Greene Publishing, Inc.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

There are several names that come to mind when you think of historic and prominent Madison residents. One of those names would be Ashley Beggs. Ashley Beggs has lived in Madison for all of his life, not including his time serving in the military. The Beggs have been in Madison for generations. Ashleys’ grandfather opened the Beggs Funeral Home in 1886 and it is has been passed down through generations. Ashley is currently the owner of the Beggs Funeral Homes in Madison and Perry and has been for many years.

Growing up in Madison was very different than it is today. “Madison is a small town, back then we used to play stick ball and baseball in the streets. Neighborhoods were friendly and things were a lot calmer back then. Back then no one locked their doors at night. Now most people lock their doors as soon as they get home. Crime has risen all over the world and Madison is no exception.”

For fun, Ashley enjoyed going fishing at Lake Rachel at his aunt’s and uncle’s house. “We called it the Hornets Nest. We would go through the woods. We would swim. We also went to Blue Springs a lot, that was one of our favorite watering holes. Another thing we did for fun was going to the public beach at Cherry Lake. Back then there weren’t any pools in Madison. Those came along later.” He also recalled some of his favorite places to eat, “I liked going to Frank’s Café, Country Kitchen and Pep’s.”

Ashley attended elementary school in Madison. The elementary school was located where CVS sits today. He recalled, “When I got in the 7th or 8th grade a lady named Mildred Bruner took us on a tour of Madison County and taught us about the history of the county.” Ever since, Ashley has been very interested in the history of the area. “There are many people in the county that deserve thanks because with their help we have found out many historical things about Madison.” He also shared some of the information they have found, “This is a very good county and it is also one of the oldest counties in Florida. Madison County originally went from the Georgia line to the Gulf of Mexico, but then Taylor County was created. There was also a shoe factory in Madison before the Civil War that made a lot of the shoes for the soldiers.”

He then went to Madison High School where he was active in many sports. He played football, baseball, basketball and he also ran track. Back then Madison was not known as the Cowboys, they were the Red Devils. While in high school, Ashley was also active in Future Farmers of America. “My project in FFA was raising chickens,” he said.

Ashley has been married to his wife Martha for 40 years. He had three sons prior to their marriage, Appie (who is deceased), Kyle and Brad. He and Martha have two children, Ansley, who is a teacher in Madison, and Justin, who helps Ashley run the funeral home. Ashley has also been active in the Masonic Lodge. He was previously a Master of Madison’s Masonic Lodge, and also the Shriners.

When asked what his favorite thing about living in Madison was, Ashley said, “My favorite thing about living in Madison is the slow pace of living here. I also love taking care of my dogs and staying at home.”

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time..

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Karla Hanners has been in Madison for the majority of her life. She came to Madison at the age of three from Perry. According to Hanners, growing up in Madison back then was very different than it is now. There were many more activities for the youth of the city back then.

Hanners attended elementary school at Madison Primary School then went to the Madison Middle School. She then went to Madison High School. Once the new high school opened, Hanners went to Madison County High School for one year also.

For fun, Hanners and her friends spent a lot of time at the walk-in theater. After the walk-in theatre closed, the building became a game room where Hanners spent a lot of time as well. Then the building finally became, and remains today, the Court House Annex. She also remembers when Winn Dixie was in the building that Farmer’s Furniture now resides in. After Winn Dixie moved from that building, it became a skating rink. “I enjoyed going there in my later teens,” said Hanners. After the skating rink closed, Farmers Furniture moved in and has remained there ever since.

Other memories that Hanners has include when Pic-n-Save was located where CVS currently sits. “My younger sister, Sherry, worked at Pic-n-Save as her first job,” she recalled. Hanners remembers when Pantry Pride was the only grocery store in town. She also recalls that before the pawn shop, that burned down a couple of years ago, was a pawn shop, it was an IGA.

“On of my favorite memories from growing up was lunch time in high school. When I was going to the old high school still, we got to leave for lunch. So a group of my friends and I would leave and walk to the Winn Dixie parking lot and one of us would go to the bakery next door and buy all sorts of bakery stuff, and another would go into Winn Dixie and buy a bag of Funyons. That was what we had for lunch every day. I miss that,” said Hanners. “Back then there were a lot of bakeries in Madison. I loved having all of those bakeries here. There was one next to Winn Dixie and one across from the First United Methodist Church.

