It is becoming apparent that Roscoe lived and died with the bankhead Highway -- once the Bankhead was realigned to bypass the town, downtown crashed. Many automotive-related businesses went with them.
Hamner Auto Supply is one realignment victim.
From the local paper, the Roscoe Hard Times: (
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'Pickin's - Wednesday, December 22, 2010
This week’s Pickin’s column is not something to read but a list to ponder, one from the May 11, 1956, issue of the Roscoe Times. The following merchants were members of the Roscoe Trades Day Association from whom you could get the yellow tickets used at the Friday drawings:
Snead Drug
E. T. Henson Blacksmith Shop
Pat Vines Service Station
W. C. Cleckler, M-M Dealer
Oliver Young, Butane Dealer
Hartgraves Brothers
Haney’s Rexall Drug
City Tailor Shop
Hodges Barber & Beauty Shops
Fred Hawkins Service Station
Hamner Auto Supply
Kerby Smith Service Station
W. W. Shields Grocery
Jesse Faust Garage
Edd Dodds Grocery
Medlock Furniture & Appliance
Roscoe Recreation Club
Morgan Grocery
David Smith Service Station
Virgil Mahon Service Station
Roscoe State Bank
Roy Pearce Texaco Station
Higginbotham-Bartlett Lumber Co.
Farmers Sales & Service
Farmers Co-operative Gin & Elevator
Acme Gin Association
Lon Ward Grocery
Mrs. Bill Nations Beauty Shop
Farmer Barber & Beauty Shops
Pollard Chevrolet Co.
The Roscoe Times
The Ladies Shoppe
Denson Dry Goods
Singleton Hardware
Burton-Lingo Lumber Co.
Garrett Grocery
Sid Wells Funeral Home
Hugo Zetzman Service Station
Shelansky Dry Goods
The Coffee Bar
Mrs. Clausell’s Laundry
Roscoe Grain Co.
The Dairy Fluff
Fred Clayton Service Station
Note that even though the list does not include all the businesses operating in town at that time—examples include Erwin’s Steak House, the Firestone store, and Arant’s Variety Store--it does list 8 service stations and 5 grocery stores (not counting the two little groceries across the street from the school on 7th and Elm and 8th and Elm)."