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The People Who Lived on the Land that is Now Redstone Arsenal, page 243
Pearl Gives Directions to Places in the Community Starting from Farley. Pearl gave directions to her father's home from what is now South Memorial Parkway. At Farley, turn west on what is shown on the Army Real Estate Map as the Whitesburg-Triana Road. Old county maps show this road as having the name the Farley-Triana Road, and that is the name remembered by the people. Pearl said from the Farley-Triana Road Timmons Lane drops to the southwest where it joins with the road to the river (shown as Green Grove Road). None of the people who lived in this area remembered the road having that name. They simply referred to it as “the road down to the river.” Pearl added, “If you were coming from my house, you went up the road (north) and the store was at the “Y” in the road. Today, one can follow Pearl's directions to her home. Coming in from Farley on Buxton Road, the location of Horton School is on the left (Parcel F- 265). The old roadbed is visible on the south side of Buxton Road. Continuing further, to where McAlpine Road intersects with Buxton, the community store was on the north side of Buxton at the intersection. The School. Continuing the description of her route walking home, Pearl said in going to her home from Farley, she would pass the Horton School, which was named after her grandfather who gave the land for it in the year she was born (1919). The Store. Pearl said the people in Pond Beat had their own store and filling station. She said, “Coming in from Farley, after you passed Horton School, you would come to the store.” The store always had the main food supplies, such as flour and sugar. Pearl said that Charles Woodward owned the store and then sold it to his brother Lee Woodward. The Woodwards were White people. The store, located on Parcel C-174, was owned by A.C. Turner. Pearl remembers the storeowners from when she was a girl, when “the Woodwards owned the store.” The ownership of property was usually associated with the man of the family. In a later interview with Edith Woodward Price, she said that the store had been owned by her mother, Ruby Eslick (see Edith Woodward interview). A description of the store and house on that property is found in the interview of Alton Gene Neal. Neal was raised by his grandfather, A.C. Turner, the last owner of the store. The Gas Station. Pearl commented that even though the community store had a filling station [the gas pumps were at the store.], her father didn't use it. Pearl said that Yancy Horton and Frank Jacobs “had a gas station” [pumps] where they would fill up their tractors. What they had was a tank of gas. “ Later on,” Pearl said, the Hortons got a refrigerator that ran on gasoline. Where Pearl Grew Up. Going straight down McAlpine Road, the property where Pearl grew up is on the east side of the road, shown as F-264, the large piece listed as owned by Yancy Horton Sr. The description of the Yancy Horton, Sr. home is presented below. 243 - (4276)