City of Brundidge and the Bass House / Brundidge's Peanut Butter Heritage

City of Brundidge and the Bass House, also, Brundidge's Peanut Butter Heritage. . , Side 1 , City of Brundidge and the Bass House, Brundidge was founded in 1851 and incorporated in 1890. Brundidge City Hall has been located in the former Bass House on South Main Street in downtown Brundidge since November 1992. The entire house was restored to become one of the most beautiful structures in the county. The Bass Home was built for Fletcher C. Bass (1864-1935) in 1906 by a master carpenter, Ben Andrews. The Bass family, who lived the typical life of a well-to-do Southern family, became a staple in the Brundidge and Pike County area. They were well respected for their culture and business acumen., Side 2 , Brundidge's Peanut Butter Heritage, Brundidge takes pride in the role it played in pioneering the peanut butter industry in the Southeast. In 1928, Brundidge native, J.D. Johnston realized that peanut butter was gaining popularity as an inexpensive source of protein, so he set up a crude machine in the upstairs of a wood frame building off Main Street and started one of the first commercial peanut butter mills in the Southeast. Soon, the Johnston Peanut Butter Mill was shipping out more than two million jars of the popular foodstuff each year. The peanut butter mill helped sustain the town during the Great Depression by providing jobs and a steady supply of inexpensive protein. The late 1940s began the decline of small peanut butter mills as big processing companies proved to be too much competition. Brundidge celebrates its role in the peanut butter industry with the annual Peanut Butter Festival the last Saturday in October.