Smyrna, South Carolina, is located in York County. Formed in 1895, the town, like many others at the time, built up around a rail line. In 2010, the town’s population was 45. Remnants of small commercial district still stand today. The Smyrna Barber Shop is one of those reminders.
West of the small town of Starr on Rainey Road is the Strickland Grocery. According to the South Carolina Picture Project, the Strickland Grocery was initially a mercantile run by Stephen E. Strickland. Upon his death in 1894, the Strickland children took over the business and renamed it Strickland Grocery. The website doesn’t clarify if the name change happened in 1897, as the sign says, but I will assume that. The second date of 1947 must mean the Stricklands stopped running the store. According to Findagrave, the Strickland siblings lived until the 1920s and 30s, but one sibling, Henry Strickland, lived until 1950 to the age of 78.
However, according to newspaper articles, the store continued to be opened under that name until at least 1978. Sadly, the store is only mentioned in regards to robberies. In 1975, the store was part of a string of robberies. The thieves took $75 worth of cigarettes and candy and caused $100 in building damages. In 1978, another robber escaped with $412 worth of food, cigarettes, and soft drinks. This is the last mention of the store I can find in the store. I know locals could provide more details when the store was operating. If you live in the area and can provide more history, please let me know.
It looks like the current owners are trying to generate fresh traffic to the store by offering “Teslr” charging stations. I am sure they will be quite successful in their endeavor. At a minimum, it makes people like me stop and take photos.
An island in the Alabama River hosts a tribe of friendly goats and a movie set for the film Big Fish. Not far from Montgomery, the town of Sceptre, Alabama, is actually Jackson Lake Island. In 2003, Tim directed the movie where part of the storyline take place in a magical town known as Sceptre, where the grass is so lush you don’t need shoes.
The movie’s premise is that the father is known to tell tall tales, and on the day of his son’s birth, he lured the biggest fish with his wedding ring. This is just one of the tales he tells his son over the years. It stars Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Albert Finney, and other notable actors. The town of Sceptre stretches along Main Street with houses and commercial structures. Today, only a few of the houses remain. In 2023, one of the prop structures caught on fire after a lightning strike. A tornado in 2021 caused damage, too.
The island is privately owned by former Montgomery mayor and US Congressman Bobby Bright and his wife, retired judge Lynn Bright, and it has been in their family for years. The goats had roamed the island for years before Big Fish came to town. Unfortunately, the trip of goats was lost to coyotes. The Brights decided to bring the goats back to the island. They are very used to humans. (One tried to climb into my car while I was packing my camera gear.) Unfortunately, in 2020, two baby goats disappeared, and it was believed that someone smuggled them off the island.
I highly recommend taking a trip to the island. There is a charge per person. If you are there for the day, the goats and the walk down Main Street would make a good day. Bring lunch, and you might have goat visitors. You can boat and fish in Gun Island Chute, the water surrounding the island. There is also RV Parking for overnight stays. I highly recommend visiting in the winter. The leafless trees add to the Southern Gothic appeal that is part of Big Fish. Fall would be a great time, too, because beautiful trees surround the lake.
Scroll down to see the original movie trailer.
If you’ve never seen the movie, it can be streamed. For those who have seen it, here is the original trailer; you can see the trees and the town featured here.
The Jones Mercantile Company was founded by Robert Tyre Jones (golfer Bobby Jones’s grandfather). The store opened in 1879 and was expanded in 1914 and 1921. The store was so successful that more mercantiles were opened in north Georgia.
Thank you for joining me in my travels around the South. It’s been a great year of wandering backroads and a few main ones. If I learned anything, it is that people love abandoned houses, buildings with unexpected histories, and (in)famous graves.