Hanners stated, “When I was growing up here we had a lot of things for the youth to do. There were a lot of activities in town to keep them busy. Now there is nothing here for the youth to do. People wonder why kids keep getting into trouble, and that is why.”

Karla Hanners is married to Keith Hanners. They have two daughters, Felicia (Marc) McCrary and Chelsea Hanners. They also have two grandchildren, Haeden and Jacen McCrary.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Jimmy Lyons spent a large portion of his life in the Madison area before moving to Lake City. He was born in 1951 in the Madison Hospital. Lyons lived in the same house for the entirety of his life in Lee. The house was located across from the Lee City Hall. That is where he called home until 1978 when he moved to Lake City. Growing up Lyon’s attended Lee Junior High School. He then went to Madison High School.

He remembers a time back in 1958 when an old bearded man came through Lee. Lyons was only seven years old at the time. Everyone in town called the bearded man “the goat man.” That name came from the fact that he had about a dozen goats with him while he was traveling. Lyons remembers that where the lee mini market is there used to be a billboard and the Goat Man stopped there and tied his goats up to that billboard. The Goat Man spent the weekend there in Lee a Friday through a Monday. The Goat Man told everyone in Lee that he was going to run for president in 1960 and that he had a lawyer working to get him on the ballot. He also said he was a preacher as well and would read scriptures during the day. Lyon’s said, “It was very exciting that a man was there with a heard of goats that was saying he was running for president.” He also recalled that the man had a covered wagon.

Lyons also remembers that around 1964, behind Cherry’s Feed Store, there was an old voting house. That was where the town council met. Also, there was an old two-room brick jail beside the voting house. Lyons recalled that Lee used to have a town “Night Watchman” named Arthur Williams. Williams was just like a police officer but he was very incognito. If anyone had to be locked up he was the one to take them in. The people would be locked up in the two-room city jail until they could get them to Madison. “I would play there a lot when I was little and I have been in there many times and remember seeing holes in the walls from the prisoners trying to escape,” shared Lyons.

Another memory occurred in the early 1960s where Archie’s restaurant sits today. Back then Roy Smith opened what most people believe to be was Lee’s first hamburger place. It was called Roy’s Snack Bar.
“Traffic was so heavy in Lee at Hwy 90 that I remember times when I thought I would never be able to cross the road. Also, there was an S curve in Lee. That curve was called second worst curve in the State of Florida for accidents. When it would rain, my brother and I would ride out there and watch for wrecks and there would almost always be one,” remembered Lyons.

In 1964, Tommy and Mary Ellen Greene opened the Carrier in downtown Madison. In 1968, Lyons started writing the Lee news for the Madison County Carrier. He would take a lot of pictures of wrecks and write up stories about what was happening in Lee. That was from 1969 until 1970. His column was called the Lee News.

In 1972, Lyons was the Lee fire chief. “We had no members back then though. We had a fire truck with a half tank on it. Money was so tight that when I would get called for a fire I would have to pull my truck up and jump the fire truck off. I know it is hard to imagine. But that is how it was. I am so proud of where the Lee Fire Department is now.”

Some other memories that Lyons has include, “There was an old cotton gin back beside Cherry’s Feed Store. I don’t remember much about it, but I remember it being there. Also, In 1973, there was a large flood that flooded the river. Water was all over Lee. Behind Lee School looked like an ocean. It was very scary.“

Lyons married his wife, Sharon, in 1986 and they currently have a farm in Lake City. Lyons retired from law enforcement in 2006 from the Columbia County Sheriffs Office. “But I still own the house I grew up in in Lee. To this day I go over there and sit on the porch and reminisce.“

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

James Cressley came to Madison at the age of 11 with his family. At the time he came to here, Madison was a booming place with many thriving businesses, restaurants and places for children to have fun. The Madison that Cressley knew back then is a very different one than most people see today.

He remembers that where CVS is currently located, started off as a school. It then became Seter’s grocery story. Next it became a bowling alley. Then it became Pick & Save. He recalls when Farmer’s Furniture was at Winn Dixie.

Cressley remembers riding with his dad to get gas from up town and his dad being able to get five gallons of gas for $1.00. He also remembers there being a beer joint at the intersection of State Road 6 and Highway 90. Back then Harveys was a junkyard for Ragans.

He remembers there being a rest area, motel and bar across from the dumb station on Hwy. 90 in Madison. He remembers going to Selman’s Drug Store to get a sundae. He remembers there being a hotel at the second light in town. There were two walk-in movie theatres and a drive in theatre. At the drive in theatre you could spend $1 a night for a carload of people to get in.

