I ran into a local gentleman while photographing in Mershon and he said that sixty years ago this was a busy place, where turpentine workers who lived nearby ran accounts. He also said his father remembered working on Model-T Fords in the garage at the rear of the store.
Having the last name Mershon and knowing all people with that spelling are related, I’d been curious ever since I saw it on a map years ago. Finally drove through there last year and stopped at the only surviving business, Mershon AgPro Tractor. Very nice gentleman, the owner/manager, told me what he knew and even called his sister to introduce me. Nobody knew why it was named “Mershon” anyone here know?
This store was owned by my grandmother’s first cousin. My mother says there were two stores there that were catty corner from each other (the other one was owned by a cousin on my great grandfather’s side, Peacock’s was on my great grandmother’s side) and she went to Peacock’s more often because she could get there from home as a child without walking across the highway. What she remembers best is the Coke machine there, which was the kind where you pull out the bottle after depositing your money. There was nowhere else to shop in Mershon but those two stores.
Thank you so much for sharing!
It must be great to hear from people that remember the old places you photograph! Good you ran into the man with stories about Mershon.
It’s always fun to meet people who are glad I’m doing what I’m doing. Sometimes, their memories aren’t always completely accurate, but that adds to the fun. It gives me a starting point when I’m doing research.