Coffey bought it in 1919, and his son Archie took over in 1936, running the business until his death in 1986. It also served as the community's post office, giving residents another reason to gather here besides picking up supplies.
UPDATE: Coffey's remains open with limited weekend hours, combining the old store with museum displays about the community and Southern Appalachian fly fishing. The porch still offers a place to pause before heading back into the mountains. 11-26
Airstream
Grand Old Hatchery
Hampton's General Store (Closed)
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Closed)
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Coffey's General Store