In Lee, he remembers there being three grocery stores on the intersection of Hwy. 90 and 255. Back then he used to get a haircut for $1.00. He remembers going to Whitty’s ice cream and getting an ice cream cone for 5 cents. He also remembers that one time they had a drive-in movie behind Cherry’s.

James Cressley is married to Sharon (McFalls) Cressley. He had four children from a previous marriage. He has one daughter, Joyce Taylor, who lives in Arizona. He also had three sons, Bubba, Randall and James Jr., but sadly all of his sons are deceased.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Joe Boyles
Guest Columnist

Monday was my birthday, or should I say, the 64th anniversary of my birth. It might also be called surrender day for two important events in our nation’s history.

On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia essentially ending the Civil War. Prior to that, Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, the principle army of the Confederacy was bottled-up by Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac at Petersburg. Badly outnumbered and starving, Lee broke out to the west in an attempt to dash to the mountains and then into North Carolina to join Joe Johnston’s army. Over the period of about a week, Grant sent his cavalry units in pursuit to cut off the remnants of Lee’s once mighty force.

Lee’s army was finally blocked from crossing the Appomattox River, cutting off their escape. General Lee, the great tactician, had finally run out of options. He no longer had the means to resist. It was time to end this deadly game that had cost the lives of more than two-thirds of a million Americans. He agreed to meet the union commander at the McLean House near Appomattox.

Lee arrived resplendent in his best ceremonial uniform with one aide. Wilmer McLean had cleared his family from their home which now was overrun by Yankee soldiers. After a lengthy wait, the commanding general of the Union Army arrived in a muddy, slovenly uniform. Grant apologized for his appearance and recalled an earlier meeting with Lee years before during the Mexican War. Lee was much senior and didn’t recall meeting the younger Grant.

After a few formalities, they got down to the business at hand – ending the great Civil War. Grant was extremely lenient with his terms of surrender and ensured that the starving Confederates were provided rations to ease their hunger. When the southern units surrendered their arms and lowered their flags, the conquering Union Army saluted them with “present arms.”

This drama is all well-told at the beginning of Bill O’Reilly’s best seller “Killing Lincoln.” If you haven’t read O’Reilly’s book, I recommend it. It is a good “who dunnit” told in active voice.

Seventy-seven years later on April 9, 1942, the largest surrender of the American Army to a foreign power took place in the Bataan Peninsula of The Philippines when Major General Edward King surrendered his troops to the conquering Japanese. Nearly ten thousand Americans and many more Philippines laid their weapons down and were taken prisoner. The remaining Americans under General Jonathon Wainwright surrendered at Corregidor a month later.

Surrender is a particularly bitter pill for any fighting man to swallow, but the surrender in The Philippines was particularly hard. The prisoners of war were treated to a long and torturous death march where many perished. Those responsible for the death march were held to account at the war’s end. This surrender didn’t mark the end of a war like Appomattox had; instead, this was the beginning of the war and much suffering lay ahead.

In some respects, the surrender at Bataan shouldn’t have happened, at least, like it did. The peninsula was defendable had food, ammunition and other war supplies been stockpiled there like the plan called for, but the commanders like MacArthur botched the job and the troops were left inadequately supplied. The fact that they hung on for four months and delayed the Japanese was testament to their fighting spirit. The courage of the defenders of Bataan rallied a new nation at war.

Like all boys when I was growing up, I was proud of my birthday, even if I didn’t understand its significance in American history. Of course, a couple of my birthdays have fallen on Easter Sunday which makes me feel doubly blessed.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Betty Thomas has been in the Madison, Lee area all of her life. This is where she was born and raised. She grew up south of the interstate in the Midway community. She went to elementary school at Lee and then later she graduated from Madison High.

While she was in high school, Betty worked for the Van. H. Priest Dime Store. Betty said of working at the Dime Store, “I enjoyed working there very much. It was working there that got me through high school.”

Not long after graduating from high school, Betty married her husband, Elvoye. Elvoye had worked as a farmer with his dad growing up. After they got married, the two then moved to Madison. Elvoye worked for Winn Dixie for a short while after they were married. He then went to work for W.C. Copeland Gas Company. He worked there for 41 years. He later retired from Suburban Propane.

