Brundidge

This next place is somewhere that I have driven through quite a number of times: Brundidge, Alabama. I was actually in it earlier today! It is a town that, with the amount of times I have been through it I did not know much about it.

The town was founded a little before the Civil War by a man named George C. Collier. Which gave the town the name “Collier’s Store.” In 1854, the town was renamed to Brundidge after a well-known citizen by the name of James M. Brundidge. He founded the local Masonic lodge.

After the Civil War, the town became an agricultural town. In 1889, a depot for the Alabama Midland Railway was placed in the town. Passenger trains also passed through the town back in the day.

In 1900, the Brundidge Banking Company opened and the First National Bank followed in 1904.

The town has also had three different newspapers. But all are no longer running. They were the Brundidge News in 1893, the Brundidge Sentinel in 1926 and the Brundidge Banner in 1962.

In the 1920s, a citizen of Brundidge by the name of Alonza E. Johnston opened a peanut butter mill that he called Johnston Oil Company. The company was then, not long after, selling more than two million jars of peanut butter a year. They also sold velvet bread and mayo. Johnston also had warehouses, gins and an ice plant. They are now no longer running. But the Johnston Mill and the General Store have been turned into a museum!

The well-known civil rights activist John Lewis went to the Brundidge schools growing up.

The city itself is the second largest city in Pike County, Alabama. With a population of a little over 2,000 in the 2010 census.

In the downtown area, there are a high number of antique shops. Giving the town the nickname of the Antique City.

Since the city used to be a major producer of peanut butter, every October, on the last Saturday, Brundidge hosts the Peanut Butter Festival. There is usually a live band, a recipe contest, and a parade. I have never been but I will definitely try to go this year!

It is a neat town that truly has a lot of character! I have been through it a number of times and I will most definitely go many more times.