Look Back ... to a house fire on Coldwater Road, 1948

Oct. 15—Oct. 15, 1948, in The Star: A seven-room dwelling on the Coldwater Road about four miles from Oxford, which was home to two families, was destroyed by fire this morning, leaving the mother of four children in the hospital with severe burns sustained in their rescue. The mother is Mrs. Mildred Buice, 36, and the four children — Sarah Nell, 13, Grace Anne, 7, Barbara Sue, 6, and Dennis, 4 — all suffered burns of at least minimal degree. The father is Louie Buice, an employee at Anniston Ordnance Depot, frantic over the condition of his family and the total loss of everything they owned. The other family living in the house, Mr. and Mrs. V. R. Stephens and their children, Dewey, 17, and Betty Jean, 14, were not hurt but lost all their possessions, too. [The article by Elise Ayers is accompanied by two photographs of the fire scene, which was unusual at this time, especially given the close deadlines of the time.] Also this date: One of the early residents of Anniston who hailed from the Old World has died. John Henry Chilton, age 96, who was born in Shropshire, England, and wound up here in 1888 to work in the iron business, died at his home at 9:40 this morning. His wife, also English, predeceased him, in 1942. He is survived by three grandsons — Dr. A. M. Chilton, W. F. Chilton and J. F. Chilton of Anniston — and 10 great-grandchildren. Additionally: Oxford's freshly elected City Council held its first meeting last night in the office of Mayor Hemphill Whiteside. Its primary accomplishment was to authorize the addition of 19 new fire plugs in the residential section in order to provide complete fire protection. The council is composed of C. W. Hastings, J. H. Harwood, J. N. Howell and C. D. Pace, all of whom are re-elected former members, and Tull C. Allen, the new man on the body.

Oct. 15, 1998, in The Star: On the first of a two-day campaign tour around the state yesterday, Attorney General Bill Pryor, with the help of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions — briefly stopped in Anniston to broadcast his message to Calhoun County voters. It came in the form of a tour bus that rolled into the parking lot of Golden Springs Shopping Center. The crowd of about 150, many wearing campaign stickers and passing out posters, clapped as Pryor and Sessions walked into the crowd.