Not every roadside stop has to be a giant sign or an old diner. Sometimes it's just something that makes you pull over, like this polished Vintage Airstream Trailer sitting quietly along an Arkansas roadside. The night lighting bouncing off the aluminum skin gives it a look that's hard to pass by. It's easy to imagine the owners settling in for the evening after a long day on the road.
Airstream trailers have been part of the American highway scene since the early 1930s, becoming one of the most recognizable travel trailers ever built. Their rounded aluminum bodies haven't changed much over the years, and that's part of what makes them feel right at home parked beside an old highway.
Whether it was headed for a campground or simply stopped for the night, this Airstream is a reminder that the journey itself can be just as interesting as the destination. Sometimes the best roadside attractions aren't attractions at all.
UPDATE: The exact location and current whereabouts of this Airstream are unknown, but the photo still captures a classic piece of American road-trip culture. 07-26
Hampton's General Store (Closed)
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
There aren't many places with a name like Skullbone, so it's almost impossible to drive by without stopping. Sitting at the little crossroads is Hampton's General Store, a place that looked like it had been welcoming travelers for generations. The hand-painted signs, weathered front porch, and collection of odd little touches around the building made it feel less like a business and more like the center of the community. 06-06
The story behind the name is just as memorable. Local tradition says the community became known as Skullbone because of the rough bare-knuckle fights once held in the area, where punches to the skull and collarbone supposedly inspired the unusual name. Whether every detail of the legend is true or not, it's certainly one of the more colorful place names you'll run across on a back-road trip.
Hampton's Skullbone Another View
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
For decades, Hampton's was the place to stop if you were passing through. Landon and Ruby Hampton operated the store for more than half a century, greeting locals and travelers alike. Plenty of visitors came away talking about the thick-sliced bologna sandwiches, but just as many remembered wandering around outside reading the humorous signs. One declared the building to be "Skullbone City Hall," while another pointed visitors toward the "Mayor's Office Upstairs," despite the fact that Skullbone has never had a mayor.
It was one of those places where there always seemed to be time for a conversation before getting back on the road. Even if all you bought was a cold drink, chances are you'd leave with a story to tell.
Hampton's Skullbone Painting
Skullbone, TN Photo courtesy Tony Craig
UPDATE: Here are a couple of additional photos of Ruby and Landon Hampton's Skullbone Store, including a painting of two Skullbonians fighting "Skullbone" style...bare knuckled, only blows above the chest were allowed. Real HE-MAN fighting. Many thanks to Tony Craig for info. 03-07
UPDATE: Hampton's General Store closed in March 2019 after more than 55 years in business. The old store still stands, and many of its familiar signs remain, but it no longer welcomes travelers through its front door. 07-26
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Closed)
Elberton, GA Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
Here is an old Coca-Cola bottling plant located in Elberton Georgia. The plant closed sometime in the 70's and is now being used as a church. Elberton is known for it's Granite, so it was only fitting for the plants sign to be carved in granite. Many thanks to Doug Harvey for info. 03-06
Like so many small-town bottling plants, the brick building was designed to advertise Coca-Cola almost as much as it was built to bottle it. Even after all these years, it's easy to recognize what it once was. The simple lines, brickwork, and familiar Coca-Cola styling make it a classic roadside find.
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Elberton, GA Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
Built in 1939, the plant bottled soft drinks for Elberton and surrounding communities as part of the regional Coca-Cola network. At one time nearly every town had a local bottling plant, each serving its own corner of the map before production gradually shifted to much larger regional facilities.
Today the building stands as a reminder of those days when local bottlers were part of everyday life. It's one of those places that can easily slip by unnoticed unless you're keeping an eye out for old industrial buildings and faded pieces of roadside America.
UPDATE: The bottling plant is no longer in operation, but the historic brick building still stands in downtown Elberton. 07-26
Coffey's General Store
Edgemont, NC Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The Coffey Store is in Edgemont, NC on a dirt road way up in the mountains. It took about 45 minutes on the dirt road to get there. Many thanks to Tony Craig for info. 06-06
Sitting beside a rushing stream in the Pisgah National Forest, it looks like the kind of place that hasn't changed much in generations. The front porch, hand-painted sign, and weathered wooden building fit the mountain setting perfectly. The store has been welcoming locals and travelers since 1895 and for many years also served as the community's post office. Archie Coffey operated the store for fifty years, making it the gathering place for just about everyone who passed through this remote valley.
One of the reasons the building is so special is that it survived the devastating 1940 flood that wiped the nearby logging town of Mortimer off the map. Somehow, Coffey's was spared and continued serving the community long after many neighboring landmarks had disappeared.
UPDATE: Coffey's General Store continues to welcome visitors on a seasonal basis, and the historic building remains one of the best-known landmarks in the Edgemont valley. 07-26
Airstream
Hampton's General Store (Closed)
Hampton's Skullbone Another View
Hampton's Skullbone Painting
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Closed)
Elberton Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Coffey's General Store
