Side 1
William Lafayette Shelley (1868-1953), son of Mark Shelley and Mary Jane Ronie Shelley, was a progressive farmer and entrepreneur in the Tumbleton community of Henry County, Alabama. "Papa Billy", as he was known by family, impacted the religious, educational, political and banking fabric of the county. He built this store near his home in 1911 as a cannery for canning vegetables as well as peaches acquired from Georgia. His canned goods carried the Shelley label. The cannery later closed and became the Shelley General Store. The store became a gathering place where "Tall Tales" were exchanged.(Continued on other side)Side 2(Continued from other side)Men would sit around the pot bellied stove in winter shucking oysters and pitching hulls out the rear window. A blacksmith shop stood next to the store. Dewey Shelley, a son of Mr. Billy, became the store operator. The Shelley Store closed in 1932 and was used for storage when Mr. Billy built a new store nearby. From 1978-83, this building housed Jo's Antiques owned and operated by Jolaine Masters, a granddaughter of Mr. Billy. This building again was used for storage until 1994, when the William (Billy) Lafayette Shelley family donated the Shelley General Store to the Dothan Landmarks Foundation.
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