Published: April 02, 2008 04:46 pm            

Yesterday in Newton: 1979 - The year in retrospect Part IV

NEWTON — This week’s column will end the retrospect of Newton in 1979. Just for thought, a list of business has been made up from advertisements published in the Newton Record in 1979.

This list of businesses certainly doesn’t include every business and no business has been left out intentionally.

Feldmans, Brass Knob, Alan’s Hall, 9 Fashion (all clothing stores) La-Z Boy South Inc., Trotter’s TV Service, Mississippi Power Co., (local office) Pizza Inn,OTASCO, Newton Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Clear Vision Television, Horton Plumbing Service, Gibbons and Thompson Refrigeration Services, McMullen Insurance and Real Estate Inc., Bounds Garage, Newton Auto Repair, Bailey’s Transmissoin Service, Walters Car Sales, Newton Co. Gin, United Gas (local office), Ecso Corporation, Tri-J-yard and Garden Center (owners Judy Wade and Joel and John Mayfield), Beverly Hill Truck Shop and Restaurant, Myers Processing Plant, McClendon Dairy Products (Ford’s Ice Cream and McClendon Cheese Co.) McBeth Drug Store, William’s Drug Store, Upton’s Drug Store, Chevrolet Dealership, A & P Grocery, Newton Employment Co., Newton County Bank, First National Bank (Region’s Bank today), White’s Hardware and Gifts, Sonic, C & A Furniture (burned Aug. 1979), State Farm Insurance, The Arcade (pool - games), Murphey Flower Garden, Garvin’s Big Star Grocery, Sears Catalog Sales Merchant, Newton Fred’s Service, United Credit, Southern Fashion, Jimmy Smith Chevron (fuel service station), Rainbow Cafe, Win-way, Hadin’s Jewelers, Pat’s Beauty Salon, Kenny’s TV Service, IGA Discount Grocery Store, White’s Home and Auto, Artistic Floral and Gift Mart, Newton Auto Supply, Wesson’s Grocery, Weir Butane, T.W.L. (this was what we called ten cent stores, they carried a big variety of items, as well as fabrics), Western Auto.

Some other things Newton was fortunate to have: The Newton Hospital located on south Main Street was fully operational with both medical and surgical services. Surgery was performed by local full time physicians.

Physicians practising in Newton with full staff privileges were Dr.’s Omar Simmons, Duff D. Austin, B. R. Shows, C. N. Crenshaw Jr. Dr. Austin P. Boggan lived in Decatur and had his clinic there. He had full staff privileges admitteed patients to the local hospital.

There were two dentists in town. Dr.’s H. H. Hendman and R. J. Reynolds.

Dr. H. L. May as the optometrist.

Clarke College, a Southern Baptist Junior College was still open. This college was first opened in the fall of 1908. It was a Baptist College although it didn’t become a Southern Baptist College until later years.

        

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