After getting married, Betty took a job in Madison working for Larry and Emma Pinson at Madison Cleaners. She worked in the front of Madison Cleaners and did check in for laundry and dry cleaning and check out. After working at Madison Cleaners, Betty went to work for Cohens Store. Cohens was a variety store that came to Madison for a while. She worked there and became manager for a while.

Then she decided to stay at home and start her family. She and Elvoye had two children: a son, Keith, who currently lives in Lakeland, and a daughter, Revonda Frith, who lives in Madison. Elvoye, Betty, Revonda and her husband Glen, are now all co-owners of Studstill Hardware and Lumber.

After starting their family, Betty went to work at several different places in town. It was then that she began working at Madison Primary School. “I was one of the first aides that they hired to be an aid to a teacher. I worked with a teacher for two years, then became secretary and bookkeeper for the school,” said Betty. She retired from that position after 35 years.

Betty remembers a Madison quite different from the one we know today. “The town was booming back then. All of the stores were full. Up and down the streets was filled with people. Even though country folks didn’t go to town but about once a week, I always looked forward to getting to do that. The streets are so bare in Madison now compared to what they used to be.” She then added, “I love Madison County with all of my heart.”

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.

The most successful football player that Madison County produced during the 1960s was Don Floyd.

After a successful career for the Madison High School Red Devils, Floyd was the split end to NFL Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff’s flanker on the 1964 Florida State football team that went 9-1-1 with victories over the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners and finished ranked number five in the country.

At FSU, the head coach at the time was Bill Peterson, but Floyd’s receivers’ coach was Bobby Bowden.

Peterson was famous for not only being a successful football coach but for his quotes, which became known as “Petersonisms.” Some quotes that are attributed to Peterson include, “I want you guys to pair up in groups of three and then line up in a circle” and “You guys line up alphabetically by height.” Floyd said that he has a whole book full of quotes by his former head coach.
Peterson left Tallahassee to go coach the Houston Oilers. Bowden left FSU to go coach at West Virginia and then returned to Tallahassee one day to make history, winning two national titles and compiling the second most all-time Division 1A wins by any coach.

Floyd was drafted by the San Diego Chargers, who were then in the American Football League. Off to San Diego Floyd went with broken ribs. After playing four games during the pre-season, Floyd was released by Coach Sid Gillman, who told him that they had enough slow wide receivers, they needed fast wide receivers.

Floyd went to Norfolk, Va., where he played for Norfolk Neptunes and taught and coached at a secondary school. During his career with the Neptunes, he developed problems with his back. Doctors told him that he would have to have surgery, Instead, he went to a chiropractor and the chiropractor helped him. At 31 years of age, he decided to go to St. Louis and study to be a chiropractor. He ended up becoming a chiropractor and bought the practice from the man who had helped him. He ran the business for 24 years before retiring and selling the practice to his daughter and son-in-law, who are also chiropractors.

These days, Don Floyd spends his time between Madison County and Virginia. He and his wife, the former Bonnie Bell of Lee, spend three months in Madison County and nine months in Virginia. They have two daughters, Sherry (who is a massage therapist) and Pamela (the chiropractor), as well as five grandchildren.

Nowadays, during his spare time, Don enjoys the outdoors. Hunting and fishing are still two of his passions. He and Barbara also enjoy spending time gardening.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

At the age of 88, Ezell Moore has seen Madison grow and change in ways that many people could only imagine. Moore has lived in Madison all of her life since the day she was born. She grew up on a farm in Bethlehem and later moved to a farm in Greenville. “I was on a farm then, and I am still on a farm,” said Moore.

Growing up, Moore attended school in Bethlehem. School there went through the eighth grade. For fun, she and her friends would play ball, jump rope and play hide and seek. She recalled, “We would go to lunch at around noon, and after we got done eating we would shoot marbles until it was time to go back to work.” After eighth grade, Moore went to Madison Training School through the eleventh grade.

Back then, everyone who lived in the same community got water from the same well. Everyone knew everyone and helped one another out when they could. “We had to carry tubs to get water in. When daddy called us, he would blow on his fingers [whistling] for us,” said Moore. As one of 10 siblings, Moore had plenty to do around the house to stay busy. “We had to make our beds, clean the house and help cook.”

Church was a big part of life back then. “We went to church every first and third Sunday, and Sunday School on the second and fourth. We didn’t have church every Sunday back then. I remember asking my daddy for a penny to put in at Sunday School and he would say to me ‘money bit right now.” Which meant that money was tight.

