The Southern United States have consisted of, largely, rural communities for the greater part of American History. In the early 20th Century (from 1900-1960) the most common professions included farmers and merchants. Popular small businesses included drug stores, merchandise stores and gas stations. The agricultural landscape was limitless, with farmers producing everything from watermelons to corn. However, the largest production was tobacco and cotton. Oftentimes, families did it all-- harvesting crops such as cotton in the fall, watermelons and tobacco in the summer, all while running a family business such as a store or gas station year round. A common sentiment was “never put all your eggs in one basket.”
Madison County was the epitome of the rural south, with farms stretching from Greenville to Cherry Lake and Lee and all the places inbetween. In every town, you could walk into a drug store or general store and find any item one could possibly need, as well as pull up a chair, drink an ice-cold “Co-Cola” and hear the latest news and town gossip. Most importantly, in historic Madison County, you could find honest, hard-working businessmen, women and farmers who prided themselves in their work and laid the foundation for the amazing place Madison County would one day become.
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1. Photo Courtesy State Archives Florida. The Anderson family is shown stringing tobacco prior to curing it in the barn c. 1959. Pictured in the background is John K. Anderson, Sr. The children, John K. Anderson, Jr. and Brenda Marion Anderson are helping string the tobacco crop at the Littleton farm.
2. Photos Courtesy State Archives Florida. The interior of T.J Beggs & Co. General Store in Madison c. 1900.
3. Photo Courtesy State Archives. Florida James Cobb (left) and Bennie Tindall (right) are plowing a field of corn on the Jesse Thigpen farm north of Greenville c. 1930's.
4. Photo Courtesy State Archives Florida Jack, Eloise and Sissy Wade stand in frontof the Pure Oil service station in Madison c. 1947.