MARY BRASWELL: Businesses made rapid 1940 tornado recovery

As Adolf Hitler wreaked havoc throughout Europe, Albany was recovering from a tornado. Americans had no desire to join the war overseas, instead continued efforts to bounce back from the Great Depression. Here is a look back at the spring of 1940.

— A committee formed by the Dougherty County Medical Society presented plans to the Albany City Commission as well as the Chamber of Commerce for hospital expansion. All were in agreement that the addition of 100 beds was a long overdue project. Funds totaling 75 percent of the $400,000 needed were granted by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). While details were not clear, Albany officials felt sure the remaining 25 percent could be arranged.

— A report given at the Albany Youth Council included the history of nursery schools and the advantages for the families and children. The average cost for nursery school care was 12 cents per day.

— In observance of the Salvation Army’s national “Prison Sunday,” Captain W.H. Farrior announced that the local unit would hold Sunday worship services at the county prison farm at 3 p.m.

— Building permits for the first month following the Feb. 10 tornado topped $180,000 in Albany.

— The Empire Produce Co. repairs and renovations from the tornado were completed in just 15 working days.

— Albany’s American Red Cross chapter kept a close tab on all disaster relief funds received. Donations were listed frequently in the newspaper — some as small as a dime. With an average gift ranging from $1-$5, the total as of the first of March was nearing $58,000.

— Mayfair Jewelry at 205 Broad Ave. was the place to get the new 1940 General Electric Model HJ-612 radio. The modern radio came in a walnut cabinet, had six tubes and a built-in aerial. The price tag was $33.75. Weekly payments were accepted.

— The Georgia Highway Department, along with the state Mines, Mining and Geology department, placed a marker at Sand Hill on Radium Springs Road. The marker designated the sand dunes on the east side of the Flint River, extending about 30 miles, as “Fossil Dunes” and dating back to the time the sea reached inland … about one million years ago.

— An updated report from the Georgia Department of Public Safety stated that for the year 1939, two traffic-related deaths occurred in Dougherty County.

— A prisoner being turned over by the Albany Police Department to Crisp County escaped. As the Crisp County Sheriff and his deputy were walking the prisoner to their official car, the man asked if he could move his personal car off the street and into a parking lot at APD. With permission granted to move his vehicle, the prisoner, charged with cheating and swindling, proceeded to get in his car and flee the scene.

— Trippe Motor Company in Albany was the Studebaker dealer. The new “Champion” bragged of getting 29.19 miles per gallon of gas. Prices started at $660.

— An all-modern service station opened on the corner of Broad Avenue and Jefferson Street in Albany. The full service station was a Gulf dealer.

— “Gone With the Wind” made its South Georgia premiere at the Albany Theatre. Nightly shows and the Sunday matinee were all reserved seating and cost $1.10. No seats were reserved for daily matinees, and those tickets were 75 cents each.

— Just one month after total destruction, the Diana Shops at 119 N. Washington St. reopened its new store. The “shiny new store with brand new stock” had everything ladies needed for Easter.

— Worth County announced its schools would run regulation terms for 1940. The county’s 22 white schools were scheduled for eight months. The schools with a local tax, which included Sylvester, Poulan, Warwick, Sumner, Bridgeboro and Red Rock, would run nine-month terms. Black schools in the county, all 42 of them, would run a seven-month term as usual.

— Gillionville Road, already paved for five miles within Dougherty County, would soon have an additional six miles added to its paving project by the WPA.

—The first copy of The Albany Journal rolled off the A.L. Seely Publishing Company presses on Friday, March 15.

— Albany Police Chief Jim Moore was elected president of the Georgia Association of Police Chiefs.

— Jobs were lost following the Feb. 10 tornado but only temporarily in most cases. The rebuilding of downtown Albany, however, opened up many new jobs to offset losses. As of late March, 256 claimants were receiving unemployment compensation averaging $6 per week.

— Churchwell’s had the newest in baby shoes. Sanitized Baby Deer washable virgin wool felt shoes in a variety of colors were available in sizes birth to one year. The price was $1.

— The Albany Women’s Club voted to endorse the movement recently set forth to establish a library for black residents within the city. A new recreation center was soon to be constructed by WPA, and the recommendation was that a lending library be included within the facility.

— Under the personal management of Marcia Morgan, more than 30 ladies received their diplomas from the Albany School of Beauty Culture. Morgan proudly announced that, since opening in 1938, no student from her school had failed to pass the state board of examinations.

— Lee County continued to be the leading producer of seed peanuts in the state with more than 26,000 acres dedicated for that purpose. Additionally for 1940, Lee was allotted 7,304 acres for cotton and 32,000 acres for general crops. Lee was expected to exceed the previous year’s 1,925 acres of watermelons.

In other news…

— The “America First Committee” consisted of more than one million members. The group’s sole mission was to keep America out of the European War (WWII). The group disbanded nationwide on Dec. 11, 1941.

— Life expectancy for men was 60.8 years and for women, 65. 2 years.

— Hans and Margret Rey, both Jewish, fled Paris on bicycles just hours before it was seized by the Nazis. One of the few possessions they took with them was an illustrated manuscript of the first “Curious George” book, which was later published in NYC.

— Robin, the Boy Wonder, Batman’s trusted sidekick, made his debut in Detective Comics #38.

— Nylon stockings became widely available to the general public. Five million pairs sold on the first day. DuPont soon stopped nylon stocking production and turned to the war production of tents, parachutes and rope.

— The first peacetime draft lottery in U.S. history was instituted. All man ages 18 to 35 were required to register. The first lottery was held in October and first drawn was No. 158.

— “The Three Stooges” short subject comedy film “You Nazty Spy!” was released. It was the first Hollywood parody of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, with Moe Howard portraying “Moe Hailstone” as the Hitler-parody lead.

— York Peppermint Patties were first marketed.

— John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, “Grapes of Wrath.”

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter

QUIK QUIZ ANSWER: a) ice cream