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Old McGrath's sign highlights auction
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| By: THERESE APEL, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
November 04, 2009 |
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Photo Submitted
Brookhaven Trust President Matt Hall (left) and member Cameron Smith kneel next to the McGrath’s Department Store sign that will be up for bids in a silent auction Thursday night at the Brookhaven Taste of the Trust, held at the Brookhaven Recreation Department.
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The Taste of the Trust will offer not only tantalizing refreshments, but also a chance to buy a piece of Brookhaven's history.
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The sign from McGrath's Department store, which in the early 1900s was the largest department store between New Orleans and Memphis, will be a part of a silent auction at Thursday's Taste of the Trust. Trust members are excited about the possibilities.
"I think it's going to be what they call a hot item as far as the bidding, because it is truly an antique, and it is truly a piece of Brookhaven's history," said Trust board member Rita Rich.
The sign was on the old McGrath building, and then when it became the Progressive Men's shop, it was stored in the building, Rich said.
"It's the sign that was up over the business that advertised it," she said. "There's a lot of interest as far as someone wanting that."
McGrath's was at its peak in the 1920s, according to Durr Walker's Pictorial History of Lincoln County.
Walker wrote that the store closed in 1938, before reopening for a short time. Rich said she believed it closed again for good in the 1960s.
In addition to the McGrath sign, there are also roof tiles from the original Lampton Auditorium up for bidding at the gala. Lampton Auditorium was built on the Whitworth College campus in the early 1900s as well.
"When they put up the new roof at Lampton, those tiles are from the original," Rich said. "They were taken off when the roof was restored, possibly in the 1990s."
Brookhaven band Ghost Town will provide entertainment, and area restaurants and caterers will provide samples of tasty treats for guests.
Tickets to the event at the Brookhaven Recreation Department are $25, and may be purchased at We Frame It at the intersection of Highway 51 and Chickasaw Street, or by calling Brookhaven Trust board member Sloane Smith at 601-757-4725.
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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