Things have changed a lot in Madison since those days. Moore recalled that back then they did not eat out much at all. “We ate at home. There weren’t many places to go eat back then. Also, girls couldn’t wear pants back then. We had to wear skirts. Even if we were working and worked in pants, we had to have a skirt on over our pants.”

Ezell married Charlie Moore Jr. in 1949. They would have been married for 60 years, but he passed away in June and their anniversary was in July. They had five children: Wanda Moore Williams, Charles Herbert Moore, Ronnie Ladell Moore, Francis Moore Phillips and Kenneth Wayne Moore.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Ray Williams has lived in Madison for the majority of his life. The only time he has not resided in Madison was during his time in the Army. He was born in 1944 and in all of those years living in this community, Williams still loves Madison and there is no where else he would rather be.

Growing up, Williams attended Lee Junior High School and Madison High School. In school he was a member of the Future Farmers of America. He also played many sports in school, including basketball, softball and baseball. When he wasn’t in school, Williams spent a lot of his time at home, on the family farm.

The family farm was located near Blue Springs, across from where Nestle Water Company currently sits. Williams explained, “When I was a kid there wasn’t a whole lot to do. We didn’t go to town often, maybe on Saturday afternoons and evenings. We spent a lot of our time swimming at Blue Springs or Cushion Ferry. My dad’s family was really big, so we had reunions and fish fries a lot when I was growing up. Back then it wasn’t just family that would come. There were people from the community there too.”

When Williams would go to town, he would often go to the Swan Theatre and see a western or something of that nature. The cost of admission was a nickel. “Madison was a thriving little town back then. Every building had something in it.

There were five tractor dealerships, shoe stores, dress shops, two cotton gins, two dime stores, dry goods stores and four or five grocery stores. All of those are gone now,” said Williams.

Williams reminisced, “I have a lot of fond memories of Madison back then and I think about it quite often. People’s relationships with each other have changed a lot since then. Back then a man’s handshake was his word. It meant more than any contract. But now you can’t do that. People just don’t have time for people anymore. There are no neighborly feelings, or at least not as much as there used to be. Back then people would do anything for their neighbors. If a farmer got really sick and it was time for the crops to be planted, his neighbors would often get together and go out there and plant his crops for him. Back then a farmers’ crop was usually what supported his family through the year. So much has changed since then that is it unbelievable. Don’t get me wrong, I love Madison. I have been to other places and there is nowhere else that I liked as much as I love Madison.”

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.
When it comes to remembering information about Greenville, Johnny Carroll is the man for the job. Carroll has lived in Greenville all of his life. He grew up working on the family farm in Greenville, he raised his family in Greenville and to this day he stays as involved in the community as he can.

Johnny Carroll went to Greenville High School growing up. While most kids now-a-days spend their afternoons laying around, playing video games or watching TV, Carroll didn’t do that. Instead, he had to work on the family farm. “Back then we had to work a lot,” he said. After he stopped working on the farm, Carroll held jobs with a heavy equipment company, driving a school bus for Madison County for 16 years and he also worked at Pepsi Cola, Inc. He retired from Pepsi Cola. Carroll has been a deacon at Sirmans Baptist Church for 40 years. He has also been the song leader (Music Director) for 40 years.

Greenville has changed in many ways over the years. Some of the biggest changes Johnny Carroll has seen are, “We used to have a theatre in Greenville growing up. I went their a lot with friends. We also had a restaurant, Sidney’s Restaurant. I had a lot of friends when I was growing up. We would ride bikes all over Greenville. Back then we weren’t worried about getting hurt or anything bad happening. We also played baseball or softball on weeknights or Sunday afternoons. We even had a town league. We used to play ball at the old ball field in Greenville.” This might be hard to imagine now, since most of these things are no longer in Greenville, but back then there were several saw mills and even a barbershop in Greenville.

When he did have time for fun, Carroll liked to spend his time fishing. He also loved to spend time with his family, a trait he carries on today with his children, two grandchildren and a new great grand child. He also owns a small yard service business. With this business he is trying to help people in the community with different things that they need.

He loves to go to Cowboy football games and baseball games. “I really love people. I like to visit and help people. I attend the city council meetings, I am a part of the Country Christmas Committee and I try to be involved in any other projects here in Greenville. I just really love to help people. Recently, after Jacob Bembry had his incident, I felt like I needed to do something. So, I went and got his dad and family and took them to the hospital to be with him. I just love helping people,” explained Carroll.

