From Our Files: Graceville Historical Society Holds Initial Meeting

In the September 7, 2000 edition of The Graceville News, a special on the beginning of the Graceville Historical Society entitled, “Initial Historical Society meeting held” was published, This is an excerpt from that article:

Several Graceville residents gathered at Graceville City Hall on Thursday, August 31 in hopes of starting a historical society in Graceville.

Carolyn Wicksell led the initial meeting. The group will offer membership forms which will include questions such as: name, age, where you were born, and how long have you lived here? The society also welcome stories about people, businesses and buildings as well as photographs and memorabilia.

The group was undecided if they will operate independently, incorporate with another society, operate as a trust or Charter as an individual society. They will travel to Marianna on Monday September 18th to Historical Society meeting.

Several individuals attending the meeting offered stories about Graceville. Many of these were from childhood memories and included: the city had three motels and two movie theaters at one time, a Coca-Cola Bottling plant near Cotton Street, which is now a "boathouse", a basket ball gym that was hand built (no cranes or scaffolding was used) a second Gym built on Alabama Street which is used by the Graceville Elementary School, a pickling vat used by W.W. Pickling owned by G.D. Bragens from Montgomery, who stored cucumbers in the vats and would later load them by wheelbarrows onto train cars and ship them. Also a sawmill which paid employees every day with boo-ga-loos, a type of coin that was only accepted at certain businesses in Graceville, Rex Lumber and Liddon White accepted these coins, and a time when farming was the main industry and it supported several businesses in the city.

The group also schedule the next meeting for Thursday September 28th at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall and invites everyone to attend.