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Visit Historic Hartselle, Alabama

© Martine G. Bates

Ever wish you could step back in time--back to the time when the shops were downtown and you could park your car (or wagon) and walk up and down the streets? Unless someone comes up with a reliable time machine, that won't be possible. But it is possible to visit a place that feels like a journey to the past: Historic Hartselle, Alabama.

Just a few years ago, Hartselle was like most other small towns in the U.S., with its central business district dying out, all of the stores moving to the strip malls out on the highway. Gone were the corner drug stores with their lunch counters and milk shakes served from metal mixing cups, the wooden-floored 5 and 10 cent stores, and the aromatic feed stores. In their place were junk shops and warehouses. Storefronts were boarded up or dirty and bedraggled-looking. Only a few shops remained, and their future was bleak.

Today, Hartselle has undergone a transformation. The drug stores have not returned, and Wal-Mart has probably replaced the dime stores forever, but downtown Hartselle is thriving.

Thanks to some visionary leadership, the downtown area has become a mecca for antique lovers and serious shoppers. Over thirty stores have opened in the central business district, offering such items as imported Mexican pewter, art work by local artists and craftspersons, linens, soaps, candles, and all kinds of antiques, from glassware to large furniture items.

Hartselle is not just about shopping, though. The first thing the visitor traveling from I-65 sees is the gracious, historic homes lining the east end of Main Street. The business district begins with the railroad tracks and a beautifully landscaped gazebo next to the train depot. The old depot is open for tours during Chamber of Commerce business hours. Filled with Hartselle's history, it is worth a visit.

Sixty-nine of the buildings in the central business district, including the depot, have been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of their architectural and historic significance.

If the lunch counters have not returned, where will you eat? Hartselle's best-known and oldest downtown restaurant is Penn's Hamburgers. Penn's has been written up repeatedly by local, state, and national publications because of their unique (not to mention delicious) burgers. The stranger needs to know the rules at Penn's, though: Don't sit down and wait for someone to come to your table to get your order. You won't get any food that way. Instead, you walk up to the counter, place your order, and then sit down. They'll call you when your food is ready. Enjoy the meal, but don't wait for a ticket. No one will bring you one. When you get ready to leave, go to the cash register and tell the lady what you had to eat. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the cost.