DIXIE STORE

by Alleyne Cave and Margaret Jones

Dixie was started in 1897. It consisted of the store building and the home of Mr. Walter Sappington, owner of the store. The merchandise had been in a store at Caldwell, Missouri, about three and a half miles to the northwest. There was also a pottery at Caldwell. In the spring of 1902, Mr. Walter Sappington sold the store and his residence to John C. Cave and Shannon Cave. In 1904, Mr. Sappington bought the store and residence from the Caves and continued to run it until 1910 when it was sold to Mr. John Woody and son Marvin. They ran it until about 1923 or 1924. Quincy Schreen was the next owner and he sold to his brother Fred. After a few years it was sold to Quincy Schreen and his uncle, Clinton Sparks, in 1927.

The truck business was founded by Sparks and a nephew, Quincy Schreen, in 1927 when the interest in the store was obtained. The truck line, used principally to transport livestock to St. Louis, was started with one vehicle, a Model-T Ford truck. The first run in 1927 began at 6 p.m. one day and ended late the next morning in St. Louis, with nine sows shipped on that first trip. As was the case with most Model-T owners, Sparks once suffered a broken arm while trying to crank the vehicle. The truck line in later years consisted of a pickup truck and two straight trucks, used for hauling livestock to St. Louis and to deliver feed and farm supplies to area farmers.

The interest of Quincy Schreen was purchased by Sparks in 1932, and S.C. Sparks and his wife Rosie operated both businesses alone until their retirement in 1957. S.C. recalled that one of the biggest changes that had taken place in the country store operation was the addition of bottled milk to the stock. "People would have thought we were crazy to have handled bottled milk thirty years ago." Everyone had a cow in those days. The store at one time also handled a large volume of dry goods business, but that went out as the innovations came in. The store has never handled fresh meat, but has carried a stock of canned goods and staples. Its main business was selling livestock feed and supplying gasoline to area residents.

At this time S. C. was well-known throughout the county as a soil conservation advocate. He was the first man in the Dixie Community to build terraces on his farm; he built 12 miles of terraces with a tractor and an old motor grader. The farm was chiefly in pasture-with cattle and sheep the main projects. He worked closely with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and served many years on the township ASC committee. He also had served about 26 years on the Victor School board and was president of the board for more than 18 years. Before his death on January 14, 1977, he was very active as a church worker and had been on the board of the Dixie Christian Church for about 35 years and had been an elder for the last 15 years of his life.

After S. C.'s retirement in 1957, his son-in-law Dorris Jones took over the store and trucking business. The store remained open until 1962 at which time it was closed. The trucking business was not sold until September 1967.

Dixie

Source Unknown

In the south-central portion of the county, in Caldwell township, the settlement of Dixie came into being in the late 1800's. Located 5 miles east of New Bloomfield, the area was first called Caldwell. Named for N.G. Caldwell, who erected the first business - a general store - in the area, settlement of Caldwell came into existence around 1870. The general store, although built by Mr. Caldwell, was operated by John Ferguson.

The post office, in operation ftom 1892-1905, was most likely housed at the general store and the first postmaster was N.G. Caldwell. In 1884, the population reached 60 and the following businesses were available: general store/flour mill- N.G. & J.B. Caldwell; blacksmith - J.W. Love; coal miners - Charles Ellis & H.W. Hobbs; schoolteachers - S.P. Beaven and P.H. Howe.

By 1890, a second store was built a mile or so south of Caldwell and became known as Dixie Store. Where the name came ftom is an unknown mystery. The following were storekeepers during Dixie Store's duration: Walter Sappington (1897-1902); John C. & Shannon Cave (1902-04); Walter Sappington (1904-10); John Woody (1910-23): Quincy Schreen (1923-32); Fred Schreen (1925-27); Quincy Schreen & S. Clinton Sparks (1927-32); S.Clinton Sparks (1932-57); Dorris Jones (1957-62).

In 1927, Quincy Schreen opened a trucking business in the small town of Dixie. The truckline, used to transport livestock to St. Louis, was started with one Model T Ford truck. Nine hogs were the first livestock reportedly shipped out in that Model T truck. Mr. Schreen sold his interest in the store and the trucking company to S. Clinton Sparks in 1932.

Mr. Sparks became a very influential businessman in town, operating the store and trucking enterprise until his retirement in 1957. Upon his retirement, Mr. Sparks sold both businesses to his son-in-law, Dorris Jones, who continued operating both business ventures. The Dixie store closed in 1962 and the trucking company stayed in business until 1967. Christian Church was organized in the area in the late 1800's and served the communities of Dixie, Caldwell and Pitcher. Today, regular church services are conducted and the present pastor is Dr. Parker Rossman.

Victor School served the community'S educational needs for a number of years before it consolidated with the New Bloomfield school system in the late 1950's. When the Dixie store and trucking company were built it acquired many of Caldwell's patrons, thus making that small settlement obsolete. Later, Caldwell became a memory to those who remembered it and the regional community became known as Dixie.

Ancestral Names in the Area:
Ackison, Allen, Baldwin, Barrow, Benson, Bills, Brandis, Burkhead, Bush, Caldwell, Cave, Cheatman, Cleveland, Creswell, Ebersol, Elley, Elliott, Erwin, Farnsworth, Ferguson, Fishburn, Foster, Gathright, Gilda, Gillin, Grimm, Harris, Herring, Holt, Jones, Kelly, Kemper, Kester, Knight, Langley, Latty, Letcher, McDonal, McGuhe, Newsome/Newsom, Nichols, Padgett, Powell, Sanders, Sanford, Sappington, Schreen, Smart, Sparks, Wagers, Whitlaw, Whittington, Woody.