Photo courtesy of Perrin & Son.
An aerial shot of the intersection of U.S. 280, on the right, and Alabama 119 shows the early view of the area surrounding Perrin & Son. Perrin & Son, established in the late 1950s, was once surrounded by forest and open land.
Recently we asked our Facebook followers to help identify an old photo of U.S. 280.
The photo had sat for years in the Perrin and Sons landscape building and was lent to 280 Living for a story on the Perrin family that we ran in January. But, the Perrins said they didn’t know when the black-and-white picture was taken and we asked internet sleuths to help narrow down the possible years.
In the picture, you can clearly see U.S. 280 and Hwy. 119, though the intersection itself is out of the frame.
You can see Perrin’s landscape in the picture and across the street. On Lyndon Drive, several of the houses that still stand today are visible. There is no post office. The most discernible feature of the picture is a cleared lot surrounded by trees and filled with cars.
Guesses by our followers ranged from the 1960s to 1980s. Some folks were able to add personal notes from their family’s past.
One commenter said, “I can see my aunt and uncle’s trailer on Lyndon Drive with the addition he built onto it. That places this photo in the early 80s.”
Another commenter said it was before Lloyd’s was built in 1978 and guessed it was 1975. Indeed, it looks like the picture was taken before Lloyd’s was built.
Vicki Murphy took the time to annotate the picture with identifications. The structure with the cars, she and other commenters said, was Johnny Davis Junkyard and Parts. Across from the Perrins was Crocker Service Station. And the white house at the bottom belonged to a “Mr. Hooks.”
By her estimate, the picture was taken between 1974 and 1977.
So, based on all of the knowledgeable feedback, it was likely taken before 1978 and it probably falls in the range Murphy guessed.
