A few of you might remember a post from back in November, in which I recounted hearing a fellow on the radio talking about a former farm site out in Trussville, that had belonged to someone connected to the Britling's Cafeteria family, and that someone had the idea back in the mid-30s to turn the place into a rest home for old movie actors.
I had asked if anyone had heard of such a thing, but nothing ever came of it, until this weekend, when a gentleman named Tom Wright stopped by and left this comment:
I spent my summers between 1934 and 1954 on the Holcomb farm east of Trussville. It belonged to the wife of John H. Holcomb, owner of the Britling Cafeterias in Birmingham. It had a dam and a lake and was an operating farm up until it was sold sometime in the 1960s.
FINALLY! Someone who knows something! I thanked Tom in the comments, and contacted him for a bit more information, such as the location of the property, and particularly that part about it being a movie actor retirement home. Here's what Tom had to say:Terry:
Coming east from Trussville, there is a road which turns right off US 11 just east of the old admin building (later a roadhouse called "Fred and Gene's). I believe this road now is called "Peggy Lane". This is the old farm road that led into the property.
The developer who built the dam planned a roadway across the top. The roadway was never completed because the Depression came along and the developer went bankrupt. The partially completed dam remained and produced a nice sized lake. My grandfather, who owned the Britling Cafeterias in Birmingham, used a modest inheritance his wife had received to buy the property south of US 11. Hence, she was the actual owner. After WWII, it was sold to the cafeteria chain. During the period from about 1931 into the 1970s, it was a working farm, raising oats, cattle, and hogs. BTW, on the maps, this lake is now named "Holcomb Lake". It is on the Little Cahaba Creek drainage.
I had never heard the story about the retired movie stars and I certainly would have. The road across the dam was graded up to the top of the ridge just south of the lake. For years there were traces of surveyor's stakes up there where I was told a "casino" was to be built. In the 80 years since then, all that has grown up in trees, but the graded contours of the road can still be traced.
Anyway, if the link works right, the lake is in the bottom of this aerial from Terraserver.
Sounds like it's time to do some exploring.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at January 17, 2006 04:22 PMLove your writing and your blog... glad you got the mystry cleared up, or is it. I think perhaps there was a big secrete to be kept concerning the retired actors. So they got no publicity. I worked for L. Lynn as mgr of her Coal Miners Music back in early seventies... she bought a 500 acre villa in Mexico, so she could go there and hide out and rest. She went down there two weeks after buying it and saw that all the villagers were leaving and when she ask why they told her that some rich American had bought their homes and they had to vacate. She told them to stay and she would give them free rent and they could work the land anyway they wanted to and so they moved back in. Six months later she got a letter from tht Mexican Gov'ment that said they had repoed her property and that she was not allowed to own property in Mexico just for a vacation place. Thats all I know about properties for retired show people. FYI
Posted by: osray at January 18, 2006 12:01 AMThank you, Osray--I appreciate the kind words. As for the Mexican government's handiwork, well, there's a reason that illegal immigration has been a problem for decades. Did Ms. Lynn ever find a place to have some peace and quiet?
Very strange. I was just wondering the other night if this mystery had ever been solved.
I've looked on Google Earth, the mapping software all those cool kids are using these days, and unfortunately this area is just outside of the highest resolution part of Birmingham. It gets pretty indistinct when you get down inside 10,000 feet altitude, so not too much help.
The other hindrance is that I'm a southwest county guy, and don't know a lot about this area. Some of the lakes and ponds are labeled, but I see neither name listed in this post.
Posted by: Kenny at January 18, 2006 09:48 AMIt's all in how you look at it, Kenny....;)
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at January 18, 2006 10:45 AM