Recollections:Legends of Yesterday - E.D. Patterson

This is a reprint of original articles by Hugh Woolley, a longtime resident and community leader of Graceville. Woolley published these articles in The Graceville News more than 20 years ago.

Originally published in the January 2, 2003 edition of The Graceville News.

Well, 2003 is about upon us and so is the final deadline for the County Heritage Book. If you haven’t started to write your family or favorite legend story chances are you will miss out on this free offer. We have enough stories already to make a good book but a few more stories will make a better one.

I look for the committee to set the final deadline around March the 31st so there is a little time left but it will go quickly. Here is a sample story about a well known businessman from Graceville. This was written by Jeanette Clark, his daughter, who lives in Panama City. Jeanette had a stroke recently but is making progress. She would appreciate prayers from any Christian person. Thanks, Jeanette for getting the story out about your colorful father.

Ezra Dalton Patterson

Ezra Dalton Patterson, a humane gentleman and businessman, figured very prominently in the history of Graceville, Florida, as well as Jackson and Holmes counties. He worked tirelessly on behalf of Graceville and made numerous contributions to that community and the surrounding area, but he would quickly tell anyone that the citizens meant a great deal to his success.

The oldest son of Alan Jacob and Martha Waters Patterson, E. D., and his six siblings were raised on a farm between Brundidge and Troy, AL. Two of his brothers, Howard Patterson of Dothan, AL, and Fred Patterson of Opp, AL, and later Dothan, were both traveling salesmen. Howard was the leading salesman for Belnap Hardware Wholesale Co., and Fred was a salesman for More- Handley Hardware Co.

On September 8, 1908, Mr. Patterson left the farm and came to Graceville to work for his uncle, Furnie Waters, and his partner, Mr. Davis (Mary V. Tindel’s father), who owned a hardware store located next door to Cash Drug Store. In January 1910, Mr. Davis bought Mr. Waters out and then sold Mr. Patterson half interest in the business. In 1912 they moved the store, just 25 feet wide, to a location next door to Service Drug Store, where it remained until it finally closed in 1975 after being an important part of Graceville for 66 years.

In 1915 Mr. Davis offered to sell the store to Mr. Patterson, thereby making him the sole owner. His son, E. D. Patterson, Jr. (Junie), managed the store after Mr. Pat, as he was fondly known, retired. Jack Ashmore, a good friend of Mr. Pat’s, once said, “You know, there is only one business still here that was here when I came to Graceville: Patterson Hardware Company. No other business has survived for all these years, and that is a tribute to the man who educated himself to make himself a successful merchant and businessman.”

In its later years, Patterson Hardware’s logo was “Jackson County’s Oldest, Largest and Best.” Mr. Pat always gave his customers credit for his success and loved to say that he had four generations of friends as customers. According to him, “Your friends need to trade with you because your enemies won’t.”

Because he trusted employees, he did not devote himself exclusively to the store. For example, Mr. Pat enjoyed trading mules through another of his business interests, the Patterson Livestock Company, which provided an important service to the area before the advent of tractors.

Furthermore, since 1916 Mr. Pat involved himself in some kind of farming and ended up owning Woodland Acres (now owned by his grandsons): Sunnybrook, a farm south of town; and 40 acres of Happy Bottom Hill. He was also part owner of two gins in Graceville.

One of his most satisfying accomplishments was persuading the governor that Highway 2, popularly know as the Hog and Hominy, needed to be paved, thus opening up an area to trade in Graceville and improving the lives of people in Holmes County. He was also responsible for paving another highway. He always had friends in power but used his influence for the community, not for himself. Sen. Claude Pepper was a special friend of his, as was Gov. Fred Cone and Millard Caldwell, who helped with the aforementioned highways for Graceville. Moreover, Mr. Pat was very instrumental in securing the West Florida Electric Cooperative for Graceville by personally hiring a bus, loading it up with would-be voters, and literally taking the cooperative away from Marianna, where a meeting on the issue was being held. He also served for many years on the Merit System Council with some of the leading citizens of the state.

In 1937 he became the first district supervisor for soil conservation, a post he held for over 25 years, longer than any other district supervisor in the nation. Other community involvement included serving on the Selective Service Board during World War II, raising money for the Pensacola Children’s Home, and serving one term on the Jackson County School Board for the sole purpose of establishing a requirement for teachers to have a college education.

Even after Mr. Pat retired, he still came down to the office to see old friends, including Mrs. Bertha Seals, his faithful bookkeeper for many years, and to offer advice to Junie and to his son-in-law Charles Watford, who worked at Patterson Hardware for 18 years, handling the contracting part of the business.

Mr. Pat often said his interest in the school system took the form of Miss Corinne Finley, a pretty school teacher who he met and married in 1913. Through the years, he attributed his success to her support of him, especially her role as his wife and mother to his children while he earned his living.

Mr. and Mrs. Pat had five children: Martha Senna of Tuscaloosa, AL; Kathryn McRae of Graceville; E.D. Patterson, Jr., of Graceville; Margaret Walker Goss of Jacksonville and Panama City Beach, FL; and Jeanette Watford Clark of Graceville and Panama City Beach.

Mr. Pat liked to tell his children about the many changes that took place in Graceville during the 66 years he lived there. When he first arrived, there were hogs, cattle, sheep, chickens and geese right in the middle of town. The city had neither sewage nor water. In fact, not until 1926 did Graceville dig its own well and erect a water tower. Most families had wells in their yards and a large flowing well occupied the spot where the elementary school is now. Mr. Burns, who later became mayor, delivered and sold water. Although Mr. Pat did not recall when Gulf Power Co. came to town, he did remember that the company charged according to the number of outlets in the homes.

In retirement, Mr. Pat was seldom seen without one of his grandchildren who lived in Graceville or came to visit from Tuscaloosa or Jacksonville. He bought ponies for them to ride and let them pick cotton on his farm south of town. Each summer he planted a big strawberry patch so his babies could go to the farm, pick strawberries, and deliver them to family and friends. He also enjoyed sitting under the monkey tree with friends from all walks of life.

After his beloved Corinne died in 1964, he began to go blind, a handicap that eventually incapacitated him. He also had to have a leg amputated above the knee because of poor circulation. His inability to get around was a cruel irony of fate for such an active man. For his last five years, he lived in Wesley Manor, where his trusted housekeeper Connie Wheeler, whom all the family loved and appreciated, looked after him. He died in 1974 at age 90, having lived a most successful and fulfilling life.

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