Pirkle & Son Grocery, Dawson County, GA

Old sign, photographer facing SW

I've always been a sucker for old stores. Whether it be grocery, general, or hardware stores, these were lifelines to their surrounding areas, during a time before the mega-grocery stores. Of course, the low low prices that the larger chain stores were able to charge became the death of most independent stores. This one was probably a casualty of the market forces.

Closed before I moved into Dawson County, this store was located on the eastern side of the intersection of Nix Bridge Road, and Harmony Church Road in eastern Dawson County. Nix Bridge Road is a conduit to several neighborhoods that have lakefront access to Lake Sidney Lanier.

The building had been used for a clubhouse for a chapter of The Wingmen Motorcycle Club, whose website states that they "promote motorcycle touring and brotherhood". Started by military veterans, but not limited to, they are a "fraternal brotherhood of men of high character committed to common goals, and supporting one another through good times as well as bad". I posted all of that because I often wondered what kind of group was meeting there, and I figured others were curious as well.

Photographer facing north.

Time marches on, and the property was purchased by a group that ended up building a Dollar General Store. The construction of the new store required the complete removal of the old store. However, before the construction got rolling too heavy, I saw a couple of men taking down the old sign. Hopefully it is being saved as a memento of what used to stand on this site.

Like all of my posts, I encourage anyone that has stories about this place, or historical information to add, it would be greatly appreciated.

Photographer facing SW

Photographer facing NW

Photographer facing east.

View as seen currently, photographer facing east.