Town Creek in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

O.C. Stanley Grocery and Service Station

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2022

1. O.C. Stanley Grocery and Service Station Marker

Inscription. Built on this site in 1921, the store was a vital enterprise and local gathering place for African American residents of Town Creek and the surrounding rural communities. The Rev. O. C. Stanley owned and operated the business for more than six decades, expanding it from a simple grocery store and service station to include dry-cleaning and taxi services. When he first opened the store, eggs sold for 10¢ per dozen, meat for 10¢ a pound, and twenty-five pounds of flour for 50¢. After the original building burned, Stanley constructed a separate building to house his dry-cleaning service, renamed City Cleaners.

Born May 4, 1904, O. C. Stanley served as a minister for three area Baptist churches. In 1937, he built and served as the original pastor of First Baptist Church of Leighton, the town's first black Baptist church. He married Elsie King Stanley of Leighton. The couple had ten children. A farmer, freemason, member of the Order of the Eastern Star, trustee of the North Alabama Baptist Academy, and a charter member of the Valleywide Improvement Assoc. of Courtland, Stanley died on August 1, 1987.

Erected 2017 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans

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• Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.

Location. 34° 40.889′ N, 87° 24.855′ W. Marker is in Town Creek, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It is at the intersection of State Highway 20 (Alternate U.S. 72) and Bradley Street, on the right when traveling west on State Highway 20. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2089 State Hwy 20, Town Creek AL 35672, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Battle of Town Creek (approx. 2.8 miles away); Saunders~ Hall~ Goode Mansion (approx. 3 miles away); The Shaw Home (approx. 4½ miles away); Courtland Army Air Field (CAAF): Facilities/Deactivation (approx. 4.6 miles away); Courtland Army Air Field / Courtland Army Air Field (approx. 4.6 miles away); William Leigh (approx. 5.8 miles away); Harris-Simpson Home (approx. 5.8 miles away); A Cotton Kingdom (approx. 5.9 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2022

2. O.C. Stanley Grocery and Service Station Marker

Photographed by Tom Bosse, August 26, 2022

3. O.C. Stanley Grocery and Service Station Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 858 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 15, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on September 3, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.