Five New Glenwood Historical Markers Unveiled

The City of Panama City unveiled five historical markers commemorating the Glenwood Business District during a ceremony held at St. John Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Historical markers were created for Charlie's Time, Grady's One Stop Drive-In, Barnes Cleaners, Triumph Church and St. John Missionary Baptist Church.

The historical markers commemorated black-owned businesses that were thriving in the Glenwood Business District prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard's (formerly Cove Boulevard) roadway expansion. The expansion occurred in the mid-1990s and led to many of the businesses' closures and demolition.

Long-time resident of Glenwood, Myron Hines, took pictures of some of the remaining storefronts before they were torn down. He held onto those photos for almost 20 years before donating them to the City for this project. "The black community was viable, self-contained and well-decorated with businesses up and down Cove Boulevard. If you needed a service, it was provided," Hines said. "I was glad to donate the pictures for this project, and I want you guys to know I'm glad to give back to Glenwood." His photos can be seen in a book titled Historical Journey Up Cove Boulevard, with a written history of Glenwood by Mr. Ivie Burch.

Family members of the businesses honored with the historical markers shared their memories of the days when the Glenwood Business District was thriving.

George Hines spoke on behalf of Charlie Smith, the owner of Charlie's Time, who was assisting his church's youth choir Saturday morning. "[Charlie] was a musician. His whole family was musicians. He opened the club because he wanted our people to have somewhere to go at night. He said you could always come there for good fellowship, good food, good music and every once in a while, a good drink. And that's what Charlie's Time was there for: to entertain the people and give the people what they wanted. You always had live music there... There wasn't a juke box or anything, it was just Charlie and his group."

The late Grady Lawrence McClain started Grady's One Stop Drive-In. His daughter-in-law, Debra McClain, spoke on behalf of him. "We ran that business in memories of him, and it's still there, and I thank God for that. Mr. Grady wanted to be here, but I know today he's smiling because y'all are doing a great thing," she said.

Geislia Barnes, niece of the late Tony Barnes Jr., spoke about her uncle's business and love of his community. "Uncle Tony moved to Panama City at a young age in 1941...He owned and operated this cleaners for over 50 years. Not only did he serve the citizens of Panama City and Lynn Haven, but he also served the military by obtaining contracts with Tyndall Air Force Base and surrounding military facilities to fulfill their dry-cleaning needs. Uncle Tony loved the city and its residents. He took pride in providing the best dry cleaning and customer service in the city. He would inspect every piece of clothing before it left his cleaners. I know because I worked at the cleaners, along with my cousins."

Rev. Dr. Rufus Woods is a spiritual, civic and civil rights leader in Panama City, FL. He preached upon the history of Triumph Church and its impacts on the people of Panama City. "Triumph Church is a Pentecostal church... As we pay tribute to them, we thank God for what they have done as a part of the black church. Triumph have turned anger into action; they've turned burdens into blessings; they've turned chaos into compassion; they've turned despair into dreams; they've turned grief into glory; they've turned heartaches into hallelujahs and hymns; they've turned misery into mercy and ministry; they've turned pain into power; they've turned sorrow into singing, and they've turned trauma into triumph!"

Pastor Delwynn Williams of St. John Missionary Baptist Church expressed the church's commitment to the community as he said: "when I came to this town over 23 years ago, I was trying to figure out where to go to get my clothes cleaned, and my deacon said 'go to Barnes Cleaners'...I had my clothes done there until they closed it up. And then of course you are here in this building that sits on the site where the Triumph Church once was. So we've had something to do with every one of these markers, I believe, and to God be the glory for it."

There are now a total of ten historical markers in Glenwood. The focus has been on MLK Jr. Blvd. due to its historical significance. The other establishments include Lee's Gulf Station, Russ Shoe Shop, Lincoln Theatre, Battle Memorial Funeral Home and Anderson's Standard Service Station.

Panama City Commissioner Janice Lucas expressed gratitude to the City for its efforts to remember the past and continue to support the Glenwood community as it strives for a greater future. "I've begun calling this the Glenwood Renaissance, because we are in the midst of a rebirth," said Lucas. She also noted her desire to attract businesses back to the boulevard with better access to its roadway, construction of the new MLK Jr. Recreation Center and new Glenwood Marketplace, a farmer's market to spur economic development in the community. "The renaissance is underway, and this part of it, hearing these stories gives me the energy to move forward...look what they did when they didn't have half of what we have now and so many other obstacles. If they could do it, certainly with what we have now and their blood running through our veins, we can do a whole lot more."

The City will be unveiling additional historical markers to the community on a quarterly basis with the next set scheduled to be revealed in Fall 2024.

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