How Winfield Main Street Began

In order for any progressive community to establish a clear vision for its future, it must first have a definitive understanding of its history. For Winfield, the task of defining this history began in 1995 with the creation of the Winfield Main Street program. Established to preserve the foundational building blocks of this northwest Alabama farming community while creating a new sense of purpose for residents to renovate existing structures, the  Winfield Main Street program was a timely addition. What was necessary to draw the attention and interest of the local residents was the balance of restoring historic buildings in the downtown district--and at the same time coming forward with programs to involve those who were truly devoted to their community.

With the creation of the program, this process revealed that one individual can make a difference as one man and his wife stepped up with the plan and spent an entire year nurturing the process until others came on board.
But what may have proven to be the most rewarding part of this development was something Winfield knew had been in place for more than 100 years since the Marion County city was created in 1891--hometown pride and a willingness to dirty the hands in order to serve the greater good.

Previously known as Needmore, the City of Winfield has quite often needed more to make this community expand and prosper. With the creation and development of the new Winfield Main Street program, a new sense of community pride and awareness was born. With one couple planting the seeds of this new dream, a crop of volunteers was harvested. In less than a year after the initial seeds were planted, one after another rose from the carefully-tilled rows of civic pride.

Tracy and Tawanna Estes had returned home to Winfield only four years earlier and had been searching for ways to enhance their hometown. Stumbling upon an article in Southern Living magazine, the couple would schedule a trip to Kentucky to learn more about one of the nation’s premier Main Street communities which had been featured in the article. And in time, the volunteers would rise up to assist in the work which would lie ahead. Bob and Jan Henger, Dr. Richard Vining, Chanda Thomas, Dana Peoples, Rubye Miles, Sherrian McDaniel, Scot Nelson, Todd Atkinson, Dennis Greene, and Candy Reed were just a few of the willing hands which rolled up their sleeves and donated their time to serve.

Visiting a community in the heart of Kentucky was among the first orders of business for those who longed to see Winfield save its precious history while always keeping the vision of the future on the horizon. Harrodsburg served as the main motivation for Winfield as our local volunteers could see firsthand what hard labor and the willingness to set long-range goals could produce.

Three visits to Kentucky came in those early years--first by the couple which originally saw the vision followed by others with larger numbers making the trip with each passing journey northward. Finally, in August 1995, the results from the trips were officially presented to Winfield Mayor Bill Sager, who had participated in one of the Kentucky trips, and the Winfield City council--and the authority was given to move forward. Winfield would officially join the eight other Alabama cities with Main Street programs. Yet what made Winfield unique was the fact this community was by far the smallest with such a desire and a program in place.

Beginning in May 1996, the original founder would join his efforts with Bob Henger to raise the necessary money to lift this program from the drawing board. Serving as administrator at Northwest Medical Center, Bob Henger possessed the talents to direct such an effort. In less than six weeks, the Estes and Henger had managed to raise more than $170,000 to cover the cost of paying a full-time director for the next five years. Funds were raised--not with one or two large donations, but with smaller contributions used to financially build the dream one brick at a time. Less than a month later, the original board of directors had been created with Greene, Vining, Henger, and McDaniel joining the founder around the table.

Officials with the Alabama Historical Commission would visit in June 1996--hand in hand with an Alabama Main Street team. By September 1996, the first meeting was held with merchants to explain the Main Street concept and the program was in place. Virginia resident Judy Collins was selected as the program’s first full-time director in October 1996. She would assume her duties on Dec. 2. Her first week on the job was spent learning the details from one of the best in the business--Robyn Cutter, who was serving as the director for Harrodsburg First in Kentucky. In December 1996, the board produced its first newsletter as a way to assist the community in following the program’s progress.

What was not covered within the pages of the Journal Record  (the Marion County newspaper which had documented the program’s steps from the very beginning), could be found in the newsletter. In the same month, the first Winfield Main Street office was in place--located inside a former home of a former Winfield mayor, Lymon Goolsby. The home sat adjacent to Winfield City Hall. The site is now home to the city’s new severe weather shelter and command center.

By Christmas, a survey of the downtown merchants had been conducted and caroling was held in the downtown memorial park, now known as the Johnny Micheal Spann Memorial Park. In April 1997, the board would conduct an Easter egg hunt and a massive citywide cleanup, which resulted in the collection and discarding of more than 16 tons of debris from alleyways in the community. The city would also provide the means to trash non-functioning appliances for those residents who called in need of such services.

By late April (1997), the board would unveil the new logo which would be identified with Winfield Main Street. In May 1997, the first fully functional board of directors was announced with architect Jack Nix, Scot Nelson, Bill Sager, Van Johnson, and Gary Barker being added to the list. Having served in various other capacities before this time, the services rendered by Peoples and Atkinson would be officially added to the mix.

By June 1997, Barker would end renovation efforts at his own personal downtown business--Barker TV and Radio, the former home of B&R Hardware. In August 1997, the board would reveal the first in a series of five collectable Christmas ornaments to be offered with the Winfield Main Street Bake-Off added to the list of activities by September--just in time for the city’s annual Mule Day festival. Winfield Main Street would create the Winfield Junior Main Street Program--the first of its kind in Alabama and only the third in the country.

The program was created to involved members of the junior and senior classes from Winfield City High School (one of the Top 10 high schools in Alabama, by the way) in historic restoration and the program’s efforts. The home of one of the city’s most unique restaurants (Aroma’s ) is housed within one of the areas most fascinating and historic buildings. Formerly the office of one of the city’s doctors, the site now serves as a gathering place for local residents. And this restoration as well was born as a Winfield Main Street task. In time, the Winfield Main Street board would create the Winfield Arts Council to direct renovation efforts at the historic Pastime Theater.

Upon completion of the task, which was performed under the direction of Bob Henger, the task of filling the seats and attracting in recognizable names to grace the stage would fall to members of the Pastime Theater Board. And based upon the success at the 1937 structure, there should be little doubt the results have been fruitful. Within the last few years in addition to restoring the theater, Winfield Main Street has served to oversee the installation of new period lighting throughout the downtown district. And these structures serve as a place for Winfield Main Street to display period banners announcing the changing of the seasons, U.S. holidays or other civic events. With various forms of local and national assistance, the board has secured the property adjacent to the theater known as the Hollis Building--a site which previously served as the home of a Ford dealership and most recently as Hollis Pharmacy.

Funding has been secured and an oversight board named by Winfield Mayor Rebel Silas to direct this restoration effort. The building will serve as the new home of Winfield  Main Street as well as providing complimentary space and services for the city’s theater. More than a decade has passed since those early years, but the vision and passion displayed by those who still hold this idea near and dear to their hearts has not wavered.

Winfield Main Street will remain devoted to preserving the community’s historic past while turning attention to the future in ways to assist the mayor and city council in directing its residents toward what no doubt will be a bright and promising future. And to think it all began with the planting of just a few seeds.

So anyone who wishes to learn more about the program or the City of Winfield should feel free to call Winfield Main Street Executive Director Gail Spann at 487-8841.