“I have seen a lot of changes come through Greenville. There are new rules and regulations. There have also been a lot of businesses come in and go out. I have seen it grow and I have seen people get more involved,” he said.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Each month, the Madison Chamber of Commerce selects a local business to spotlight as the “Business of the Month.” For February, it is the Old Book Store, 317 SW Pinckney Street, owned by Lucile Cherry. She received a congratulatory balloon and floral arrangement courtesy of The Madison Florist, and a sign to display outside her business for the entire month of February.

The Old Book Store had its beginning in 1982, in one of the many little shops on West Base Street. Mark Cherry, who had retired as a history professor from North Florida Junior College, and his wife Lucile, who had retired as guidance counselor from Madison High School, went into the business because of Mark’s lifelong love of books, and because, as he said, he “could not sit and rock.”

From the time they married, Mark and Lucile shopped at many bookstores, and as their sons grew up, they would often ask if they “had to stop at another book store.” Through the years, their personal collection of books grew, especially after Mark’s uncle in Lillington, North Carolina, gave him his library of Americana, Natural Science and Natural History books.

With these, and their personal collection, the Cherrys opened The Old Book Store.

In the late 1980’s, the store moved to the Pinckney Street side of the building, where the Creatures Featured Pet Store is now. In 1992, the store moved again, across the street to its current location. The new place had pink walls, but since there was no time for repainting, the younger son Doug told Mark to tell his customers that he was “so macho” the pink walls didn’t bother him.

Each time the store moved, it was because of the growing volume of books and how Mark wanted to display and organize them. The last move to 317 SW Pinckney was a lot of work; Lucile and Lu Sands packed up the books while older son Allen and grandson Darryl Cherry transported them across the street, where Mark organized and shelved them. He could tell anyone with great certainty whether he had a particular book, and even where it was located on the shelf.

Mark knew exactly what kind and type of books he wanted to keep in the store, and he and Lucile would go to the annual Friends of the Library sales in Tallahassee, Valdosta, Gainesville and Jacksonville to find them. After their first year in business, they were invited to join the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association.

At one time or another, each of their four grandchildren worked at the bookstore, usually during the summers and after school. All of them enjoyed spending time at the store and inherited their grandparents’ love of books.

The first room in The Old Book Store is an attraction for children and adults alike, with a number of collectibles and an eclectic mix of items. Mark brought some of his old cameras to place on a shelf, and the collection grew when customers added to it. The room also has an assortment of pictures on the wall and artifacts from Mark’s teaching of anthropology. One of Hank Allen’s creations, given to the store by his wife, hangs at the entrance.

The categories of books now includes: Health and Fitness; Modern Fiction; Old Fiction; Science Fiction; Christian Fiction; Old Non-Fiction; Non-Fiction; Presidents and First Ladies; Art; Adventure; Mystery and Detective; Americana; Foreign Languages; Reference; Psychology; Religion; Humor; Sports; Performing Arts; Disaster; Florida; Biography; Business; War and Military; Civil War; True Crime; Cookbooks; Crafts; Juvenile; Birds-Animals-Nature.

When Mark passed away in August 1999, Lucile and sons Allen and Doug had to make a major decision, because Mark had managed the store and knew every detail of the inventory. With encouragement from customers far and near, Lucile decided to continue running the store.

Diane Cherry (Head), Lucile’s granddaughter and a recent graduate from the University of Florida, decided to help. That began a new chapter in book sales.

Mark had been listing in the American Booksellers publication; however, booksellers were now using the internet, so Diane put the store’s inventory on the internet through ABEbooks.com. After Diane moved to Georgia, Linda Cherry, Lucile’s daughter-in-law, continued to keep the on-line inventory updated as well as ordering books and magazines for their customers, some local, some who come from all over Florida or from as far away as Alaska. Some even drop in from Europe and Asia.

But no matter where they hail from, customers find the Old Book Store a very interesting place. Lucile is very appreciative of the support The Old Book Store has received – it has been, and still is, a pleasure to have a business in Madison.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Anthony Feacher Jr. might not have lived in Madison his whole life, but Madison has always been his home. Feacher was born in Monticello. He grew up in Greenville and Lee. He attended Springfield school through the fourth grade.

