LOOKING BACK Goreville History
By Dixie Terry
After the C&EI Railroad was completed, business moved from “Old Town” to what is now Broadway Street, but which is more often called “Main Street” and is now State Route 37.
Hudgens and Bradley built a new building and moved their general merchandise to the corner where the Union Planters Bank now stands (which is now the Goreville Village Hall). This was “New Goreville’s” first new business. That building was razed in the 1970s, when the Gorevillke State Bank was expanded.
The second business was built by Elbert Thulen, also a general merchandise store, that was erected just across the street and north of Hudgens and Bradley.
A hotel, built by Ed Hicks, was Goreville’s third new business, and stood where the Goreville Ministerial Alliance Thrift Shop now stands. A second hotel was built by Frank Hughes on the south side of the main street, Broadway. Another hotel was built by David Issac, on a hill across from the railroad, in 1901, which was still standing until sometime in the 1980s.
The first barber shop was built by Bob Darter on the corner where Walker Home Supply stood for many years.
Said Mr. Hubbard, in his book, “Mr. Darter was a crack shot with a rifle. I have seen him shoot an apple off a man’s head with the rifle turned upide down!” Mr. Hubbard added, “He didn’t shoot it off my head!”
Frank Hubbard and Lee Davis built a livery stable, the town’s first, on the corner of East Main Street and Hubbard Avenue.
Harry Pritchett, another Goreville native, who has been around some time, shared about those first livery stables. Salesmen, or drummers, as they were called back then, would come to Goreville by train and would hire a two-wheel buggy and horse, in order to travel around the country, selling groceries to small grocery stores scattered around the countryside.
Harry remembered another outstanding salesman in town, a blind man named Henry Cato. He sold loaves of unsliced bread that were shipped in cartons by train to Goreville. These he sold for ten cents and could make change by feeling the coins with his fingertips.
Another livery stable was built by Riley Malear on the corner of East Collins Street and Hubbard Avenue. Marion Walker also built a livery stable, but its location was not pin-pointed in Hubbard’s book.
A list of businesses in those early days, besides the ones already mentioned, include: General Merchandise–G.J. Nation, J.C. Threet, Carol Craig, C.R.Calhoun, E. Thulen, Proctor and Grisham, J.U.S. Terry, Restaurants were being run by James Kinmundy and Robert Wilmouth. Mike Fitteinger ran a tin shop, and two blacksmith shops, owned by Thomas Lingle and Sam Clark, were kept busy. Enoch Perry ran a furniture store and coffin enterprise. J.J. Reed opened a jewelry store.
Even a newspaper, The Goreville Record, with its editor, Julin Bramble. opened for business, which apparently was booming at that time.
(The above information came from a book written by Bill Hubbard, in the 1960s, and is included in the book, “Remembering When,” compiled by Dixie Terry, following Goreville’s Centennial Celebration in 2000. That book is now available at “Countree Peddler Antiques and Collectibles,” in Gorevillle.)