A Very Sweet History

In the early 1900s, our dear town of Sand Lake was a busy little village. It was full of the same families that have been here for generations, maybe even your own relatives, perhaps? Many of these townspeople could be found doing most of their shopping not at Miller's (because it didn't exist back then), but at A.E. Horton's Grocery Store, owned by the late Albert Eugene Horton, now Jill's Hidden Garden. Mr. Horton lived across from his store, on Taborton Road with his wife Aurillia. However, after his death, Aurillia's brother James Cotton came to live in the Horton residence, as his wife Alice had recently passed away as well. Around the year 1915, Mr. Cotton opened an ice-cream parlor next to his sister's house. He later sold candy there too. Cotton's store was famous to the children who would run over and wait in line for penny candy while their parents bought groceries across the street. Girl Scout Troop 181 is inspired by the little building that was once this candy store, which is why we want to bring back the nostalgia of our historic small town. We are a troop of four girls, hoping to achieve a beautifully restored house and our Gold Award is a challenging task, which is why we need the help of our community members. The people whose families built this town now have the chance to rebuild it. We've already had a great deal of support from dedicated members of this town, but we need more volunteers. Think of the goodies sold in James Cotton's store, and consider the reward of knowing that you helped bring back the sweet memories of Sand Lake's past.

10/20/2007 -- asm