Growing up, Feacher worked on the farm from the time he was five years old, until he was 21. On the farm he worked in cotton, tobacco, corn and watermelon. He worked with a mule most days and worked long, hard hours.

He and his family had very little free time, due to working on the farm, but occasionally on Saturdays, Feacher would go to the movies. “But we always had to be home by 9,” he said.

At the age of 21, Feacher moved to Jacksonville. There were jobs in Jacksonville that he could get. But most importantly, he said, “I wanted to get away from that mule.” Then in 2007, he moved back to Madison. “Madison is my home. It’s good to be back home,” he explained.

When asked what has changed in Madison since he first moved away, Feacher said, “It is much better now. The places that we couldn’t go before, we can go to now. It’s much better.”

Feacher now spends his time at the Senior Citizens Center, with his wife, and at church. His wife is Mary Feacher. He has nine children; Carton, Dwight Anthony (who passed away), Anthony, Belanda, Claretha, Velma, Evett, Vickie and Veronica. He is a deacon at Pineland Missionary Baptist Church. He also enjoys riding around town and looking at the tractors and farms.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their lives, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

Lucile Whitty Cherry has called Madison County her home for most of her life. Growing up two miles east of Lee, Lucile was raised on a family farm. The farm was first purchased by Lucile’s great grandmother. Then her grandfather became the owner. Her grandfather cared for the farm along with her grandma, until her grandma became sick. Lucile’s dad, being the only one of three siblings unwed, then came back to the farm to help his dad.

On the farm, the Whitty’s grew cotton, tobacco, corn, hay, peanuts and many other crops. Lucile’s mother always had a garden as well. Lucile was the oldest of six children. Her younger siblings were: Muriel Whitty Turlington, Frances Whitty Mercer, Gertrude Whitty Gamble, Robert B. Whitty and E. Benjamin Whitty. All of the children had to help around the farm. They would pick, hoe and poison cotton, work the tobacco, and help care for the other crops.

Lucile attended Lee School when she was growing up until the 10th grade. She then went to Madison High School until graduation. Following graduation, she went to the Florida State College for Women. In order to pay her father back for her tuition, Lucile worked as an assistant for the National Youth Administration her freshman year, then her sophomore through senior year she worked in the dining hall. Also her senior year, she worked in the English department.

After graduating college, Lucile began working as a teacher. She worked at many schools in Florida. She finally returned to Madison in 1947 after meeting and marrying her husband Marcus (Mark) Cherry. In Madison, Lucile worked at Lee School for eight years, and at the high school from 1960-1082. At the high school she was taught history, English, P.E., coached girls basketball and eventually became the guidance counselor.

Mark and Lucile have two sons, Allen and Douglas (Doug). After retiring from teaching, Lucile was offered a part time position at the college as a woman’s guidance councelor. She remained in that position for eight years. During that time, in 1990, Mark opened the first Old Bookstore. The Old Bookstore has since changed locations two times.

In 1999 Mark passed away, leaving Lucile and her children to decide whether to continue running the store. The three made the choice to continue trying to make the store work. With the help of her granddaughter, the Old Bookstore survived and remains successful.

In those years, Lucile has seen many changes happen in Madison. Some of the main changes she has seen happened right on the street where The Old Bookstore is currently located. In the exact spot that her store is located now, was Paramore Grocery. Across the street, where Creature Feature is now was a poolroom. Mr. Hadden’s store was located beside it. There was also a drug store where Madison Florist currently sits.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.

For almost 90 years, JB Delaughter has called Madison his home. He was born in 1922 and has been in Madison for all but two years of his life. He has worked as a farmer and a pallet maker. He enjoys fishing, peppermints and going to church.

Growing up in Madison, JB attended Madison Training School. While in school he enjoyed playing football and basketball. When he wasn’t in school he was usually working on the tobacco or cotton farms. He worked as a farmer for most of his childhood.

At the age of 14, JB’s mom passed away, leaving he, his two brothers and their dad to care for their home. They cleaned the house and yard and tried to keep things as tidy as possible.

When he got spare time between work and school, JB enjoyed going fishing at ponds in Madison for brim and bass. He and his brothers also enjoyed listening to the radio. Another treat that JB had was getting to buy peppermints from the traveling store.

When he was old enough, JB joined the army. He served in World War II for two years. While in the Army he traveled to France and Okinawa, Japan. After returning home from the war, JB worked as a farmer and other jobs. Then he began work as a pallet maker. It was this job from which he retired.

Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.